Passionate about providing differentiated instruction, I take a student-centered approach to my teaching, where I develop a personal connection with each student to tailor the learning to their ability, using their strengths to develop their weaknesses.

I often chunk work to encourage student engagement. First, I challenge my student with a task, receiving my direct support and encouragement. Next, they receive a preferred activity that focuses on developing a desired skill, but in a way that welcomes their strength, so they can be more independent and feel confident in their abilities. (Nobody likes to feel they are failing all the time!). This is a teacher term often referred to as "First, Then". For some students, they prefer "Then, First" where you initially get their attention with their strength, and then develop on their growth area. I am an expert at distinguishing which approach works best, and execute it with student input.

I am currently pursuing my Master's of Education in School Counselling; therefore, I always consider the social/emotional impacts students face that can impact their academics. My teaching philosophy is that students are first a person, then a student. In my experience, I have found these barriers to have the biggest impact to learning.

I have experience working in Inclusive Education. I have expertise working with IEPs, having had to develop, monitor, and review them for the past 4 years. I have also worked closely with my district psychologist to gain more insight through being a participant in my School Based Team and as a School-Based Academic Testing Coordinator.

Therefore, I can assist any student with a designation to meet their academic, social and/or personal goals. I have a strong knowledge of strategies to work with students who have been diagnosed with ASD, FASD, ADHD, and any intellectual and/or learning disability. I can also help pinpoint a student's current performance in relation to grade level; this is part of my differentiated approach to meet where the student is currently performing at, and build on their skill set to meet grade level.

I uphold a Bachelor of Education, with teachable subjects in Science and English for Grades 7-12. With this degree, I have a focus in Inclusive Learning. I also uphold a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Specialization in Psychology. Both degrees are from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

My past experience with teaching includes: (1) Mathematics at Grade 8-9 adapted and academic levels; (2) supporting all the main academic subjects (Science, Math, English, Social Studies) in an Inclusive Program Teacher role for Grades 7-9; and (3) my specialty is Literacy and Numeracy development. I also have experience teaching Life/Social Skills and Mindfulness.

Due to the individual approach of my job, I have become familiar with Literacy, Numeracy, and Life/Social skills at the primary range. (Even though a student is, for example, in Grade 8, they could be reading and/or writing at a Grade 2 level).