At Nanaimo Innovation Academy, we hire professional, experienced ECE and ECEA teachers that are young at heart, excited about teaching and learning, and are creative with how they engage students. Our teachers imagine the future of our students and work with them through trusting relationships that bring out growth and achievement.

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Please read more below about our current teachers and their passions...

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If you are interested in joining our team, please read this JOB POSTING and email your cover letter and resume to

 

                                                                                                                 Wen Li - ECE

 

 

Hello, my name is Wen Li and I’m a registered early childhood educator in both BC and Ontario.

I graduated in 2016 from ECE program at Conestoga College in Ontario, and have been working

in different childcare settings and kindergarten since then. After graduation, I worked in

Conestoga college experimental childcare centers where offer care for infant to Grade 6

children, as well as children who have special needs. I found this job filled with challenges and

learning opportunities which helped me grow my practical knowledge, professional experience

and confidence.I believe children are competent, capable of complex thinking, curious, rich in potential, and learn best when they construct their own knowledge through playing. As an educator, I enjoy being a lifelong learner and always open to different educational philosophies: Play-based learning, Reggio-Emilia Approach, Waldorf, and Montessori. I believe belonging, well-being, engagement and expression are the foundations for children to grow and flourish in a childcare setting. I am excited to have the chance to collaborate with other educators to create engaging environments and experiences to foster children’s learning and development.

I enjoy reading, cooking and travelling, when I have free time. My husband and I recently moved

to Lantzville from Ontario, so we spend lots of time explore this beautiful island.

Chloe Bernard - ECE

 

I have always been interested in child development and have pursued learning and working alongside children all my life. I began regularly babysitting for a family at the age of 15 and also spent time as a live-in nanny. From there, I went on to working in a Childcare Center as a summer student.

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I fell in love with the field of child development and have completed my ECE diploma at Vancouver Island University with a specializations in infant toddler/ diverse abilities. I have worked in a variety of daycares, in ECE and IT positions. Most recently, I ran a multi-aged classroom in a dual language culturally based Childcare Center in Port Alberni.

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I believe that children are much more capable than they are often given credit for, and I strive to help foster their own independence and learning through play, imagination, and exploration. 

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                                                                                             Katy MacDonald - ECE

 

My name is Katy and I am so excited to be apart of the amazing team at the Nanaimo Innovation Academy! I graduated from the Early Childhood Education and Care program at VIU in June of 2015 with a specialization in infant/toddler and diverse abilities. I first became interested in working with children when my sister was born when I was a teenager. Having the opportunity to be apart of her development and watch her grow was a wonderful experience for me! During my time as an early childhood educator, I have worked in both programs for 3 to 5 years and infant and toddler programs.

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Giving children the tools be able to recognize, express, and eventually regulate their own emotions is an area of importance to me when working with children. Sometimes we need to be reminded that children are people too, who have good and bad days! It is our job to give children the tools to help them navigate successfully through the big feelings they will have throughout the day. Emotional development is just as important as other areas of development.

I feel that there is something unique and special about every child and it is important that we cherish and celebrate these qualities! Early childhood is a time for exploring and discovering the world around us. Children should have lots of opportunities to explore materials, their environments and get messy, whether it be mud or paint! When children are able to explore and discover the world around them, the learning opportunities are endless!

 

                                                                                                    Kozue Rathe - ECE

 

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Hello, my name is Kozue, I first came to Canada from Japan with the working holiday program which was an exchange program for young adults between Canada, Australia, New Zealand  and Japan. The program allowed young adults to travel and work for a year within the alliance. The culture in Japan is more formal and rigid compare to the one in Canada. Naturally, the education system including early childhood education is close ended and rule oriented with focus on unity as a group. As I grew up I learned to follow the rules at school and to focus on the tasks given to me by the teachers.

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My journey as an ECE started in a beautiful small town in Alberta where I met many wonderful children and families. My focus has been creating the environment and relationship for the children to be able to flourish as themselves. I would like children including my own to have the least rules possible. Instead of telling them to be nice, I would like to show them what kindness is and what kindness can do. Instead of telling them how to behave, I would like to create the environment which captures their interest and keeps them entertained. Being an ECE has given me the opportunities to be a part of children's lives and create a strong connection with them as well as the families and the community as a whole. I am excited to be a part of the Nanaimo Innovation Academy community.

Riley Dagley - ECE

 

Hello, my name is Riley! I graduated the ECCE program in the summer of 2012, and have been working in the field since. My experience has been extremely diverse - I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to work in so, so many different programs, all with their own individual philosophies and culture. From infant toddler to out of school age, summer programs and one on one support for children with a variety of disabilities, I have done a bit of everything. The one thing that has followed me through all of my incredible experiences has been my underlying passion for facilitating children’s development through exploration and discovery. Play-based learning is important to me as I feel very strongly that they learn organically when they have opportunities to ask questions, push their limits, and lead situations - they are so inquisitive and capable. The children teach me just as much as I teach them! Their curiosity, unbridled imagination and excitement often reminds ME to slow down and appreciate the natural world around us - they are truly incredible.

 

My favourite thing to do in the classroom is open ended and (often messy) art, singing songs and imaginative dramatic play. I equally enjoy watching and documenting the children, and participating when invited! I love love love to be silly and fun. One of my goals as an educator is to develop close relationships with the children in my care and the families who love them and trust them with us. We are working together to create a foundation for lifelong happiness and success!

 

In my spare time I am often outdoors exploring our beautiful island with my boyfriend Ian and our wonderful heeler mix Primrose. We try to climb a mountain at least once a week! We also do parkour and roller derby - if it's outdoors or active, we're there. I enjoy reading or dabbling in pyrography and traditional/digital portraiture, and I run West Coast Rattery & Exotics as well. I own/breed/sell a variety of exotic and more commonly kept rodents, and spend a lot of time learning about genetics (and biology/science in general!) I am so grateful and excited to be a part of this warm, innovated, true GEM of a team. I can hardly wait to see what the future brings, but whatever it is - the future is bright here at Nanaimo Innovation Academy!!

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                                                                                        Naomi Hendershot - ECE

 

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Hello, my name is Naomi! My collective work experience illustrates the passion I have of caring for people at nearly every stage of life. I have worked as a care aide, a labour/birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, pregnancy outreach worker, and as an early childhood educator. I graduated the ECE program from VIU in 2013, and have since worked in both infant / toddler, and 3-5 preschool programs. I had the privilege of working at Nanaimo Innovation Academy for the first 6 months or so after they first opened. This was truly an amazing and unique experience, which I loved every aspect of, however I made the decision to take a year off and pursue work as a doula in the fall of 2018. The reality of the on-call lifestyle of working as a doula proved difficult in balancing other life commitments, including my own three children, my husband, and other work. I will continue to teach childbirth education classes, but have otherwise happily decided to move forward and return to my childcare roots. In doing so, I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to once again be a part of the team at Nanaimo Innovation Academy as an early childhood educator. I am inspired by, and passionate about teaching children about the world around them through their play, art, books, and life experiences.

 

Steve Wood - Substitute Teacher (RA)

 

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Hello! I’m Steve and am a parent of a four-year-old who attended Nanaimo Innovation Academy (which we immediately fell in love with!) and who has recently started Kindergarten. I have developed my teaching skills in varied work settings, as a facilitator of children’s learning in museums and schools, and as both a conscientious parent and babysitter to friends’ children. Practicing curiosity before judgement, honesty, modelling appropriate behaviour, and appreciating the perspective of others will continue to aid me in helping children to learn and grow in a supportive, caring and mutually respectful environment.

 

My pedagogical interests are in outdoor play, immersion in nature, and mindfulness, in addition to helping ignite life-long interest in reading. Children’s brains are like sponges and accumulate information so fast. At Nanaimo Innovation Academy, I will provide a solid foundation from which children can indulge their natural curiosity, and will encourage free play with its numerous developmental attributes.

 

In my spare time, I love trail running, hill walking, reading, photography and meditation and, most of all, spending time on the beach in rain or shine with my wife and daughter.

 

                                                                  Phil Zhao - Substitute Teacher (ECEA)

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Hi, my name is Phil. I am studying for an Early Childhood Education diploma at Vancouver Island University and I will graduate in July 2020. I finished my third practicum at Nanaimo Innovation Academy, which was an amazing experience for me. I am very excited to join this wonderful family. I have a passion for early childhood education, so I am looking forward to bringing what I learn from school to this field. I came to Canada one year ago from China and I am interested in experiencing various cultures. I would like to help children to experience different cultures too. I think it is important for children to know the variety of this world.