ABDULAHI A.

Abdulahi has been quite the globetrotter from an early age. He was born in Mogadishu, Somalia; raised in Chicago, America; socialized and educated in Toronto-Windsor, Canada, which he now refers to as home. To date, Abdulahi has lived in five different countries (America, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) and traveled to 55 others.

Abdulahi received an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Science and Environmental Science, and also a Bachelor of Education from the University of Windsor. Additionally, he completed many international language certificates. Prior to making the transition back to Canada, Abdulahi taught internationally at prestigious private schools for nearly a decade. These schools followed the Ontario, Alberta and IB curricula and framework.

As an extremely passionate educator, Abdulahi’s teaching experiences have helped him refine a personal teaching philosophy and pedagogy in education that combines the importance of inclusion within the classroom, ongoing feedback, respect, and creating meaningful student-centered lessons. Abdulahi’s defining characteristic as an educator revolves around the joy, pleasure and passion that he receives from teaching beyond the required curriculum. He branches off into various learning atmospheres by becoming actively involved in the development of the whole child. The ‘light bulb!’ moment in students and seeing everything begin to click for them provides him with an immense pleasure and continuously drives his passion and pedagogy as an educator. It is important to nurture a child’s creative abilities to develop a sense of themselves, understand others and the world around them, and navigate information so that they can confidently take risks and solve problems. Reflection and introspection are fundamental components of Abdulahi’s pedagogy and also his own personal growth and commitment to lifelong learning.

JASMINE M.

Jasmine is an Ontario Certified Teacher. Growing up in Mississauga, she went to the University of Guelph where she received her B.A in Psychology with a minor in Marketing. With her lifelong goal of becoming a teacher, she then went to the University of Ottawa to complete her Bachelor of Education. Learning and seeking new knowledge continues to be her passion as she is completing her Master of Education at the University of Ottawa. Jasmine has always taken on leadership and mentoring roles in the jobs she had throughout High School, University, and Post-Grad. Working in various positions such as a ski instructor and a nanny, she has had experience working alongside and developing skills in children of all ages. She is excited to continue working as an Occasional Teacher with the YRDSB this upcoming school year. In her spare time, Jasmine enjoys listening to podcasts, going on hikes, and spending time with friends and family, as well as her cat!

CAITLIN M.

Caitlin has an Honours Bachelor degree and a Master’s of Museum Studies from University of Toronto. She is currently completing her Master’s of Teaching from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at University of Toronto. Her background is in museum educational programming, and she is also an experienced tutor.

REYHANE F.

I am Reyhane, an enthusiastic Applied Mathematics Ph.D. student with a wealth of teaching experience. I have instructed university-level students and tutored elementary, middle school, and high school students. My expertise spans arithmetic, pre-algebra, calculus, geometry, statistics, and mathematical problem-solving. I focus on building strong foundations in arithmetic for elementary students while also introducing pre-algebra concepts. My goal is to instil a love for math and nurture critical thinking skills in all my students, regardless of their age or level.

ANGELO K.

Angelo Kontos is enjoying a long and rewarding career in education. Angelo has worked in a variety of roles for over twenty years, including being a Global Studies and English teacher, and curricular head. After gaining several years of experience teaching and developing courses, Angelo realized how important it was to a school to have passionate and caring vice-principals and principals, so he made a rewarding transition into administration and works as a secondary school principal with the Peel District School Board. He thrives on the daily challenges of leading a busy high school and the energy of his students. Angelo is a passionate learner, and often says the best school leaders always think of themselves as teachers first. Before completing his teaching certification, Angelo earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours Degree with York University. Over the years Angelo has added several qualifications to his professional practice, including specialists in Writing and Contemporary Studies. Angelo loves writing and he recently self-published a novel called The Tournament. In his spare time, when he is not writing, Angelo is reading, exercising, or taking his adorable but highly sensitive dog for walks.

ABDULLAH S.

Abdullah is a student at the Schulich School of Business at York University where he is working towards a Bachelors in Business Administration. Having been raised in multiple countries, he is interested in learning about different cultures and languages. Besides English, he speaks Urdu and Arabic and is learning French. With past experience as a tutor, he not only offers personalized lessons, but also develops a close bond with his students. He leads sessions following custom plans and explains difficult concepts in a clear and effective way using diagrams, step-by-step methods, and other educational techniques. In his free time, Abdullah enjoys running and cycling.

MAGDALENA F.

Magdalena has a master´s degree in Children’s Literature. She works as a Spanish tutor and as an academic writing teacher in Spanish language. She in an enthusiastic bird watcher!

HEIDI S.

Heidi Seibert is an Ontario Certified Teacher. She is from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she completed a BA from Dalhousie University, majoring in Russian and Spanish. Between University and beginning her career as a teacher, Heidi lived and travelled in Japan where she taught English to students of various ages. After living overseas, Heidi spent some time in Central America furthering her love of languages. Heidi then returned to Canada and completed a BEd from Mount Saint Vincent University before moving to Toronto where she has been a teacher for over 20 years. Heidi has worked predominantly in grades 2-6 where she has gained a wealth of experience in both literacy and numeracy. For the last few years of her career, she has been an English as a Second Language teacher as well as a Special Education teacher. This role has been particularly rewarding and Heidi has gained a lot of knowledge in how children learn to read. In her free time, Heidi enjoys long walks, baking, photography and of course reading. Heidi contributes to her school environment by initiating new learning opportunities for her students, organizes clubs and also volunteers with the CNIB. Heidi continues to have a passion for travel and learning from others.

EMILY V.

Emily is a graduate of the Master of Teaching program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She is currently a supply teacher in the Durham District School Board and the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. Emily is from Ajax, Ontario and was an elite level competitive swimmer throughout her elementary, high school and undergraduate career. She competed at Olympic Trials and won MVP at her conference championships in the NCAA for the University of Denver. Originally wanting to be a med student, it wasn’t until she took a science communication course that she realized she wanted to change the course of science education. Emily aspires to dismantle systemic barriers, make learning accessible for all and make education personally meaningful. When she is not working, she can be found nose deep in a book with her cat on her lap or watching a Leafs game with family and friends. Emily works to involve student’s personal interests in their learning as that is what helped her excel in her own academics.

LENA S.

Lena Sherwood is currently a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a major in Evolutionary Biology, a major in Archaeology, and a minor in Immunology at the University of Toronto. She is interested in research and has been working alongside a tenure Professor and postdoc on their ecologic research. She also got an internship working with an anthropological UofT Professor researching sustainable indigenous practices. Prior to coming to Toronto she lived in Singapore for 9 years where she was in one of the most renowned French International schools. Not only did she excel in her science courses, especially in Biology where she was the top student of the class, but she also chose to do extra English Literature, English History, and English Geography classes so as to graduate with the highest Honours (Mention Très Bien) and the prestigious OIB title. Yet one of her most proud accomplishments is having managed to help her high school friend pass his Grade 12 Final Maths exam- he thought he was bound to fail. Since middle school Lena learnt that one of the best and most rewarding ways to learn her course material was by helping teach her friends. She found it so enriching to help assist her friends gain confidence and achieve success in their courses that she thus jumped at the opportunity to become a tutor. In the past she has also tutored several middle-schoolers in math, biology, and french and is looking forward to further help students to reach their full potential.