Sheila N. › SmartSitting

Family Application

Click Here To Read My Full Bio!

I am a Canadian certified teacher with 8 years of experience teaching preschool - 8th grade. I have been lucky enough to travel and work, and have taught in England and South Korea (and of course Canada). I have worked in many different schools and classrooms, and feel that my diverse experiences have greatly prepared me to handle any situation that involves children with ease. I have always been interested in working with children, and have spent much of my life doing so. As a university student I worked as a swimming instructor/lifeguard at my university pool, and city pool in my hometown. I also worked as a camp counselor at an outdoor camp, and then later as a supervisor at a residential camp, responsible for the counselors caring for the youngest group of campers called the Waterbugs.

I have tutored students 1 on 1, and have also led group activities which I implemented within a school, including an after school sports club, a math club and an art club. My undergraduate degree is in Child and Youth Development, which helps me to understand the developmental needs of children at various ages; this combined with my experiences as a teacher really enables me to work with children of all ages and to encourage them to grow and develop while having fun.

My hobbies include reading, and spending time with my own baby (my cat). I also enjoy running and being outdoors. As a newcomer to the New York area, I am having a blast spending free time checking out new areas and exciting places to see.

Education

Lakehead University, graduated 2003

First Class Standings
Bachelor of Education - Primary/Junior Qualifications

Brock University, St. Catharines, graduated 2002

Honor's Bachelor of Arts - Child and Youth Development
Thesis: Establishing the criteria for a sexual abuse prevention program for people with disabilities

Childcare experience:

8 years - Elementary/Middle School Teacher in Canada, England and South Korea
1 summer - Daycare Teacher (infant/toddler/preschool)
2 summers -camp supervisor/counsellor (preschool/elementary)
4 years - Swimming Instructor (all ages)

Availability:

Available at any time

Long-term availability:

Until August 2012

I will be SmartSitting while...

Studying for my Masters in Education and teaching ESL part-time.

My childcare expertise lies in working with…

Pre-school and school aged children, but I am comfortable with infants and toddlers as well.

Activities and skills I love to teach and share with children:

All sports and outdoor activities, reading, dancing, baking

Most memorable childcare experience:

As a 4th grade teacher, I had the incredible experience of earning the trust and love of a student who had given up on teachers, school and adults in general. A student who was behind his peers developmentally, socially challenged and from a troubled home taught me about the world in a way I hadn't seen it before. After months of working together, we established a trusted and caring relationship, and this student was able to rise above the chaos in his life to realize that there were good things in the world to look forward to and appreciate. As he grew and became more confident in himself, he improved academically and made gains socially. Eight years later and I still think of him and how he changed my life, as much as I know I changed his.