CAROL ANN C.

Carol Ann is an Ontario Certified Teacher. She has focused her more than 25 year career on two distinct curriculum areas: Special Education (Grades 6,7,8, all subjects) and English as a Second Language (Grade 7 through University). She has also been a School Librarian for grades K-5. Teaching in these areas has taken Carol Ann to many parts of the world. Her classroom in the Bahamas sometimes had goats walking through. In Greece, the siesta meant she started work at 4:00 pm and finished at 10. In New Zealand, kea birds pulled the rubber windshield wipers off her car in school parking lots. Along the way, she earned a Masters of Education degree (in Toronto) lectured at several universities (Monash and University of Sydney in Australia). She earned her PhD. while traveling regularly between Rhodes and the University of Toronto. Her students were her very best teachers. Everywhere she went students, despite differences in culture and language, responded positively to to her belief in them as capable learners.

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.

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.