The Best Teacher For The Job

Just a short while ago I was on the hunt to find the best teacher for the job. 

What kind of job, you might ask? 

Art? 

Nu-uh.

Science? 

Wrong again!

I needed the best teacher to dive deep with excitement and passion into the young adult novel Me and My So-Called Friends so that gut-wrenching, yet meaningful life lessons will be discussed at a level that parents will be jealous of.

Who is the best teacher for this job? The one and only Jennifer Cohen.

Educating in the classroom since 1998 and tutoring privately since 2007, Jen’s got a huge crowd of fans who adore her, and for good reason!

For starters, check out these texts:

That’s all very nice and good. But what are her credentials? Enquiring minds want to know!

Jen, tell us about your teaching background!

I’m a TDSB educator, qualified to teach Primary, Junior, and Intermediate grades along with students who have ASD. I currently teach a grade ⅞ split class and have experience as the Methods and Resource Teacher (MART) for several years. I also have Junior/Intermediate Music Qualifications and have produced and directed several large scale musical productions with my students over the years. 

Why do you tutor as well as teach in the classroom?

Both are extremely rewarding. The relationships that I develop with my students and their families are very meaningful and I feel a great sense of pride when I can successfully help a student make progress in an area where they once may have struggled. I think that teaching in a classroom makes me a great tutor, and tutoring helps me be a great teacher in the classroom. The 2 feed off of each other. 

What is your favourite part about teaching middle school kids?

Truthfully, I wouldn’t want to teach anything but middle school. I adore everything about these children, even the middle school attitude. Getting to know my students in a way that enables me to find out how they learn best and what makes them tick is a priority of mine as well as teaching about important world issues like anti-oppression and social justice.

How have you changed your teaching style – since COVID?

Teaching throughout COVID has been a massive learning experience for me, specifically on the technical side. I learned how to use various online platforms, explore new websites and online resources, and had to adapt from being in my “live in-person” classroom to the “virtual” classroom. My teaching style is to work closely with my students and monitor how each child is progressing and be there for them if they need support, so in order to accomplish these tasks, I used Google Classroom, which allows me to post, share, and privately get in touch with students who need extra support. I will say that I need much stronger glasses from being on the computer for the last 4 months straight!

And now for the icing on the cake…

Why do you want to facilitate the book club?

Facilitating the book club is another learning opportunity for me. The more teaching experiences I can add to my repertoire, the better! I can’t wait to get to know some new students, to teach a book that has important life lessons, and to hear students’ ideas and perspectives. 

What do you hope each child will learn from the program?

This is a novel that many students will be able to easily connect to on a variety of levels. The goals here are to learn from the problems that the characters face and even more so from the way they solve their problems and how they conduct themselves. 

Students will develop and strengthen their critical thinking skills. I will challenge them to make deep, meaningful connections. Questions such as these will be asked in our virtual classroom:

• What could the characters have done differently? 
• Which characters can you connect to the most?
• Has anything like this ever happened to you or anyone that you know? 
• How did you handle the situation compared to how the characters did? 

I hope that each child in this book club will learn empathy for these characters and hopefully what they learn will transfer into the choices they make in their own lives. 

And the final, last question…

What is your favourite snack to eat while reading a book?

When I read, I light a scented candle or diffuse essential oils. I always have a mug of herbal tea and curl up in a blanket on the couch! That’s my favourite way to enjoy a book!

We can’t wait to get started and it’s not too late to sign up here.

I’m so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to write what I’m passionate about and what I think will serve others. If you would like me to write about you and your passions for the Braves The Waves Journal, or for your own company, please be in touch.