It is a gift and an honour to be part of the By Design Learning Team and to witness the growth and development of a child. From teaching letter sounds to learning times tables it is a thrill to see students grow in confidence and reach for more.  As a mother of four, I am passionate that a child not lose their sense of wonder for the world around them and that school not squelch their natural desire to learn! 

Learning needs to be so much more than the pursuit of individual academics but also the affirmation and development of God-given talents, an ability to engage in the world, be aware of needs and to collaborate with a community to create, innovate and address those needs.  

As a risk-taker and entrepreneur, I am passionate that students have opportunities to explore, to try new things and to partner with others.  As a Masters graduate I am convinced that learning is best done in a community.  

Daily, I encourage our students to work hard and try their best, pray often about anything and everything to the God who loves each one of them, and to always remember to use their manners!  (Manners are free!)  Doors will open all around them!

Marc Mailhot is an educator with a keen focus on interdisciplinary, experiential, project and place-based learning. He is passionate about the design, implementation and refinement of programming that empowers students with authentic, community-connected and collaborative learning experiences. These experiences not only expand content knowledge for students, but also develop the critical skills of empathy, confidence, and creativity, along with sub skills like collaboration, inquiry, stewardship, and intrapersonal abilities.

Marc received honours in both the Jack Layton Award for Youth Action in Sustainability (2014) and the Edward Burtynsky Award for Teaching Excellence in Environmental Education (2015) for his work with students, collaboration with colleagues and the development of related curriculum. In connection with this, he also hosted the Regional Board of Toronto Dominion’s Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) for presentations on environmental initiatives including gardening, vermicomposting, aquaponics and the Atlantic salmon restoration project.

In 2017 Marc was honoured with a Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club of Orangeville for his contributions to the community through his work on the GrandPals Project, which was initiated in 2010. The same year he also travelled to Rideau Hall in Ottawa to receive the Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This work has now taken on a national scope, as outlined at www.grandpals.ca.

Marc has long been fascinated by the emerging tension between the “existing grammar of schooling” and a “new grammar of schooling”. He is thrilled to be part of a community at By Design Learning Centre that honours both the need for students to deeply assimilate pre-existing knowledge (especially around reading, writing and mathematics), while also providing the time, space and other supports during the school day for a more constructivist approach. Within this approach students are encouraged, guided and coached to exercise their “voice and choice” in learning and “learn by doing” through the creation of meaningful and creative products. Marc believes that this kind of learning not only honours the innate creativity and incredible capacities of young people, but also is crucial in preparing them for the future.

I have had the privilege of serving in various capacities over my 30+ years in education. Each of my roles, whether in the classroom, in the boardroom, or in the school office, has brought me great joy. I am delighted to be currently serving in the classroom as well as fulfilling administrative duties. It has been a pleasure to interact with and build relationships with both the students and their parents – I truly feel like I get to enjoy the best of both worlds from an educational role perspective! My days at By Design Learning have been the highlight of every week and I look forward to another great year with our wonderful By Design team, families and supporting community. 

While investing many years in early childhood education I’ve imagined what an ideal teaching environment would look like.  Nurturing and care for one another, excitement and enthusiasm for life and learning, celebration in achievement and joy in working hard.  I realize that I’ve been imagining and longing for a place like By Design Learning Centre.

Kindergarten is a joy to teach!  I love all of it.  I love the thrill of something new the children want to share, the smiles and giggles with each funny story, the creativity and kindness that catch me off guard. Even the fact that a difficult day can be refreshed and erased during the next sunrise. 

Each new child brings all that they are to their Kindergarten class.  Every happy part, struggling part, successes of goals achieved and three to 5 years of skills and personality to demonstrate in their first weeks of school.  I can’t wait to meet them.

Teaching in the grade 3/4 classroom at By Design is such a gift and blessing. I am passionate and dedicated to helping students grow not only academically but also grow into the young person that God is molding them to be. You will often hear me say that I really care about each student’s heart; I care that they are kind and in all things attempt to be servant hearted as the Lord has called us to do (1 Peter 4:10). I am very thankful for this opportunity to teach in such a warm and inviting environment that By Design seeks to create.