LILY A.

Lily is a NYS-certified Special Education Teacher and Literacy Specialist with 21 years of classroom experience teaching students with a variety of learning needs. In addition, she has extensive experience privately tutoring students, from elementary to high school, to address their unique learning styles. Over the years, she has developed a passion for helping students who struggle with learning how to read, particularly those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Lily understands that reading is the foundation of success in both the academic and career world. She believes that all children can learn to read, but for some, the road will be more difficult. These are the students that she is passionate about helping to find their way to becoming skilled, fluent readers. She is a strong believer in a “structured literacy” approach to teaching reading as this is a necessary method of instruction for many students. In addition to her New York State teaching certifications, Lily is certified as a Level One Dyslexia Practitioner in the Wilson Reading System. She is also CERI certified by the International Dyslexia Association as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist.

Kelinda Y.

Kelinda, a master tutor, has nineteen years of experience dedicated to supporting and educating students with disabilities. Kelinda holds a Grade 6-8 Social Studies State of New Jersey Standard Teaching Certificate, acquired through successful completion of the Praxis exam and incorporating course from her Business Administration degree. Additionally, she holds the following standard instructional certificates issued by the state of New Jersey: Teacher of Students with Disabilities, Teacher of English as a Second Language, and Elementary Education Grades K-6. Kelinda is an experienced instructor of Strategic Reading and Multi-Sensory Phonics programs. With experience spanning from Pre-K to 12th grade, she currently serves as a Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant at a middle school within an Essex County School District.

Kelinda’s passion for teaching and learning drive her to tutor, seeing it as a reciprocal learning process as she guides her students towards growth. Although her current role is as a member of her school’s child study team, Kelinda provides direct instruction as in-class support for students with cognitive impairments and as a teacher during extended school year sessions. Kelinda is committed to encouraging her students to embrace challenges without fear, emphasizing that mistakes made while facing challenges promote self-growth and confidence. Her joy in her profession stems from providing a safe and nurturing environment for her students to think and strive.

Kelinda enjoys maintaining an active by going to the gym, particularly favoring Zumba and Aqua classes. She is also an avid traveler who relishes exploring new places and dining at exceptional restaurants.

Shenell D.

Shenell is a certified educator and accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience supporting students with diverse abilities. She holds two Master’s degrees in Education and is in the final stages of her doctoral studies. As an educational leader, Shenell excels at fostering a culture of collaboration and driving academic success, demonstrated by notable improvements in student growth and school performance scores. As a teacher, she is celebrated for her ability to customize engaging lessons that meet the unique needs of her students. Her expertise spans working with students with intellectual disabilities and those identified as gifted and talented. Outside of her professional pursuits, Shenell loves spoiling her fur babies, Bella and Bacchus, cooking hearty meals, and exploring new culinary creations.

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!

Ella H.

Ella Handley is currently a Teaching Candidate in the Okanagan School of Education at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She has completed her undergraduate studies specializing in chemistry at UBC Okanagan. Ella has always loved working with children and helping them succeed in what they are working towards. She has spent the last 4 years as a supervisor at a summer camp and tutoring children in elementary math. She grew up in Castlegar, British Columbia where she fell in love with camping and being on the lake. In her spare time she participates in competitive 5 pin bowling. Ella believes that every child can excel if they are given the chance and meeting the child where they are at is critical in helping them move forward in their academic endeavours.

Emma L.

Emma obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with a combined major in English and French from the University of British Columbia. She is now completing her internship through the University of British Columbia. Emma found her passion for teaching in high school when a teacher helped her through a difficult subject through patience, kindness, and most importantly, his belief in her potential. She wants to do the same for others because she strongly believes that all children are gifted and that each child deserves their chance to succeed.

Emma had the very fortunate opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom in the spring of 2024 to study and observe England’s curriculum and their classrooms. During her time overseas, she was not only able to gain unique experience in various classrooms, but also foster her love for travel. In the future, Emma will be taking full advantage of the many breaks the teaching career has to offer to travel the world.

Outside of teaching, Emma loves to dance. She danced competitively in the Okanagan for 15 years, and now dances occasionally when she has the time. She also loves going to the gym, golfing, watching live music, and enjoying all of what the Okanagan has to offer.

Zeke T.

Zeke is a credentialed social science and special education teacher with over eight years of classroom experience. He holds a BA from UCLA and an MA from UCSD. Zeke is a patient, personable, and adaptable teacher who loves creating the spark that fosters lifelong curiosity and exploration.

In his free time, Zeke enjoys traveling, playing guitar, hiking, cycling, reading, and watching sports. His favorite teams include the San Diego Padres, UCLA Bruins, and anything Team USA.

Vincent T.

Vincent is a certified teacher based in Kelowna, British Columbia. Vincent was born in The Netherlands and immigrated to The Okanagan in 1997 with his parents and three siblings. At four years old, Vincent began his Canadian education as an ELL student in Penticton, where he closely studied the rudiments of the English language. This was the first step in what would become a deep love for English literature and language studies. Vincent began creative writing at an early age, creating stories, writing poems or songs, and journaling on a regular basis. This love of the arts also inspired a longstanding love of music. Vincent was a drummer for nearly 12 years and continues to play guitar recreationally. Vincent likes rock music, in particular. Vincent completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at UBCO in 2018. He completed a B.A. in International Relations: a cross-curricular degree program which allows students to study a combination of Philosophy, History, and Economics. He started his teaching career in Victoria later that year, working with international students from all over the world. It was here that his love of teaching was ignited. Working alongside students to solve problems, ask and answer questions, and explore/discover new things became a favorite pastime. At the heart of Vincent’s pedagogy is building relationships with his students. In fact, his belief is that trust and connection are at the heart of all successful learning outcomes. Vincent completed his Bachelor of Education degree at UBCO in Kelowna in 2022 where he now continues to reside and work. While Vincent’s educational experience has largely been with middle and high school students, Vincent also has a keen interest in working in primary education. His main educational focuses include literacy development, language proficiency, creative thinking, and self-expression. In his free time, Vincent enjoys sports such as soccer, basketball, and golf. He is also an avid hiker and regularly goes camping to discover new places and enjoy quiet time away from the city.

Stephen V.

Stephen is a professional historian with over five years of experience as a college instructor. Outside the classroom, Stephen’s historical research took him to libraries and archives in Scotland, England, and India. He has a PhD in History from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Stephen’s zeal for all things history has shaped his approach to teaching, which brings past events and characters to life through impassioned storytelling, rather than giving tedious lists of names and dates. Stephen believes that if he can convince his students that history and the humanities are as cool as he thinks they are, a spark will arise that drives them to excellence in reading comprehension, essay writing and beyond.

Apart from the subject matter, Stephen is a personable instructor who strives to get to know his students as best he can. In doing so, Stephen aims to create a safe space which allows for open dialogue and, consequently, top-level schoolwork.

Mary R.

Mary has been teaching for the past 15 years, including working 9 years as a special education teacher for grades TK-12, 4 years as a general education high school English teacher, and 2 years as a Creative Writing adjunct professor at the University of California Riverside Extension. She has also worked as a writing tutor for the University of California, Santa Cruz for two years, and as an in-home tutor for students grade K-8 for 3 years (tutoring reading, writing, and math), and as a college admissions essay tutor. She currently works as a special education teacher for a local charter school, teaching reading, writing, and math, as well as supporting students in Social Studies and Science, for students grades TK-8 both virtually and in person at a local learning center.

Mary has a BA in Literature from UC Santa Cruz, where she received College Honors and Honors in the Major. She has also received an MA in English and MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, and California credentials in Single Subject English and Mild/Moderate Special Education from Brandman University, and is certified to teach Wilson Reading. She has experience teaching and tutoring both online and in person, and worked as a freelance writer, and an editor of books and magazines before she became a teacher and tutor.

Mary has a great love of learning, which she brings to her students when teaching reading and writing. As an avid reader, and experienced writer of fiction, poetry, plays, and articles, she imparts her enthusiasm of reading and writing on her students. She especially loves to help her students improve their writing, and uses tools such as the Wilson Reading program to help struggling readers and spellers learn how to read and spell. As a teacher of students with a variety of ability levels, including students with disabilities, gifted and Honors students, and twice exceptional students, she knows how to tailor instruction to meet each student’s individual needs.