Paul Pu, Director and Doctoral Candidate in Educational Leadership

Paul Pu serves as the Director of Erindale Academy and the President of The Global Youth Challenge (GYC), a non-profit organization (https://theglobalyouth.org/).

Paul's research interests encompass educational leadership, transitional education for international students, and the intersection of AI and education. His leadership philosophy is structured around two core dimensions: the 6C Interaction Dimension, comprising Communication, Connection, Community, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity, and the VIA Success Dimension, which focuses on Vision, Innovation, and Action. In acknowledgment of his contributions to education, the University of Toronto established the Paul Pu Educational Leadership Award (https://teacademy.ca/UP/our-partners.jsp).

Paul possesses extensive teaching experience across various educational levels, including universities,colleges, and high schools in Canada, the USA, and China. His notable assignments include positions at the State University of New York, USA, and Humber College, Canada....

Tam Daws - Huynh, Principal Academic

Tam is passionate about the The Erindale Academy Program because it is designed to help student reach their full potential in a positive and extremely motivational way. She is an Ontario Certified Teacher specializing in Math and Science for juniors and senior students. She has completed BSc from York University and a BEd from Nipissing University. Tam works towards enhancing her students' understanding by adapting to their unique learning styles.

Hakan Oztunc, Ph.D. in Statistics and Econometrics

Dr. Hakan has a Ph.D. in Statistics and Econometrics. For nearly 6 years he taught math in US to secondary level and for five years he taught math and statistics in Turkey to university students. Dr. Hakan has worked in the field of education for more than 20 years in several countries. In addition to having taught at the secondary school and university levels, he is the author of math and statistics books. The greatest chance of a person is to meet a great teacher when he/she was young."

Philip Desjardins

Philip is a pioneer in AI education and the director of the documentary AI: Fulfilling the Dream. In 1986, he had the privilege of meeting the "fathers of AI," John McCarthy and Marvin Minsky, during the production of the documentary. Currently, he teaches AI literature, English, and social sciences at The Erindale Academy.

Throughout his distinguished career, Philip has held several prestigious roles, including serving as the vice principal of Toronto Central Academy, director at TV Ontario, and senior editor at National Geographic.

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Deborah Vieira

Deborah Vieira is a Certified Educator registered with the Ontario College of Teachers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Bachelor of Education from University of Toronto as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ryerson University. Deborah has educated secondary school students in Visual Arts, English, Drama, Guidance Counselling, and Geography for 30 years with the Peel District School Board, including six years as an Instructional Resource Teacher in Alternative Programs. As a Acting Principal and Guidance Counsellor at The Erindale Academy, Deborah strives to support and inspire students to develop critical and divergent thinking skills in order to attain their life goals.

Anton Ton, Director of Recruitment

Anton Ton boasts a wealth of expertise spanning over two decades of experience in ESL teaching, Administration, and International Education. Anton holds a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics from Curtin University (Australia) and a Master of Education in Administration and Leadership from Brock University (Canada). Fluent in both English and Vietnamese, Anton plays a pivotal role at TEA as a distinguished school counselor, strategic student advisor, and accomplished marketing specialist. Committed to providing comprehensive support, he guides our students in their academic pursuits and personal achievements. Notably, Anton is a Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA), ensuring adherence to compliance and regulatory standards in international student affairs. His expertise contributes significantly to TEA's commitment to excellence in education and student success.

Amparo Contreras, Manager of Recruitment

Amparo Contreras is at the forefront of Erindale Academy's student marketing and recruitment initiatives for Latin America. Prior to her role at Erindale, Amparo owned an educational agency, assisting numerous students in realizing their dreams of studying in Canada.

Possessing a rich background in both information technology and electrical engineering, Amparo has lent her expertise to industry giants such as Siemens and IBM over the years.

She is an esteemed alumna of Sheridan College, where she graduated with honors from the Project Management Postgraduate Certificate program. Furthermore, she holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente in Colombia.

Anh Le

With a strong desire to obtain a higher education degree, after completing the Bachelor of Science program in Business Administration at Troy University, Alabama, USA, and having an amazing internship experience at Disney World, Florida, Ms. Anne went to Canada to study abroad in 2015 at Niagara College, pursuing a postgraduate program in International Business and Hospitality Management.

Throughout her years of studying and working in various places, Anne had many opportunities to meet students who shared the same goals and dreams. At The Erindale Academy, she served as a Guidance Counsellor, responsible for advising on academic pathways, monitoring academic progress, and developing pre and post-high school graduation plans and strategies for students.

Christine Wang

Christine Wang is a guidance counselor at The Erindale Academy. She is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and has completed TESL and accounting certification programs. As a second generation Chinese-Canadian, Christine is well-aware of and understands the difficulties that international students face when they start their academic journeys in Canada.

As a result, she often shares personal experiences to help students navigate and adjust to their new environments. Christine started her teaching career in 2010 and truly cares for her students. She believes that with love, patience and understanding, she will be able to support her students to reach their potentials and grow into wonderful and unique individuals. Her motto is: to always smile!

Daryl Bergman

Daryl Bergman is an Ontario Certified teacher for grades 10-12 Social Sciences as well as ESL. He has a B.A. (Geography / International Studies) and a B. Ed. from the University of Toronto. For nearly 12 years he taught ESL in South Korea to secondary level and university students. I have learned that in order to be a great teacher, one has to be an excellent learner. 'A teacher is a learner, and a learner is a teacher'.

Alex Chen

Passionate about using business to better the world, Alex Chen teaches a variety of business courses at the school. He got his Bachelor's in Business Administration from the Ivey Business School, and he often uses Ivey case studies in his courses. Alex had two years of experience teaching Business English at the Shanghai Business School, where he learned how to better teach English learners from China. He strives to bring out the best in all his students so that they bring honor to their family and society!

Gillian Matthews

Gillian is an OCT teacher and has taught elementary and secondary students for more than 20 years. She has her OCT, New York and Florida State Teaching Certificate and a Master of Education from OISE/UT in Educational Administration. Gillian specializes in English Language/Literature courses, ESL and Social Sciences and enjoys guiding ESL and international students to achieve their academic and personal goals. Gillian has taught in several private schools in the Toronto Area and encourages students to build on their knowledge, language and comprehension skills while making meaningful personal connections to the material that they are learning.

Ella Hou

Ella earned her Bachelor degree in honors of Biochemistry at McMaster University with strong science knowledge-based background and excellent Mathematics application skills. She is well qualified but not limited to teach wide range of senior high school Mathematics including Function, Calculus and Data Management, as well as has much experience on working with groups of students to support them in Chemistry, physics, and biology studies in private schools and tutor centers. Majority of students received a dramatic improvement not only on marks but also the enthusiasm on the studying of related filed.

Simon Yiu

Simon Yiu is a graduate from Ryerson University from the Architectural Science program and Fashion co-ordinate program. He has studied art extensively since the late 90's hoping one day he can use his art to change the world. Throughout the years, he has worked as an art and fashion teacher, a painting studio, a book cover illustrator and a medical blog illustrator. He believes Art is a way of communication and should be able to be enjoyed by everyone. Currently, Simon is teaching at Toronto Central Academy which he offers fashion design and Visual art courses.

Julie Bamford

I am an OCT certified teacher. I first graduated from York University with my Bachelor of Arts in History and English and my Bachelor of Education for intermediate and senior grades. I went on to complete my Master of Education with York University. I have furthered my own education by completing professional development courses with Queen's University. I have taught History, English, and Careers & Civics since joining the school in the summer of 2021. I believe that a school should be a place for students to flourish and grow both academically and personally."

IShaheer Akram

I completed my Master's in Business administration (MBA) Major Finance and Accounting, Bachelors in Business and Commerce, from Karachi, and then moved on to complete 3 levels of the Cost and Management Accountancy (ACMA). I completed a certificate course for teaching ESL students from USA. I have 7 years of teaching experience in Ontario, Canada and 1 year outside Ontario, including an online institute in China. I consider myself a creative and thoughtful person. I love nature and travelling. Teaching is one of my passions. My goal as a teacher is to help my students relate their knowledge with the real world around them in order to benefit them in their future endeavors. Cooperative learning is one of the most important skills I want to develop in my students. We can achieve endless possibilities by collaboration.

Fauzia Akhter

Fauzia Akhter graduated from the University of Toronto with an M Sc. In Env. Science and a diploma of Environmental Technician from Seneca College, Toronto, Canada. She also holds a Master of Science in Zoology and a B. Ed from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Having over eight years of biology/science teaching experience, she joins TEA. Teaching is her passion, and she believes in engaging in teaching and hands-on experience in learning science, which includes Lab work or field study. She thinks that if knowledge is not shared, it is wasted. She also loves to learn new concepts/ new techniques from her students. In her spare time, exploring nature, watching the Travel & Food channel, and knowing people are one of her many hobbies.

Cigdem Bahar

I have been teaching Mathematics for over 20 years. I began my career in education as a high school math teacher in 1998 in a private school. I hold a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a post graduate degree in Accounting and Finance. Throughout my career I taught students from grade 6 to university level. I am committed and passionate about teaching students through building strong relationships with students and their families. I also believe that my job is to fill the need for learning by creating engaging and relevant learning experience every day. I have been teaching in TEA for three years and enjoying a part of the team.

Victor Gajardo

Victor holds a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and an Education degree from Alberto Hurtado University. As a certified TESOL educator, he has taught English, ESL, and Spanish to students from elementary to high school in both public and private schools. His experience also includes teaching ESL to university professors at the University of Chile, supporting faculties such as Engineering, Chemistry, and Medicine in improving their academic English.

In Chile, Victor coordinated the largest network of English teachers in Santiago and was one of 15 educators selected for a government-sponsored teaching internship at Massey University in New Zealand. He later taught ESL in Toronto, working with international students from countries such as Japan, Turkey, South Korea, Ivory Coast, Spain, and Brazil, among others.

Currently, at The Erindale Academy, Victor has taught ESL, English, Drama, Health Care, Canadian History, and Geography. Passionate about fostering dynamic and collaborative classrooms, he focuses on helping students develop communicative skills and build confidence in using the English language.

Tyler Greiling

Tyler Greiling graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in Communications, Culture and Information Technology. He also holds a certificate of Digital Media from Sheridan College and is in the process of completing his TEFL certificate from OISE.

With 7+ years of educational experience across a vast array of positions, Tyler specializes working with both domestic and international students as an English and ESL teacher. His approach to teaching emphasizes individualized learning, empathy and learning for life - in addition to academics. Often intersecting with real-life examples and societal cases, Tyler’s lessons heavily incorporate application of social theory, technology and culture. In his spare time he enjoys fitness, reading, sports, films, and playing with the dogs and cats at TEA.

Lina Wang

Lina Wang, Registered Social Service Worker with OCSWSSW, Sheridan College Silver Medalist, and currently a graduate student at OISE, University of Toronto. Having been an English Professor for 13 years in China before moving to Canada, and Program Facilitator in various programs at HMC Connections to help newcomers learn English, Lina Wang has rich experience in teaching English language and IELTS.

Joshua Volkers

Joshua is a graduate of both University of Toronto’s Honours Bachelor of Arts and Lakehead University’s Intermediate/Senior programs, becoming an OCT certified teacher qualified to teach English and History. Able to teach a variety of curricula thanks to his years of formal and informal experience, he encourages an environment of discovery and growth. He defines his teaching by being open to new ideas and fostering a comfortable environment where curiosity and learning may flourish.