Meet our Jolly Team
Sean Gill
Systema & SEL
Sean has a Bachelor (Hons.) in History from Queen's University, and a Master's in Social and Political Thought from York University. He has 5 years of experience as a Teaching Assistant for university level undergraduate courses, and over 8 years of experience as a Systema (Russian Martial Art) instructor. He loves to work with children to help them develop motor skills, emotional control, teamwork skills, and a general joy of learning through self-exploration.
Britany Hodgeman
English
Esther graduated in the program of Early Childhood Studies from George Brown College and Ryerson University. Her hobbies include reading (books on theology), going for walks (in one of Toronto’s many beautiful parks or in a local neighbourhood), and cooking (particularly asian cuisine). She is particularly passionate about educating children with respect and empathy. She believes children are capable of learning deep concepts at an early age hence the desire to cultivate in them a growth mindset. Her hope in working at Jolly Jolly Arts & Reading is to ensure a positive environment for both staff and children where both can grow to encourage one another to excel. She is confident that parents can expect a level of professionalism, openness, and most importantly to see their child flourish emotionally, academically, and socially!
Lauren Lakanen
English Literature/Writing
Lauren has a Honours Bachelor of Arts in English and History, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and a Bachelor of Education. She also has a postgraduate diploma in Creative Writing from the Humber School for Writers. As part of the course of study, she wrote a novel with Scotia Giller Prize winning author, David Bergen, as her mentor. Lauren is currently a Masters student at the University of Edinburgh. As an OCT certified teacher, Lauren has taught at the secondary school level in Ontario. She has also taught Kindergarten through Grade 7 abroad in South Korea and Cambodia. An avid reader and travel lover, Lauren enjoys bringing the world to life for her students through compelling narratives, creative writing, and imagination.
Tracey Scharschmidt
English Literature/ Reading
Tracey is a passionate and keen educator with years of teaching and leadership experience.
She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in English Literature, then attended York University for her Bachelor of Education. She has a total of 28 years of combined teaching experience in both the elementary and the secondary panels.
Tracey has worked with administrators and superintendents on creating curriculum and implementing best teaching practices to suit the various learning styles in a classroom.
It is her pleasure to join the Jolly Jolly team to bring her academic talents and her passion for language , literature and humanities to all of our teaching staff and students.
Caitlin Maguire
English
Caitlin Maguire has a Bachelor of Education, Bachelors of Applied Sciences and an Early Childhood Education certificate. She has dedicated her career to teaching young childhood and has been teaching for 5 years in Ontario. She has taught in Ontario schools as a full time teacher (JK - Grade 4). Caitlin loves making education a fun experience for students, and is dedicated to helping them in a variety of subjects. She is caring and patient with all her students. Caitlin has successfully challenged her students, and helped bridge the gaps in learning for others. She loves making connections with her students and modifying lessons to the best way her students learn.
Katie Lefevre
Art Integration Instructor
Experienced teacher with a specific interest in the educational and healing role that the arts can have within medicine and science. Skilled in academic research, writing and editing.
Create, design, and implement online fine arts curriculum for children ages 5-12.
-Use online teaching platform functions, such as video creation, PowerPoints, screen share functions, online games, and online whiteboard functions to provide animated and informative lessons for young children.
-Use demonstrations, prototypes, examples, and artistic techniques to develop students’ art skills, such as drawing, painting, 3D design, soft sculptural manipulation, and storybook writing and physical book creation.
Omar Razzaq
Mandarin
Omar has a Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from Beijing Language and Culture University, and is currently a PhD candidate in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Beijing Normal University. He has over 5 years of experience teaching different age groups and is a certified HSK examiner. He previously served as the Dean of the Chinese Department and Head of the Confucius Institute at Kabul University, as well as a researcher for the International Center for the Integration of Chinese Examination and Teaching. He also has professional translation experience, having participated in the translation of the four-part Contemporary Chinese book series from Mandarin to Farsi.
Emiko M
Lego Instructor
May
English
Mei has a Bachelor (Hons.) in Early Childhood Studies from Ryerson University. She has completed multiple internships at several early learning centers and TDSB public schools in the past 6 years working with children of diverse learning abilities and cultural/ethnic backgrounds. She is currently working as a communicative disorder assistant and English Literature teacher, with the goal of improving children’s reading, comprehension, and verbal and non-verbal expression. It is her passion and hope to always provide children with a safe, friendly, and language-rich learning environment where they may freely express themselves and become confident, creative, and intrinsically-motivated learners.
Yvonne Zhang
Child Development Specialist
Yvonne is an enthusiastic and experienced educator with a solid commitment to the social-emotional and academic growth and development of every child. She has two Bachelor's degrees (Hons.) in Information Systems and Child Development. She also obtained a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology and Education from University of Toronto in 2018. Due to her diverse educational background and 8+ year teaching experience, she has the talent for bringing the classroom to life with real-world examples and innovative technology.
