Early Childhood Educator in Toronto, Ontario

As a volunteer Education Assistant for junior and senior kindergarten classes I take class attendance, mark papers, read stories to students with expressions in my voice, face and body and help supervise students during recess. I help develop self-esteem and positive self concept by giving lots of positive feedback-reinforcement. I respect students’ opinions and encourage them to express their emotions and have gained knowledge and understanding of how children are socialized in a multicultural, Canadian school setting. I have learned about the importance of providing a colourful, visually stimulating environment for children and contribute by making posters and hanging student work in the classroom. For Halloween I made spiders out of unused garbage bags and hung them from the ceiling, this contributed to a festive atmosphere and proved to be educational as students counted them, named them and remembered their names. I have learned to exercise positive disciplining. For example instead of saying “no running!” I can say, “ please walk” or “move through the hallway in an acceptable way.” I listen carefully to the directions of the principal and teachers and have established a good rapport with children and staff. English Teacher, Camp Counselor from June 2009 to July August 2009 (48 hrs per week for 8 weeks, total 384 hrs) Marzo Summer Camp I worked as a Camp Counselor for 30 children ages 6 to 11 years old where I motivated students and contributed to a fun and positive environment by leading by example and taking part in sports activities, games and special event days. I organized a costume making party, dress-up day and a barbeque. I encouraged students to express themselves through art and learned that the process of making art can be as valuable and important as the finished product because creating art allows children to express themselves and develop their fine motor skills. Teacher from April 2009 to June 2009 (3 hrs per week for 30 weeks, total 90 hrs) Biblioteca dei Regazzi, Gianni Cordone I worked as an English Teacher in a children’s library for 3 classes of students ages 5 to 12 years old. I created and taught lessons which consisted of both written and spoken English, and focused on grammar basics, spelling and reading comprehension. Lessons of the day were put into practice through games, group work, assignments and presentations. For the final assignment I had students make their own storybooks, read them to each other and encouraged them to ask questions, consolidating all that they had learned. I learned to manage the environment to better students’ learning experiences. I ensured the physical setting was suitable for children by having a variety of educational materials and toys available. I altered the classroom environment to promote an atmosphere more conducive to productivity and learning situations by moving desks, increasing or decreasing lighting and opening or closing windows. Teacher from December 2008 to May 2009 (1.5 hrs per week for 29 weeks, total 43.5 hrs) Parona Elementary School I taught English to 35 students ages 8 to 10 years old, and created and followed a lesson plan to supplement the school’s curriculum. I gained knowledge from the homeroom teacher about what the students were taught previously, to ensure that I did not repeat material. I learned to explore ways to make assignments more interactive and interesting and to further enrich the learning experience by using resources beyond those available at the school. For example, I developed listening exercises and collected extra materials such as magazines, computer images and found objects for the students to use. The students were excited when I brought in my laptop to show them images that represent Canadian culture and landscapes. I also learned the importance of having extra, back-up resources for situations where my planned lesson ended earlier than anticipated. Having extra planned material readily available ensured that I was prepared for the unexpected and made the most of the students’ class time. English Teacher Istituto Professionale per i Servizi Commerciali e Turistici Castoldi I designed and followed lesson plans for two high school classes of different levels, while making sure to follow rules of conduct and instructions set by the administration policy. I learned behavioral management techniques that were effective in promoting good behaviour. For example I made a list of the rules of the classroom on chart paper and displayed them prominently in the classroom. This ensured students were aware of my expectations of them and what was considered acceptable behaviour. Knowing the rules made students able to, and more likely to follow them. I learned about appropriate ways to correct errors in grammar and pronunciation by being sensitive to factors such as time and place. For example, I was careful not to embarrass students while giving presentations or discourage them by being too harsh in my evaluations. I was also sensitive in situations when what the student was trying to say was more important than how he or she was saying it. In these cases I may have corrected the student at a later time. Repeating a student’s phrase in the correct way is also a positive method that I used to correct students. Teacher Liceo classico e scientifico, Benedetto Cairoli I performed a series of assessments which helped me to create and execute lesson plans for 4 classes of Italian speaking students 13 to19 years old. I learned that when students are not doing what they are not doing their work in class and may be distracting others, it could be a sign that the work is too easy or too difficult for them. Therefore I learned to look for signs of disinterest to better understand reasons for misbehavior so that I could deal with situations accordingly. This included assigning different work or leading in more engaging activities. For example between student presentations I asked the class questions pertaining to the information they had just retained. This made students more attentive and therefore less likely to loose interest and disrupt others. Assigning work that was neither too hard nor too easy and learning to keep students engaged, led in overall better student Inligua School I performed both one-on-one and group teaching methods for Italian students ages 4 to 60 years old at a private language school where I delivered lectures and presentations and led discussion groups and seminars. I designed lesson plans and monitored progress through testing and implemented the City and Guilds exams. I learned how to deal with having students at different levels in the same class by giving different assignments or tasks to students who were more advanced in the lesson. I did this while maintaining the theme of the lesson and a feeling of collectivity. Education Assistant Muppets Pre-School Centre I worked as an Education assistant for 3 groups of 1 0 to 15 children ages 2 to 7 years old, provided child care supervision, encouraged creativity through crafts, songs and stories, and led in age-appropriate activities. I accompanied children on field trips, enforced safety rules and maintained a safe and sanitary environment inside the classroom. I learned to practice active listening, use words that encourage rather than discourage and promoted the importance of respecting one another. I encouraged children to be independent while dressing and during toilet routines giving assistance only when needed. Education Assistant (Co-op placement) O'Connor Child Care Centre I gained in-class instruction and work experience as an Education Assistant for 28 children, ages 3 to 5 years old. This experience provided me with knowledge to facilitate children’s development and maintain a healthy, stimulating environment. I organized activities that encouraged emotional, physical, social and intellectual development and executed and supervised activities that promoted both fine and gross motor skills. I structured situations to help children experience feelings of success by introducing activities, selecting books and games that were age appropriate and set realistic goals for children that did not promote frustration or unrealistic outcomes. I learned that giving children choices empowers them and providing a routine gives children a sense of security. I was a positive role model at all times and learned to develop children’s self-esteem and positive self concept. Host/Instructor . Chocolicks Fun Factory I hosted birthday parties for 20 to 35 children ages 6 to 10 years old where I led in instructing children to make and decorate pieces of chocolate using molds and painting techniques. I learned a series of techniques to command and hold the attention of groups of children by using songs, instruments and non-verbal cues. I gave instructions in a fun and engaging manner while encouraging children to be creative, work collectively together and share with one another. I maintained a safe and sanitary and environment at all times. Private Tutor . Various locations Toronto, Ontario I tutored students ages 6 to13 in the areas of mathematics, science and English where I learned to explain information in ways that differed from that found in student lessons and text books. I gave assignments that did not promote frustration or unrealistic outcomes and made future goals clear. I learned the importance of reminding students of their progress to promote confidence when faced with conquering new challenges. I gave reports to guardians and student marks were visibly higher, as seen in their school test results and report cards. Education Assistant from June 2002 to August 2006 (37... hrs per week for 15 weeks, total 562.5 hrs)\\r\\n\\r\\nSt. Patrick Catholic Secondary School\\r\\n\\r\\n49 Felstead Avenue,\\r\\n\\r\\nToronto, For four summers I worked as a Teacher’s Assistant for 30 to 35 students with special needs in grades 9 to 12 in the areas of visual and performing arts, English, physical education, mathematics, home economics and health. I helped students develop gross motors skills through sports including swimming. I helped students change into swimming attire, accompanied them in the swimming pool and organized games with the use of equipment such as balls and floating devices. I also helped students develop fine motor skills through board games, art activities and motivated students to participate in talent shows by encouraging confidence and giving lots of positive feedback. I supervised lunch which often included feeding students. I encouraged students to use a wide variety of materials to uncovered hidden strengths and weaknesses and discovered different learning styles best suited for each student. I learned much about the different types of learning and how to incorporate them into lessons. I worked collaboratively with teacher, physiotherapist, speech pathologist, and social workers to reach specific academic goals as well as therapy objectives.