Vanessa W.
Vanessa Wade has been working in education for over 20 years. The majority of her career has been spent as a guidance counsellor (Grade 4-12) and a learning support coach in Toronto area schools (St. Clement’s School, Havergal College, and Holy Trinity School). She has specialized as a Grade 12 university counsellor (Canadian and US), helping students with their high school course choices, their post-secondary options, their online and supplementary applications, and scholarships. In her role as a learning support specialist, Vanessa has tutored students on developing their executive function skills; assisting with organization, time management, and goal setting until students are able to independently demonstrate these skills. She also has assisted with entrance interviews at both Havergal College and her current school. Vanessa works with clients to find their confidence and their uniqueness.
Vanessa currently is the Deputy Head of an independent school located in Nova Scotia. Despite living in the Maritimes (home of some wonderful post-secondary schools!) she ensures that she keeps up to date with the Ontario curriculum and its post-secondary landscape.
Deja P.
Deja has over five years of experience tutoring students of all abilities from grades one to eight. She specializes in teaching English and math at a primary/junior level. Deja is currently an ECE student at Seneca college. After graduation, Deja plans to continue on to completing teachers’ college and a master’s degree in education. Deja has worked at Early On daycare centre where she would help children develop their learning skills. She has also worked in after-school programs where she assisted students with homework and understanding concepts. Deja has taught English to primary students in Thailand. During her time working abroad, Deja constructed different activities and individual learning plans for students to help develop their confidence in speaking English. She loves to combine her love of travel with her passion for teaching.
Deja is passionate about helping her students grow academically. She believes all students are capable of success and uses different strategies to ensure that students can confidently understand their work.
Andrew S.
Jenifer N.
Jenifer is an OCT certified teacher who graduated with honours from the University of Waterloo in the mathematics teaching option program along with a BEd from Queen’s University. She taught math and was involved in the residential program at an independent school in the GTA for two years before moving to England to teach for three years. Abroad, she taught math and science at a secondary school in Essex, England. For the past 4 years she has returned to the independent school system in the GTA and has been teaching high school math.
In her teaching, she believes that building relationships is the key to success. Spending time to get to know her students is an important part of the process; building trust allows for a safe learning space to be created and students will be able to ask questions and not be afraid to make mistakes. The learning process can be messy but she loves to dive in with her students to support them in paving their own way on their learning journey and providing them with tools to help them reach their goals.
Outside of teaching she is an avid runner, sometimes having to brave the extreme heat and cold to get her kilometres in. The running and exercising helps her to balance her other pass-time of baking. In the years aboard, Jenifer has fallen in love with travelling and exploring all the wonders of the world. Besides doing the usual sightseeing in the major cities, she enjoys taking a few extra days to immerse herself in the culture and live like a local in smaller towns. She is hoping to be able to get back to seeing the world soon!
Benjamin E.
Benjamin is a second year university law student with a cumulative 9.0 CGPA. He has over 7 years of tutoring and teaching experience in English, French, History and Math. His patient and calculated approach to teaching enables him to connect with his students and ensure success. A rudimentary example of his approach to studying includes reviewing the class material and rephrasing/reconceptualizing the material which the student finds most difficult to digest. The follow-up technique that proves successful time and time again is the calculated use of practice exams. Recreating the near-exact conditions in an exam setting enables the student to become accustomed to the stress of that environment and use it to sharpen their answers against the clock. Importantly, Benjamin’s tutoring goals are four-fold.
1. Ensuring that the student understands the course material completely and can reproduce their understandings in any exam format with excellence.
2. Full transparency with parents/guardians about student’s progress.
3. Giving students all the tools to study and complete exams and sharpening those tools to the point where their execution is flawless, and his assistance is no longer required.
4. Helping students realize they are more than capable of excelling well beyond their current capabilities, and certainly beyond those of any exam or assignment.
Meriem T.
Meriem is an enthusiastic and hardworking teacher with strong interpersonal communication skills. She is currently a student in the primary/junior division of the French Bachelor of Teaching program at the University of Ottawa.
Meriem has been a French tutor to both children and adults of various levels. She additionally has in-class experience teaching the French, mathematics and science curricula, and has taught for two years at a virtual university
In addition to her teaching experience, Meriem has a strong background in the sciences: she is a Biology Engineer and holds two master’s degrees in Drug Development and Quality Management.
Meriem’s teaching style is primarily centered on class engagement. She adapts her teaching style to cater for everyone and makes the material as interesting as possible. Meriem has an approachable and inclusive style of teaching that is flexible enough to cater for a diverse range of learning styles, needs and requirements. She is aware that establishing a positive rapport with students can enhance their learning process.
Isabella R.
Isabella has gained experience teaching under the Honduran Ministry of Education in 2016 where she taught basic subjects matters to grades 1-6 in English, and reading and writing in Spanish at a second grade level to adults ages 18-60 years old. Her motto for teaching: always make it fun! Isabella aims for an interactive and supportive teaching style where she encourages students to set goals for themselves and actively work towards those goals.
Additional Details
Krista V.
Krista is a first-year student at Queen’s University in the Concurrent Education program hoping to become a high school teacher in the future. Krista is working towards her major in health studies with teachable subjects in geography and Indigenous studies. She loves helping others and has always had a passion for teaching. Krista has grown-up-loving sports, and she proudly became a member of the Queen’s Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team this past year. She understands the importance of both mental and physical health and would love nothing more than to help young students learn how to balance both.
Although she is not a certified teacher…yet, Krista has worked with young children often. She has spent her summers working at camps teaching different activities such as crafts, biking and swimming. In high school, Krista spent time tutoring and working in a classroom as a co-op student.
In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, playing sports, or exercising, exploring new places, and spending time outdoors.
Jesse A.
Jesse Abbott is a PhD Candidate in Canadian History at the University of Waterloo. He holds a BA (Honours) and MA from Brock University, where he graduated at the top of his class. Jesse is an experienced educator with over 7 years teaching experience at the post-secondary and high school level. He has assisted with a variety of courses and worked with students at a wide range of skill levels, both in small groups, and one-on-one. Jesse knows what teachers want to see!
Jesse lives in Mississauga with his fiancé, Stephanie, who is a primary teacher in the Peel School Board. They share a passion for teaching and life-long learning.
Jesse is available to tutor students in History, English, and general essay writing. He especially enjoys challenging upper-level students and preparing them for university.
Ryan W-B.
An OCT member since 2009, Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and is qualified to teach Primary/Junior levels. He also earned an Additional Qualification in Reading, with an aim to obtain his Special Education Part 1 AQ in the summer.
Although his undergraduate degree from York University focussed on Literature and History, Ryan has developed a proficiency in the Intermediate STEM curricula of Math and Science. He enjoys the chance to bring these traditionally stuffy subjects to life.
Ryan believes that all students can benefit from individualized education plans. As a parent and homeschooler of two neurodivergent children, Ryan has learned to adapt his teaching methods to meet the unique learning styles and personal interests of his students. He is always eager to collaborate with caregivers and support staff to identify each student’s particular intersections/identities/developmental histories so he can craft lesson plans that compliment any longstanding learning goals.
Beyond his formal experiences in education, Ryan has held a variety of creative writing positions. He has been an editor for multiple magazines, a freelance entertainment writer, the leader of graphic novel workshops at the Toronto Public Library, and a contributor to dozens of international poetry publications. He is a proud member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and uses he/his pronouns.