My name is Kai, and I’ve had an untraditional path of education!
Throughout elementary school I excelled with maths and sciences always intrigued by WHY things are the way they are. As I aged in high school I became an over achiever, always seeking As, and I got them most of the time. I earned Honours Roll each year of secondary school. The next natural step? Post-secondary! But not just any program … a Bachelor of Mathematics & Bachelor of Business Administration Double Degree program at UW and WLU.
All of what I knew about learning, education, and myself got turned upside down when I started this uber demanding program. One month into my first semester at university, I reached out to my doctor complaining of extreme difficulty learning, discomfort without structure, and confusion about how school seemed so much more attainable just months earlier.
Over the next few years I’d come to get diagnosed with ADHD and realized that I was learning the content but struggling with the test methods, mainly multiple choice, now that I was in post-secondary.
I later left my post-secondary education, even though I was only 1 year away from graduating, because I’d realized I didn’t know how to properly learn and retain with my brain. Several years following this decision and I feel significantly more capable to learn the way my brain needs to. To live and function the way my brain needs to. Most importantly, I’ve rediscovered the self confidence once lost when learning seemed nearly impossible.
I am grateful for these experiences as it has allowed me to learn more about myself and my ADHD, and has unintentionally assisted with my work in coaching and child care, as I can recognize a neurodivergent child who wants to learn but needs to be met with the right type of learning and learning environment. I’d love to apply all the experiences and skills I’ve acquired to help young learners, especially those who don’t fit the traditional mold, build their confidence in learning.
Although I’ve never had a professional tutoring job, since early high school I have assisted my classmates with the class concepts as teaching others has always been how I best solidify my learning!
I’ve held several coaching jobs for children ages 3 and up, so I know the appropriate language for productive communication with young children, and I am used to all sorts of different personalities and needs! Being the oldest sibling, I also found myself assisting family with their homework, and occasionally assisting my older family members with learning how to navigate new technology.
All through high school I maintained Honour Roll and had the privilege of taking various Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Although I only took the AP Calculus exam (scoring a 4/5, meaning I’d earned a university credit for calculus) I was in AP courses for Chemistry and English as well in my senior year. I also took French every year of secondary school, growing my understanding for the basics of the language.
For elementary school-aged students, I am confident my experience coaching young children, my strong communication skills that are informed by developmentally appropriate language, and my ability to make learning fun and engaging would make me a good fit for young learners who need a little extra encouragement with their homework assignments! Even for the discouraged learners out there, I am happy to go the extra mile to make learning a positive and confidence building experience rather than a frustrating one.
Lastly, I am sensitive and understanding to different learning needs. As an adult with ADHD that went undiagnosed until I was in post-secondary and struggling harder than ever before, I can recognize learning is NOT one size fits all. I am happy to adjust my approach to fit your child/children’s needs! I also have a lot of experience coaching children with ADHD, autism, auditory processing disorders, among other neurodivergent experiences. This experience has helped me build a large amount of strategies and skills to try and find what works for the child, not what’s easiest for me.
I hope I can help your young learner become more confident in their school subjects! Confidence is so critical and I want to help foster a positive learning environment where your learner can shine!
I graduated with High School with Honour Roll, among other distinctions, in June 2019. I went on to study math at UW, business at WLU, and psychology at WLU.
Although I didn’t finish my Bachelor’s degree, I am still open to returning to school in the future, but have found such success focusing on my personal growth the last few years that I don’t regret leaving. In fact, I think it has helped open my eyes to many things, primarily my passion for learning, even if taking an untraditional path!
I share these sentiments to show you that I both see the value in education and the ways the education system is broken and can fail those who, like me, learn outside of the typical mold. If you have an outside-of-the-box learner, I would be thrilled to be a part of their learning journey.
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