STEPHANIE F.

Stephanie has a B.A. in History, and minor in English from Simon Fraser University. She is also a qualified EAL instructor. Her specialty has been supporting middle and high school students in Humanities and English composition as well as Primary/Junior students in literacy and remedial reading support.  She has also worked with many students internationally on English acquisition.

MARYANN M.

Maryann is in her 15th year teaching in New York City. She holds an M.S. in Education from Lehman College, an M.S. in Special Education from Manhattan College, and an Advanced Certificate in School Building Leadership from Manhattan College. She values her connections with her students and especially enjoys teaching science and literacy!

JACKSON F.

Jackson is an Ontario Certified Teacher who currently teaches within the TDSB. Jackson recently obtained his Master of Teaching Degree from OISE, University of Toronto, with Straight A’s! Before this, he obtained a combined honors Bachelor’s Degree from Dalhousie University in Theatre (Acting) & Environment, Sustainability & Society, with a minor in Chinese Studies. Why Chinese? Because he was born and raised until age 15 in Hong Kong, and it’s a beautiful language! Why Nova Scotia for undergrad? Because he attended High School in his family’s native Newfoundland, it was the perfect distance away, and it had this cool brand-new Sustainability Program. Why choose him as your tutor? Because he is very personable, fun, and loves to help you learn, grow, and find new ways to achieve success. You can learn more about his professional, outdoor and theatrical pursuits here: www.jacksonfowlow.com.

JAMIE Z.

Jamie is currently a grade 2/3 teacher with the Toronto District School Board. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Teaching in Elementary Education, and is currently completing his Master of Arts in Social Justice Education. He also holds additional qualifications in Special Education, Primary/Junior Literacy, Mathematics, Reading, ESL, and Kindergarten.
During the summer months, Jamie fulfills the role of Program Director with Westcoast Connection. Over the past 10 summers he has directed programs all over Canada, USA, Europe and Australia.

DASHA T.

Dasha graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science of Language. She successfully completed a post-graduate certificate program in Speech and Language Sciences at Brock University. She is currently completing her Master’s of Clinical Science in Speech-Language Pathology with a minor in Audiology. Dasha has a strong passion for working with individuals with communication challenges to improve their quality of life. As she completes her Master’s program, Dasha is accustomed to creating interactive and individualized lesson plans that fit the needs for each of her clients in therapy sessions. Many of Dasha’s work experiences involve working with children with various disabilities in the academic and respite capacity which she thoroughly enjoys and finds extremely rewarding. In her spare time, Dasha enjoys a tasty fish taco, eating at new restaurants, going to the gym, hiking, and spending time with her friends and family!

BETH C.

Beth is an Ontario Certified Teacher within the Primary/Junior division. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Anthropology and Philosophy. Beth then traveled to Asia, where she discovered her passion for teaching. She taught English in Taiwan for over eight years before returning to Canada in 2012 to become a certified teacher. Beth received a Bachelor of Education from York University in the Urban Diversity program at Regent Park in 2013. She has since volunteered as a classroom teacher in Regent Park, worked as a childcare provider for two pre-school aged children, and most recently returned to Taiwan last year to complete a one year contract teaching grade one using the Ontario curriculum.

Beth is an experienced teacher with a strong commitment to students and their learning. Having worked with children of all ages, she believes in creating an atmosphere where students participate actively in their learning. She feels students should see themselves reflected within the curriculum in order to enrich their learning experience. As a teacher, Beth also strives to provide a variety of differentiated instruction and positive reinforcement to support student achievement and learning.

In her spare time, she loves listening to music and enjoying the outdoors. She is also passionate about the arts and is an avid storyteller.

STEPHANIE B.

Stephanie was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, double minoring in English and Human Geography. Stephanie went on graduate from OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) at the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Education in the Intermediate/Senior grade levels. Additionally, Stephanie has completed AQ’s (Additional Qualifications) to teach Kindergarten – Junior levels and Google Classroom. She also has experience teaching IB curricula.

Through her relationship with colleagues (some her former teachers and mentors) Stephanie has developed a deep passion for working with students and guiding them to reach their full potential. Stephanie truly believes that engaging students using their curiosity and interests is crucial in helping them gain the confidence they require to succeed. 
She is passionate in cultivating fun and inclusive learning experiences for students, where she fosters engaging, personalized one-on-one interactive lessons. Additionally, in her spare time, Stephanie enjoys staying active, reading, travelling as well as spending time with her friends and family.

DESIREE B.

Desiree has been an elementary school teacher for over twenty years.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Hofstra University and a Master’s degree in Reading from Lehman College.  She began her career teaching in the New York City Public Schools and has spent the last 18 years working in Westchester County. She has taught first, second and third grades.  As a general education teacher she has also worked in her district’s ICT (Integrated Co-Taught Classroom) model where she taught alongside Special Education teachers.  This collaborative work has given her the unique ability to identify specific needs and offer students a variety of learning strategies and methods to help ensure student success.  She is a member of her district’s English Language Arts Committee where she works with fellow teachers, reading specialists and district leaders on curriculum.

Desiree has been tutoring students throughout her career.  She enjoys working individually with students and their families.  She brings her years of experience, multiple learning strategies and a host of resources to each child she tutors.  She enjoys nurturing relationships with her students and their parents.  Working to meet individual needs is her ultimate goal.

 

ALEC M.

Alec is an Ontario-certified History/Social Sciences teacher and current M.A. History student at the University of Toronto. Before moving to Toronto, he completed his Bachelor of Education at the University of Ottawa, specializing in Grade 4-10 History. Before that, he graduated from Queen’s University in 2016 with an honour’s degree in History and World Religion. He began teaching ESL to students of all ages in 2016 while living in Europe. He speaks French and a little Spanish and loves learning new languages. He has taught Grade 3-4 Core French, Grade 7/8 Language Arts, History, and Health, and Grade 6/7 English Literacy in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB). He also taught various subjects – primarily English, Social Studies, and Physical Education – from kindergarten to Grade 10 in the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE). In his spare time, he loves to play music with his siblings, especially guitar and bass. He also loves to play and coach basketball and is a huge Toronto Raptors fan. He has some suggestions for how the team could be improved but does not have the influence to secure a meeting with management. Since 2010, he has been a support worker for an individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their family. What he loves most about teaching is seeing students gain confidence in themselves.

Barbara A.

Barbara, B. A., M.A., and PhD candidate, is a former classroom teacher and special education teacher with experience ranging from kindergarten to high school; Associate Teacher at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education; and Adjunct Professor and Instructor for undergraduate courses as at both private and public universities in the United States. Barbara has been active in presenting workshops both locally and internationally and writing for educational journals. Barbara has taught all subjects in the primary and junior divisions, and English and Social Studies at the intermediate and secondary levels of education. With a teaching background in regular, contained, gifted and special education programs, Barbara integrates curricula to provide an enriching, inquiry-based learning program for students. She is committed to providing learning activities that addresses different student needs. As an experienced educator with more than 25 years of international teaching, Barbara is particularly focused on the nature and needs of twice-exceptional learners (those with dual exceptionalities such as learning disability + giftedness and autism + giftedness). Barbara volunteers as a Teacher Mentor for new teachers to the profession and she volunteers her expertise to special and gifted education parent advocacy organizations. Barbara lives in the GTA with her husband and children and is honored to hear from former students, their parents and mentees who keep in touch to share their accomplishments. Barbara enjoys hiking trails, gourmet cooking and family game night.