Issue link: https://publications.tfs.ca/i/1540856
Chantal Vallié is a Teaching Assistant in La p'tite école. She moved to Toronto from Paris and joined TFS after a number of years working in daycare settings. She started out assisting in the Junior School and working as a lunch supervisor. As she built her confidence and skills, she decided to go back to school to become certified as an Early Childhood Educator, before returning to TFS in that role. Through professional development opportunities, she's been able to expand upon her skillset working with young children with a focus on anxiety. Now considered a specialized educator, she has observed measurable, visible changes in her students. "Not only has it been so powerful to witness transformations among my students, but I've also been able to inspire others to explore these topics further." Many TFS teachers have also pursued work as IB examiners, providing them with a deeper understanding of the curriculum and the IB expectations, which they can then impart to their students. Susan Tonin is a long-standing economics teacher at TFS who took it upon herself to become certified as an IB Examiner. "I decided to apply to be an examiner to make my teaching better," she explains. In examining students across the globe, she's been able to better understand the IB program and the style of testing and then integrate different ways of teaching to better support her students. Tonin arrived at TFS in 2008 having spent a decade teaching in Hong Kong. Though being an examiner means she can't examine her own students' work, it does provide insight into how other students around the world are performing and helps her support and prepare her own students. Tonin and her teaching partner aspire to keep things relevant and interesting for their Level IV and V students, and she says she appreciates the autonomy provided to her by TFS to elevate the curriculum with field trips and simulations. Chantal Vallié, La p'tite école Teaching Assistant Susan Tonin, Economics Teacher and IB Examiner 24 ENTRE NOUS