The student is a 10 year old boy living about 30 minutes drive north of Toronto.  He has been homeschooled since the pandemic due to health concerns.  He is a very bright boy with a keen, enquiring mind, but also has the challenge of apraxia of speech, which means he has minimal verbal ability.

A full-time teacher is required to teach the whole curriculum and to provide the inspiration to encourage him to attain his significant potential, taking into account the challenges presented by his situation.

STUDENT

The student is 10 years old and was in school until COVID, from then he has been homeschooled following a customised curriculum focusing on language, math and interest led learning.

He has apraxia, which means that he is minimally verbal. He uses an assistive communication app on his Ipad for communication.   He also needs lots of movement to be able to focus on learning tasks.

He is a clever young man who enjoys learning. He likes to read, is interested in animals, technology, language and words.  Although he doesn’t play any instruments he is fascinated by music and sound innovation.

He enjoys many physical activities, including climbing, swimming, jumping, running, and hiking. 

In a social situation he is charming, affectionate, kind and funny.  He has a group of friends now and it is anticipated and hoped that as he gets older he continues to be able to maintain and build relationships despite the challenges he faces.

He has the potential to excel in many fields, academic and not. He needs to be given the grounding now to allow him to flourish and to achieve his potential.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The underlying focus of this role is the general education of the student across all subjects broadly following the local grade level curriculum.  However there are several additional requirements that are, in many ways, equally important.

Provision of an environment that enables effective learning and development for the student taking into account his apraxia is essential.  The tutor must be able to respond to this situation, adapting their teaching to fit in with his needs.

Written communication, particularly typing and document preparation using technology is very important, more so than for children with verbal communication capabilities.  As he gets older and moves into higher education and the world of work it will be imperative that he has effective communication skills, and the foundations of these need to be built strongly at this stage.

The successful teacher will have experience of students with non verbal communication, will be patient and able to make learning fun and engaging.  

COVID safety is critical within the classroom and in the wider environment. The successful tutor must be vaccinated, happy to be tested regularly (tests provided by the client) and must take reasonable steps to avoid getting infected with COVID outside the classroom.  All members of the client household wear N95 masks when in contact with others outside the classroom and test regularly. The tutor must fit in with these protocols. N95 masks will be provided for the tutor to use outside the classroom as needed.

The student has a great deal of potential in many areas.  The tutor will be expected to help him to explore these, to expose him to new potential interests and to explore more deeply those he already has.  The desire is that he is able to learn and grow in an accelerated way in the areas that will help him to succeed now and in the future..

A school room will be set up separate from the family home. The teacher will be involved in ensuring that resources are ordered as required and that everything is ready for lessons.

HOURS AND HOLIDAYS:

This is a full-time position.  The teacher will work with the student for an average of 40 hours per week, with planning and preparation to be carried out in addition. Flexibility and a “can do” attitude are expected from the teacher in order to facilitate educational enrichment activities and to adapt their teaching strategies to fit in with the student’s most effective learning style.

The family take 2 weeks break at Christmas and shorter breaks throughout the year, not always coinciding with school holidays, in order to maintain continuity where possible for the student.  During the summer teaching might continue with adjusted hours.

The tutor will be entitled to 20 days holiday during this contract, to be arranged in agreement with the client.   

ACCOMODATION, TRAVEL AND MISCELLANEOUS:

Accommodation will not be provided.  The family live in an area with a plentiful supply of suitable rental properties.

A car will not be provided.

The teacher must have the right to live and work in Canada.