Thi P.

Thi is an Ontario Certified Teacher at the Primary/Junior/Intermediate level. She graduated from York University with a Bachelors of Arts and Bachelor of Education degree. Thi is qualified to teach all science, math and language subjects and has experience teaching students in Grades 3-8. She believes in creating a safe and nurturing learning environment where students feel valued and respected, and has invested in building strong, meaningful relationships with her students built on trust and mutual respect. Her learning materials and instruction are always culturally relevant and responsive to the needs of students, ensuring an inclusive and equitable learning environment where students see themselves in the teaching-learning process. Her level of passion and enthusiasm for teaching strives for student success, as she believes that all students can learn and always has her students’ best interests at heart. Additionally, Thi is trained in the remedial reading programs of Direct Instruction Reading Mastery and The Wilson Reading Program, to foster individualized instruction for students with scaffolding strategies to empower students to produce their best work.

Theresa A.

Theresa graduated from Child and Youth Work from St. Lawrence College in 2006. She taught ESL overseas then decided to pursue a Bachelors of Child and Youth Work. After spending time working primarily with special needs individuals Theresa decided to advance her skills and enter the educational world of teaching. She completed her Bachelors of Education in the primary-junior division in 2012.

Since that time she has taught adult literacy, ESL, and special needs. While working as a teaching assistant she improved a student’s ability to read and communicate, who also had Autism, by using Oelwein’s approach to reading.

Theresa believes that children learn best when they have a positive (professional) relationship with their educator and are given the tools to succeed!

Gabrielle V.

Gabrielle Vali received her undergraduate degree in 2011 from the University of Guelph with a focus on Child, Youth and Family Studies. After, she graduated with her Bachelor of Education from Brock University in 2012 specializing in primary/junior grades. To gain teaching experience, Gabrielle moved to Australia in 2013 where she supply-taught in both mainstream and special education schools. While teaching in special education schools, she worked with children that had Autism, Down syndrome and ADHD. Shortly after returning from Australia, Gabrielle moved to England to teach for two years. While there she had a full-time teaching position where she taught years 3 and 4 (Ages 7-9) and gained immense teaching experience. While in the UK, Gabrielle taught numerous students that had behavioural issues and learning disabilities and as a result she learned new strategies and ideas to help those students persevere and succeed.

As a life long learner, Gabrielle has taken a number of AQ’s and professional development courses to continue her education. She obtained her Special Education Part 1 and English as a Second Language Part 1 AQ’s through Trent University. She has also completed her TRIBES training through Brock University.

Tracy G.

Tracy completed her bachelor of Education degree at Lakehead University in the primary/junior division. She has volunteered in many different settings doing all kinds of work, but each opportunity involved working with children which she is passionate about. She has experience teaching in a variety of classroom settings and working with a range of students with different needs. She believes that patience is the key to success and as students build their confidence they will be able to achieve anything. She now teaches a grade 1 French immersion class which she really enjoys! On her spare time, she likes seeing her friends and family, walking her dogs, and she absolutely loves to travel.

Samantha S.

Samantha received her Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. She is qualified to teach Kindergarten to grade 6 and has gone on to further her education through completing additional qualifications in ESL and Reading.

Samantha has been tutoring for almost 2 years now. She has experience tutoring for acceleration, support and homework help in one on one and group settings. She also taught her own ESL summer school class. She likes to use students interests in order to guide her teaching, using a combination of inquiry based and play based learning.

Outside of teaching, Samantha spends her time taking dance classes, yoga and sewing. She loves working with children and wants to instill her love of learning into her students!

Samantha R.

Samantha received her undergraduate degree at York University in 2011 where she majored in Psychology. Shortly after graduation, she achieved her Bachelor Of Education at Niagara University specializing in Primary and Junior grade levels. Samantha offers a diverse range of experiences working with children from Kindergarten to High School.

Samantha has experience working within Montessori schools as a teacher’s assistant as well as over 5 years of one-on-one tutoring experience. She has worked with many learners who have had behavioral and developmental learning exceptionalities and assisted them through gaining confidence, instilling effective processing skills and providing positive results in reading, writing and math.

Samantha’s teaching experience had brought her to London, England for 6 months where she supply taught children from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Furthermore, she signed a teaching contract position for a grade 1 class where she was responsible for creating curriculum and inquiry based lessons that applied to the academic needs of every learner.

Samantha is truly dedicated to teaching and has been working within the childcare and education field for 10 years.

Shawna G.

Shawna received her Honours Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Guelph and then went on to do her Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning at the Christchurch College of Education in New Zealand. In addition, she is a Reading Specialist and is a qualified SSAT coach. Shawna has been teaching for over ten years and has had experience with most grades ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Her goal is to always ensure learning is authentic and engaging. One of Shawna’s favourite things about teaching is seeing the “Aha moment.” She enjoys building positive relationships with students and figuring out various methods to meet their learning needs. When Shawna isn’t in the classroom she enjoys running, yoga, travelling and weekends up North.

Samantha B.

Samantha completed her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Waterloo, with a major in counselling and a minor in anthropology. A lover of learning and education, she completed her Masters of Science in Education in New York with a thesis on Best Practice Methods for English Language Learners. She is an Ontario Certified Teacher at the primary/junior level, and has experience in the classroom, as well as one on one as a kindergarten-grade 6 tutor. Samantha is patient, warm and open; providing a learning environment that is tailored to each child’s unique and wonderful personality. In her spare time, she reads, writes children stories, practices yoga and is on a dragon boat team. She also loves to travel.

Alicja A.

Alicja graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and received her Bachelor of Education degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Alicja also completed Additional Qualification courses for Special Education and English as a Second Language. She is OCT certified. Alicja’s areas of specialty include the Intermediate/Senior divisions, with a particular focus on Religious Education, Geography and the Social Sciences. She values continual and lifelong learning, as demonstrated through her ongoing professional development, with an emphasis on Special Education, Inclusive Education, Reading and the Primary/Junior divisions. Alicja was the recipient of various awards throughout her undergraduate and graduate years, including being the recipient of the Vari Scholarship and being named a Dean’s List Scholar in the Faculty of Arts and Science. She also was the recipient of 19 honours and awards at her secondary school.

For as long as Alicja can remember, teaching has been her vocation. She has been volunteering as a Teacher Aid in many elementary and secondary school classrooms since 2006, most recently working one-on-one with a student identified as having a Language Impairment. She was also an assistant instructor of the Language Instruction For Newcomers To Canada Program and currently assists in teaching the Confirmation classes at her parish.

Alicja recognizes and respects that students learn differently. She believes that building on what students already know or have experienced is vital in making new concepts more readily understood. Alicja utilizes numerous engaging and varied teaching strategies and resources which are reflective of the different interests, strengths and learning styles of the students. Furthermore, Alicja strives to develop her students’ skills of critical thinking and self-advocacy.

John M.

John graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Honours in 2007 with a major in English and a minor in Film. He obtained his Bachelor of Education from Western University and became an Ontario Certified Teacher in 2009 at the Primary, Junior, and Senior levels. For the last seven years, he has been a permanent secondary teacher with DPCDSB, teaching a variety of subjects including English literature, History, Geography, Anthropology/Psychology/Sociology, Math, and Film Studies. He also teaches after-school literacy classes, is on the literacy committee, works closely with ESL students, and coaches both hockey and soccer.

Additionally, John is a trained SAT and SSAT coach and he enjoys delivering instruction in reading comprehension and verbal analogies too help students succeed on this entrance test.

In his spare time, he teaches drums, enjoys cooking, travels extensively, and plays hockey.