SARAH R.
Sarah is currently a student at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in the Masters of Teaching program. She has a particular interest in mathematics education and a consciousness of math anxiety and shame within the math classroom, as she is currently working on research on math anxiety in BIPOC students. Sarah truly believes that every student is capable of learning any subject and believes in the importance of building students’ confidence. So, she focuses on connecting with who students are to teach them in a way that works for them.
Before coming to OISE, Sarah taught dance and gymnastics to kids aged 4-12 in a summer camp setting. In practicum experiences, Sarah taught in a grade 5-6 gifted classroom, a grade 7-8 literacy, history, and art classroom and a grade 8 science classroom, with a concentrated focus on math skills within science. With these different age groups and experiences, Sarah has learned the needs of different age groups and is well-equipped at adapting to these different needs. In the future, she hopes to use what she has learned to teach in a junior or intermediate level classroom setting (grades 4-10).
In her personal life, she enjoys baking, watching movies, and seeing live music. She also is active in the UofT community as a Varsity Blues cheerleader.
MADELEINE B.
Madeleine is a student at the University of Toronto pursuing a Master’s in Teaching with a specialization in French education and plans on teaching French at the primary level. Before starting her current program, Madeleine completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at U of T. Having grown up attending French language schools across the US and France, she developed a passion for francophone culture and language. Madeleine taught as a grade 1 to 3 second language teacher at a French language school in Seattle, Washington, before pivoting to tutoring adult English language learners. As a multilingual language learner herself, Madeleine understands that every child’s learning needs are unique and she prioritizes individualized teaching plans to most effectively aid each student in their learning goals.
In her free time, Madeleine has been learning Spanish and enjoys staying active outdoors. She recently discovered crochet and has been learning how to make her own winter accessories!
EMILY M.
Emily is a graduate from the University of Toronto, with a honours bachelor’s degree in earth sciences and environmental geography, and an M.Sc. in Earth sciences! She also completed a minor in Spanish and is fluent in French – she adores languages and wants to learn 8 in total! Emily taught earth sciences at U of T as a teacher’s assistant for 2 years, and also has experience helping younger ones in learning elementary-level material in all subjects.
Aside from her passion for learning and academics, she is a varsity volleyball player at Seneca Polytechnic, and she coaches the sport to youth and adults when she isn’t training and playing herself! Emily is an artsy person at heart though, and is self-employed as an independent recording artist, while also working as an actor and a model part-time (she really like to keep busy if you can’t tell!) Emily can’t wait to meet you, and work with you on stimulating topics and any academic difficulties. Let’s learn together!
Chantelle Z.
Chantelle graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Elementary Education in 2020. She is a certified teacher and has over 12 years of experience working with children in various capacities. She has taught Kindergarten to Grade 6 both as a classroom teacher and a teacher on call. Prior to this, she had experience in child care, camp counselling, daycare and tutoring. Chantelle has always enjoyed working with children and has a passion for learning that she wants to pass onto her students to help foster within them a lifelong love for learning. She enjoys finding new and creative ways to engage her students in learning whether it’s phonics and reading or science and math. She also recognizes that each individual learns differently and wants to help set her students up for success by meeting them where they are at. Chantelle personally loves teaching literacy as it was an area of interest and strength for her growing up. She believes that building positive relationships with her students is crucial to creating a safe and fun learning environment for everyone involved. In her free time, Chantelle loves spending time with friends and family or in nature, experimenting with art, listening to music and podcasts, playing soccer, and tending to her tropical plant collection. It also couldn’t go without mentioning that she is always excited to participate in any activity involving animals, especially dogs!
SAWSAN R.
Sawsan R. is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Education (BEd) at York University Glendon as part of the Concurrent Education program. She successfully completed her four-year Honours Bachelor in French Studies, gaining a deeper understanding of the French language and culture. Now in her first year of her BEd program, Sawsan is enhancing the skills and knowledge required to become a successful and engaging educator.
Sawsan has extensive tutoring and teaching experiences, having taught K-12 students at the University of Toronto youth educational programs. With 7 years of experience as an educator, she has developed a strong ability to connect with students and create a positive learning environment.
Her studies have provided her with a strong foundation in both subject expertise and effective teaching approaches. Sawsan is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment where her students are motivated to improve their language skills and succeed academically.
As Sawsan is fluent in both English and French, she can connect with students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. With her profound experience working with students at various proficiency levels and her strong academic background, she ensures that every student receives high-quality instruction meeting each student’s needs. Sawsan is eager to make a positive impact on her students and help them become proficient in French.
ANNABELLE K.
Annabelle is an Ontario Certified Teacher with a Transitional Certificate as she works towards completing her final year of the Master of Teaching program at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education). In her studies at OISE, Annabelle has been exploring accessibility through gamification and how to best ensure students are engaged and ready to learn in the classroom. Through her placements, Annabelle has had amazing opportunities to work closely with students to meet their various learning needs, including providing students with one on one support. Annabelle has always been passionate about education both inside and out of the classroom as seen through her work in museums. Before entering the classroom, Annabelle received her Master of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Information. Annabelle’s museum work centred around making history accessible and engaging to students through creating interactive and informative exhibits, and school programming for students from Grades 3 through 12. Its her passion for history and the humanities that have led her to teaching and she is excited to share this passion with her students. Annabelle has been working with kids for as long as she remembers, growing up as a camp councilor and teaching karate, always looking for ways to make learning fun. In her spare time, Annabelle practices her karate as much as she can and is always looking for a new video game to play!
ANTHONY M.
Anthony Mayadunne is a multi-disciplinary educator up to the university level in Mathematics (ALM, Harvard), English (MA, UBC), and Business (MBA, U of T). He is passionate about delivering a focused and exciting learning experience to his students—whether they are in Grade 6 … or pursuing their PhD. He is also a SAT trainer (integrating both English and Mathematics sections), and University Admissions Coach for undergraduate and graduate programs, having placed many students in leading universities around the world. When invited to teach Calculus in Engineering Outreach programs (Gr 9 – 12) at U of T Engineering, he developed an engaging approach to teach a famously challenging subject: Calculus. Later, completing his Masters in Mathematics for Teaching, he specialized in teaching Calculus to meet rigorous standards: AP/IB Calculus, Engineering Mathematics, and Mathematics in Arts & Science. His warm and engaging manner has led him to mentor many students in their academic and professional careers. He hopes to persuade the world that all people (including parents) are innate mathematicians, and that Calculus can bring as profound joy as Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, or Maurice Sendak’s Night Kitchen. So far, he has succeeded with about 50 people, and optimistically looks forward to the still 8 billion more people to go.
He has traveled extensively, living for many years in Japan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, and uses these experiences to write short stories, essays and poems. He describes himself in four verbs: I teach, I travel, I read, and sometimes, I write.
ASHLEY D. S.
Ashley is currently enrolled in her second year at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) at the University of Toronto for her Master of Teaching in the Primary/Junior grade level. She has completed two teaching placements in a Grade 3 classroom at Hillcrest Community School, and a Grade 5 classroom at Norseman Junior Middle School. It is through teaching that Ashley has been able to foster her love of Science and Math.
During her undergrad, she spent her time volunteering with child-focused non-profit organisations where she mentored two elementary-aged children with Autism and ADHD through weekly cooking classes and collaborated in teaching a weekly conflict resolution and community-building program to a Grade 5 classroom at Swansea Junior and Senior Public School.
Through these experiences, Ashley has developed a deep passion for working with children and guiding them to reach their full potential. Ashley believes that by building a strong relationship with her students she is better able to meet their needs and grow their learning. She finds these experiences enjoyable and extremely rewarding. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, watching anime, and spending time with her friends and family.
GRIFFIN H.
Griffin graduated from Humber College in 2022, receiving a Bachelor’s of Music with honours. Griffin is currently enrolled at the University of Toronto completing his Master’s of Teaching, where he is set to graduate in April 2025. Griffin is 24 years old and has been teaching music and mentoring students for over 5 years and has experience working with students of all ages.
Griffin graduated from Kelowna Secondary School in 2018 receiving a diploma with honours, as well as the Holland-Rusk Award, the BC Achievement Scholarship, and the BC District Scholarship for Fine Arts. During his time at Humber College, Griffin was awarded the Bernie Piltch Memorial Scholarship and the Yamaha Canada Music Award.
Griffin has recently completed two placements in TDSB schools and has extensive knowledge of the Ontario curriculum, with a focus on the Junior/Intermediate division.
JAMES S.
James Schultz found his passion for writing as the editor of his high-school newspaper. Under his direction, it fell prey to censorship battles and published only one issue. At university, he spent his time writing bad dystopian novels, and paid a heavy academic price for it. Returning to Toronto to pursue a career in screenwriting, he co-wrote Disappearance at Clifton Hill with director Albert Shin for Rhombus Media, starring Tuppence Middleton and David Cronenberg. After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, it was picked up for North American distribution by IFC Midnight and reached #1 on US Netflix. Between his screenwriting and story editing duties, he still finds time to work on his next bad dystopian novel.