JESSICA G.

Jessica is a recent graduate of the Master of Teaching program at the University of Toronto (OISE). Jessica currently works as an Occasional Teacher for Halton District School Board with Primary, Junior and Intermediate Students. As an educator Jessica strives to support students in developing their knowledge, skills, and values for active citizenship. As a new teacher, Jessica is passionate and dedicated to the implementation of research-based practice, innovative learning, and student inquiry. Jessica is certified for the elementary panel. As a native of Etobicoke, Jessica has grown up with a passion for the outdoors and walking alongside the lakeshore with her dog Snooks, this passion for exercise has inspired her to also be qualified for Intermediate Physical and Health Education. In addition to being an Ontario Certified Teacher, Jessica has over 6 years of experience working with children two to twelve at Ryerson Early Learning Centre as an Early-Childhood Educator. With her passion for research and twenty-first-century learning, she is certainly an innovative and exciting candidate.

Throughout Jessica’s work as an early-childhood educator and teacher candidate, She has developed a sincere desire to inspire innovation and build challenging but supportive learning environments for her students. Within her work, she has used differentiated instruction and experiential learning opportunities to support learners with exceptionalities as these opportunities for learning are invaluable for promoting student engagement and supporting the individual needs of students. Throughout the Masters of Teaching program, Jessica had devoted her research to exploring the way teachers incorporate Aboriginal perspectives and environmental education to support the whole child. With this research experience, Jessica is passionate about implementing teaching strategies that have proven effective and efficient throughout educational research to best support her students.

Throughout Jessica’s experience, she has planned lessons that promote personalized learning opportunities to meet the needs of students. It is important to Jessica that her students feel valued and have a sense of trust and value in their learning. Professionally, Jessica’s has a strong interest in working with students with various exceptionalities and has had experience working with students in enrichment programs and students with executive functioning needs. Jessica strongly believes that students can and should look forward to learning in a safe space where it is recognized that their individual differences make the learning experience come alive. A part of this is building strong relationships and knowing her students. Jessica believes that in order to personalize learning opportunities, you truly need to know your students.

Through Jessica’s combined experiences learning from and working in the field of education, specifically the early years, she has discovered her passion for special education and early intervention. Jessica’s desire to learn more about how to appropriately adapt instructional tools for such a diverse population of learners has allowed her to make the decision complete her qualifications for Primary/Junior Special Education Part 1 and Reading. Personally, along with lakeshore hikes, Jessica has played volleyball, figured skated and has a strong passion for literacy and reading. Her favorite genre of books is non-fiction as she enjoys learning about the world around her. With a strong passion for reading, she aims to support students love or learning and discover the ways to best support students with exceptionalities. Throughout Jessica’s undergraduate and graduate studies, she has engaged in several professional development workshops to better equip herself as an elementary teacher to provide an effective and sustainable education for her students.

SAMUEL P.

Sam graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in 2014. While he was there, he majored in both Dramatic Arts and Geography, and later moved on to complete his Bachelor of Education at OISE in May of 2015. He is an Ontario Certified Teacher, qualifying him to teach all subjects at an intermediate level. He has experience teaching English, History, Science, Religion, Special Education, Business Marketing, Geography, and Civics/Careers. Sam has experience working as an Academic Coach, helping students to fine tune how to better stay organized, improving test taking strategies and their personal at home study skills.

In the beginning of 2020, Sam set out to complete his Junior Basic Qualification, certifying him to teach Grades 4-10, while further developing his knowledge of students learning in Special Education by completing the second of three qualifying degrees in that field of expertise.

Sam has been teaching Dance, Drama, Geography and Special Education at a public secondary school in Toronto. When he isn’t teaching, Sam can be found singing along at a concert, exercising with friends, or planning his next travel destination.

JEN G.

Jen is an Ontario Certified Teacher, holding a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from Queen’s University. She has experience teaching children of all abilities from Kindergarten to Grade 6, and has worked in both TDSB and private school settings, such as Bialik Hebrew Day School. Jen has additional qualifications in Special Education, Teaching Math, and Teaching Reading, which enables her to effectively engage students with a variety of learning needs. Having completed the French Immersion program at Lawrence Park CI, Jen enjoys working with both French and English subjects. She has a passion for inclusion, along with compassion for children with disabilities, and intends to pursue this throughout her career as a teacher. Jen has gathered a wide range of experience working with children with special needs in both classroom and recreational environments, including Bloorview School Authority. Additionally, Jen is trained on the Remedial Programs of Direct Instruction Reading Mastery and The Wilson Reading Program and she enjoys working through these programs with struggling readers and writers. As an educator, her goal is to empower students to engage in and enjoy their learning, overcome obstacles, and reach their academic potential.

JENNIFER Y.

Jennifer is a Certified Teacher who holds an AQ in Special Education and specializes in working with students using Assistive Technology. As a Technology Consultant, she has supported over 180 students in the past year, by integrating learning strategies with specialized software in the York Region District School Board (YRDSB). Jennifer empowers her students through rapport building and differentiated instruction to effectively overcome learning barriers. She has worked with students with various exceptionalities including autism, ADHD, CP, dyslexia and auditory processing disorder.

Jennifer’s expertise in leading educational technology include: Google Apps for Education (GAFE), Google Read & Write, Kurzweil 3000, WordQ/SpeakQ, Dragon Naturallyspeaking and Smart Ideas. As software designed to support cognitive processing, teaching students how to effectively integrate them with authentic practice can help achieve better communication, writing, organization, comprehension and test-taking skills.

The combination of her Ontario curriculum knowledge from K-12 and familiarity of technology in education makes Jennifer effective in targeting individual student needs to boost self-confidence and independence. Recognizing the importance of family and community involvement, she values connections with parents and teachers/administration to keep communication about student progress open.

Since 2013, Jennifer has experience working with learning and literacy engagement programs in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and independent schools. The program she specializes in is a STEM-focused integration of social justice and literacy/numeracy. In addition to working with K-8, she also teaches grade 10-12 Ontario credit courses including English, Business and Social Sciences.

Jennifer holds a B.Ed. in the primary/junior divisions from Lakehead University as well as a B. Design from Ryerson University. She was certified by the Ontario College of Teachers in 2012. In addition, she also has AQs in Music and Intermediate History.

As a world traveler, Jennifer also has experience teaching ESL in South Korea for 3 years, running sewing and tailoring workshops in Sri Lanka and was involved with a literacy engagement camp in Onigaming First Nation, near Thunder Bay. Jennifer loves learning just as much as teaching. She is inspired by travel, photography and cooking. Her personal learning pursuits include becoming Google Certified, becoming better at plant identification and making time for crafts.

MARISSA B.

Marissa joined Prep Academy Tutors in 2014 after completing her Bachelor’s of Education (Primary/Junior) with a program focus in Special Education at Queen’s University. Since then, Marissa has taken additional qualifications in Special Education (part 1 and 2), Communication Needs: Autism, Reading, Kindergarten, and Primary/Junior Mathematics. In 2015, Marissa participated in a conference in Oregon to learn how to train teachers in Direct Instruction. In addition to Direct Instruction, Marissa also has trained teachers in the Wilson Reading System.

Marissa is passionate about making learning come alive for her students.  She works hard to find new and creative ways to reach every learner.  As an educator, it is her mission to inspire her students to become life-long learners who strive to ask questions and find answers.  Developing confidence and making learning fun are top priorities during Marissa’s tutoring sessions.  Students learn that it is through challenging themselves that they can learn and grow (even if they make mistakes along the way).  Marissa firmly believes that all students are unique and deserve to be educated in a way that incorporates their strengths and interests into their learning process.  

When Marissa isn’t teaching, you can find her hanging out with her puppy Rufus, or riding her horse, Rex.

Andrea Z.

Andrea is a graduate of Queen’s University’s Bachelor of Education program. She has also completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa. Andrea has a strong passion for languages and cultures. She loves to learn and experience new things. During her fourth year of university, Andrea studied abroad in France to immerse herself in a new culture and surrounding.

Andrea strives to share her passion for the languages and motivate others to continue learning them. Andrea has experience teaching English, French, and Special Education. Andrea is able to establish a creative, positive and comfortable learning environment that makes learning fun for all students. With her own history of learning a second language, she has experienced a lot of the same obstacles that many students face. She applies empathy and understanding to better guide these students to succeed. She understands the vulnerability that comes with learning another language, so she continuously strives to find ways that can help students overcome these barriers.

Kasia K.

Kasia has a long-standing commitment and avid interest in supporting individuals’ learning through practical, research-based, and enjoyable activities. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology (with a Minor in Philosophy) from the University of Toronto, and her Master of Arts in Child Study and Education from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE). She is an Ontario Certified Teacher with qualifications in Special Education. Kasia has been a Researcher and Consultant for the OISE affiliated Balanced Literacy Diet, as well as a lesson creator for JUMP Math, and understands best practices in both literacy and mathematics. Kasia is also currently the Director of a literacy program that provides Professional Development to primary teachers, which focuses on fostering literacy by supporting oral language. She is a resourceful, conscientious, and reliable tutor, with a wealth of experience ranging from helping adults pass professional standardized tests to children facing serious learning challenges. In her one-on-one sessions, she aims to find the most effective strategies that nourish the skills that need the most attention. She offers a balanced approach that integrates skill development and critical thinking, so that students feel confident in their particular tasks as well as equipped for future challenges.

VANESSA B.

In 2017, Vanessa received her Bachelor of Education at Lakehead University in the Primary/Junior division. As well as having received her Bilingual Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Hispanic Studies from York University’s Glendon Campus in 2015, Vanessa was previously working as a Dental Assistant at Mount Sinai Hospital before deciding to go back to school to become a teacher. She was motivated and became passionate about teaching after her experience working at the hospital, alongside resident doctors, faculty of dentistry students and assisting in running a weekly specialty clinic for patients with developmental disabilities.

Vanessa is currently teaching in the Toronto District School Board. She has further developed her teaching skills by continuing to work on her professional development. She has attained her additional qualifications in Special Education: Part 1, Mathematics Part 1 & 2,  Environmental Education Part 1, First Nations, Metis and Inuit Studies, and has training in Literacy Programs, Wilson and Direct Instruction: Expressive Writing and Corrective Reading Comprehension. She has built a variety of strategies and resources in working with diverse learners and has been able to apply them to all areas of her teaching. She is able to create fun, educational and engaging lessons for her students while simultaneously following the Ontario Curriculum and IEP guidelines. She respects that each student is unique in their process of learning and believes in the importance of creating an inclusive environment that values the individual learning needs of each student.

“Learning is fun when students see themselves reflected in the concepts and themes that are being taught and how they relate to real world issues. Using visuals, technology and hands-on materials enable students to engage all their senses in their learning. Busy hands, busy brains.”

During her free time, Vanessa likes to spend as much time outdoors as possible. She enjoys hiking, camping and exploring with her family, as well as working out regularly to stay active and mindful. She believes that good health and well-being is key to being successful in all other areas of life.