CASSANDRA M.

My name is Cassie and I am a Junior/Intermediate/Senior certified teacher with the Ontario College of Teachers. I am currently an Occasional Teacher with the Toronto District School Board and Durham District School Board.

I completed my Bachelor of Music at Queen’s University, specializing in Education. I then completed my Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University specializing in Music and Outdoor and Experiential Learning. From there I went on to complete and my Master of Education at the University of Toronto, specializing in Developmental Psychology and Education with a special interest in mental health in the classroom. My interest in the field of mental health in the classroom has led me into the area of academic coaching. I enjoy working with students on time management, organization of school materials, proper note taking skills and overall mindfulness in an academic setting.

In addition, I have had several opportunities to work with children outside of the classroom. I worked as a camp counsellor, coordinator, and director for the University of Toronto, the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka, and the Kids Cancer Foundation of Alberta.

Oustide of teaching, I love reading, horseback riding, playing recreational softball, travelling, photography, being outdoors, and spending time with my family.

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.

Viviane B.

In 2015, Viviane graduated from The University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Cognitive Science and Philosophy. Recently she has returned to her studies and is currently completing her Bachelor of Education at The University of Niagara with a specialization in Primary/Junior education.

Throughout her academic career Viviane has volunteered in many dual track elementary schools. She was part of the Tutors in the Classroom program offered through The York Region District School Board. This program provided the opportunity to work with English Language Learners, gifted, and identified students; as well as students in a regular classroom setting individually and in groups. She worked closely with ADHD identified students and provided effective problem solving tools for these students. She has worked with The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto in their In School Mentoring Program where she took part in weekly hour long meetings with her little sister and provided positive academic and personal support. She currently helps out in a Grade 1 French Immersion classroom where she works with individuals that required extra assistance.

In her spare time Viviane likes to be active. She is a big sports fan and has coached basketball and volleyball teams at the high school level. She also spends time outdoors with her Labradoole puppy Murphy. Throughout her life Viviane has been passionate about seeing children succeed and continues to grow her knowledge to better help children reach their potential.

Kathryn C.

Kathryn was born in Toronto, Ontario, but is lucky to have lived, worked, and studied in the UK, the Middle East, and Korea. Kathryn received a Bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University, and holds a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Toronto. She is also certified by the Ontario College of Teachers to teach at the primary/junior level.

Kathryn’s passion for teaching began when she was a French camp counsellor in Quebec, and has only grown since then. In her career, Kathryn has acted as a primary French instructor with Toronto Parks & Recreation, has worked as an educational tour director in Quebec City and Montreal, and has spent two years teaching ESL in Korea. Kathryn is a firm believer in making learning fun, and knows that children are most engaged when content has meaning, and when students see themselves reflected in their learning environment.

Kathryn is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, which led her to creating an inaugural education program for vulnerable youth in Korea, and to launching a skills-based learning program at the Lotus Centre for Children with Autism. In addition to this, Kathryn also completed her Master’s thesis on supporting the transition of Syrian refugee students to the Canadian elementary classroom.

Kathryn believes that children rise to your level of expectation, and expects that all students have the capacity to succeed.

Amelie H.

Amelie completed a Bachelor of English education, then taught for eight years at the high school level, during which time she completed a Master’s of Education in curriculum studies at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

She has qualifications for intermediate and senior divisions teaching ESL and Maths, as well as additional qualifications for primary and junior education.

She has taught English literacy (OLC4O) at Bronte College in Mississauga, as well as Grade 11 Functions (MCR3U) and Grade 10 Math (MPM2D) at Fieldstone King’s College in Toronto.

Amelie has a passion for teaching and loves helping each student reach their potential.

Deborah M.

Deborah is an Ontario Certified Teacher with a Specialist in Special Education. She has over 25 years’ experience teaching at the primary, junior and intermediate levels in both a regular classroom setting and a student support resource centre. With a focus on literacy and numeracy, Deborah has developed both remedial and enriched academic programs for students in kindergarten to grade 8.

As an integral member of an interdisciplinary team, Deborah’s area of focus and expertise for the past 10+ years has been to promote greater empathy and understanding in the area of children’s mental health. Deborah provides guidance to young learners and their families in navigating the education system and encourages positive communication and collaboration between families and schools.

“All behaviour has meaning” – origin unknown.

Lauren C.

Lauren received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Studies with honours from Ryerson University in 2015, certifying her as a Registered Early Childhood Educator. She then went on to complete her Master of Arts in Child Study and Education at OISE, specializing in Primary and Junior grade levels.

During her studies, Lauren was actively involved at various elementary schools, working with diverse groups of children between the ages of Kindergarten through to Grade 6. These experiences in addition to her eight summers at a Montessori School have allowed Lauren to work closely with children in large and small groups as well as one-on-one, differentiating her lessons to highlight the strengths and meet the needs of all her students. Lauren prides herself on ensuring that her lessons are highly engaging, relevant and supporting of unique learning styles and preferences. Additionally, she aims to develop self-confidence alongside academic growth in each of her students, seeing confidence as a major factor in the learning process. Lauren wants her students to fall in love with learning, which is why she works to create sparks of interest and a passion for discovery.

Believing strongly in life long learning, Lauren continues to participate in professional development opportunities. Within the last year, some of the PDs she has taken include the TRIBES community building program and Special Education Part 1. She is currently enrolled in a training course for the Wilson Reading Program, as well as additional qualification courses in Mathematics, Reading and Autism Communication.

In her spare time, Lauren enjoys doing yoga, lifting weights, playing sports, hiking, cooking/baking and dancing.

Yi Z.

Yi attended the Concurrent Education program at Queen’s University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (major in Mathematics and minor in Chemistry) and a Bachelor of Education. She is now an Ontario Certified Teacher at the Intermediate/Senior level.

After obtaining her qualifications, Yi taught in London, England as a Math teacher. There, she worked with students with challenging backgrounds and taught both lower and higher ability classes. In Canada, she has experience working with ESL students and students with IEPs (high-functioning autism and giftedness) in both Math and Science contexts. Yi was also a coordinator for the Grade 7/8 Ontario Mathematics Olympiad, where she created events that involved manipulatives and required higher-order thinking. She has previous experience working as a tutor at the high school and university levels.

Yi believes that with the proper support, every student can achieve their goals. Through tutoring, she hopes to help students gain the confidence and skills they need to become independent learners and succeed in high school, university, and beyond.

Katrina S.

In April 2017, Katrina completed her Bachelor of Education from Laurentian University. She is certified to teach primary/junior but she has experience teaching and/or tutoring kindergarten to grade 9. She also has experience teaching special education.

She has had practicum placements which allowed her to teach kindergarten all the way to grade 5. She has experience tutoring grades 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. She has experience teaching language, math, science, social studies, visual arts, physical education, and drama. During her tutoring experience she has focused on tutoring math and language but has also done homework assistance.

She has experience working with individuals with exceptionalities that include autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and ADHD/ADD.

Katrina is a compassionate, enthusiastic teacher who’s goal is to help her students become successful and grow as individuals.

Rebecca S.

Rebecca is an Ontario Certified Teacher. She grew up in the East End of Toronto, with wanderlust to see the world. She moved to Sydney Australia, to complete her undergraduate degree at the University of Western Sydney, in Social Science, with a minor in Biology. After completing her undergraduate degree, she moved to British Columbia and worked at the Ahousaht Youth Cultural Centre, in a remote indigenous community of the coast of Vancouver Island. It was during her stay in Ahousaht that Rebecca discovered her passion for teaching and working with children and youth. Having decided to pursue her teaching career, Rebecca returned to Australia to complete a Graduate Diploma in Education at Murdoch University, specializing in Humanities and Science at the Intermediate and Senior level. Rebecca remained in Western Australia as a fully employed teacher with the Department of Education, and taught in various schools around the South West for 8 years. Rebecca taught students from grades 3-12 in the subject areas of Humanities, Science, Math, Health and Career Education as well as led and mentored students one on one to improve literacy and life skills.

Through Rebecca’s teaching experiences, she has developed a passion for assisting students to achieve their personal and academic best. Rebecca’s personalized, student centered approach to teaching enables young people to increase their skills and confidence to become active, engaged, lifelong learners and achieve their full potential. In her spare time Rebecca enjoys kickboxing, swimming and spending time with her friends and family.