TUTORING
Steve Sorrenti
Tutor
Steve's tutoring approach can help your child improve both their grades and their self-confidence.
Steve's experience as a youth worker means that he understands that not all students are motivated to do their school work, and that frustrations arising from learning disabilities can lead to poor self-esteem. Steve creates a fun, relaxed learning environment for students. He works with their parents, teachers, and other professionals to create a learning plan best suited for successful outcomes.
Steve has worked for 8 years supporting students in both elementary and secondary schools in Vancouver, including working as a Student Support Worker for the Vancouver School Board.
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To learn more you can visit https://www.ycvancouver.ca/
Sarah Byrne
Orton Gillingahm Tutor
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Sarah is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin from which she earned a B.Ed Honours Degree. She has been teaching for over twenty years and is a huge advocate for the arts within education.
Originally from Ireland, she moved to Vancouver in 2011 where she has been immersed inthe world of Special Education and where she also discovered her passion for helping students to learn through therapeutic methods. Sarah became certified as an OGP (Orton Gillingham Practitioner) in 2023 completing her practicum through REACH North Vancouver. She also completed the diploma course in Expressive Arts Therapy through VATI (Vancouver Art Therapy Institute) and is a certified Expressive Arts Therapist with a Registered Therapeutic Counselor accreditation through the ACCT (Association of
Cooperative Counseling Therapists of Canada). Sarah plans to continue her studies in Expressive Arts Therapy by undertaking the Masters Program starting July 2025 through the European Graduate School in Switzerland.
Sarah offers both 1:1 Orton Gillingham sessions as well as Expressive Arts Therapy sessions for all ages.
As Sarah continues to work, full time, as a teacher at KGMS (Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School) in North Vancouver she has limited availability and currently has a waitlist.
Please email her at sbyrneexat@gmail.com if you have an interest to learn more about Orton Gillingham or Expressive Arts Therapy sessions and secure a spot or join the waitlist.
Megan McGuire
Tutor : MA, BASc
Megan's fascination with the intersection of child development and teaching was sparked while she was pursuing her Bachelor of Applied Science in Child, Youth and Family from the University of Guelph alongside her early childhood educator certificate. She followed this interest into the Masters in Child Study and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, becoming a certified teacher. At OISE, her pedagogy was deepened by the emphasis on child-centred education, research-informed practice and inquiry-based learning championed at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School. In her time as a student, Megan was the recipient of over a dozen major academic awards including the Robert Seth Kingsley Graduate Student Scholarship for the MA Child Study and Education student demonstrating the strongest potential for excellence and leadership in Special Education.
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Over the last decade, she has applied her theoretical knowledge in a number of different environments including serving as a behaviour support director at a camp program for children and youth with disabilities, research work on the Ontario Child Health Study at the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University, working as an inclusion facilitator at the University of Guelph vanguard Child Care and Learning Center, leading a program evaluation for a remote educational program at a major national non-profit, working at an Educational Consultancy collaborating with an Indigenous community to develop a remote teacher education program, as well as countless hours of working one-on-one with students and teaching in diverse classroom environments.
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Through this range of experiences, Megan has learned one thing: she is most fulfilled when she is able to translate her academic knowledge into tangible learning connections with children. She is passionate and driven in her pursuit to create evidence-based learning experiences and strategies that support every child in experiencing success both inside and outside of the classroom.
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Play-Based Tutoring Services
I offer students (K to 12) tutoring support in specific skill areas with the foundation values of 1) creating a positive and trusting relationship together, and 2) fostering a joy of learning. I use a play-based, targeted instruction approach (meaning every session is individualized to your child's interests and skill level) to maximize both engagement and skill development. Learning should be fun!
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When I begin working with a new student, I typically embed several numeracy and literacy assessments into the games of the first few sessions to get a good baseline understanding of where a student's learning strengths and needs are. This learning profile then allows me to customize the games and activities in our sessions together to target those specific skills needed to start seeing more success in reading, writing or math problem solving independently!
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If you're interested in setting up a virtual intake meeting to discuss my services in more detail and to see if we're a good fit together, you can fill out an intake form here.
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You can find more information and read a little about some other families' experiences with my support services.