Mission Makers: Emma—giving back the support she received

“Growing up, I knew I wanted to work with children and youth in a supportive capacity so they can receive the support I had too,” says Emma, a Remedial Instructor at LDS and this month’s Mission Maker.  

As someone who benefitted from recreational and community engagement programs as a child, Emma understands the importance of accessible support systems. In high school, Emma began volunteering in community support programs and enjoyed working with children. Her understanding, empathy, work experience, and education make Emma an excellent, adaptive instructor for our students. 

Emma has a Bachelor’s of Kinesiology and is currently studying for a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy, both from the University of British Columbia. She enjoys being able to apply what she learns in lectures at LDS, and vice versa—to use her experience as an instructor to inform her education.  

With experience at various nonprofits and children’s programs throughout Vancouver, Emma has a diverse background working with children of various ages and abilities. She worked for a community engagement project with children at a local Neighbourhood House. Emma also has experience within the Vancouver public school system as an Education Assistant and a Community School Teen Programmer. There she focused on teaching social-emotional skills and community building.  

Emma believes her previous experiences inform her teaching style at LDS by making content that is engaging and relatable to her students. At LDS, Emma feels that she can use her experiences and her skill set to help make a difference in her students’ lives. 

For example, Emma fondly remembers the time when one of her students asked her, “Do you know that the grocery store sells three cereal boxes for nine dollars?” At first, Emma thought this was an odd question, but when she was debriefing with the parent at the end of the session, the parent asked her child to bring the cereal boxes over.  

With the cereal boxes in hand, the student started reading the stories and the games on the back of the boxes. Emma realized that this was a huge turning point for the student. Previously, the student couldn’t read the packages or choose which cereal they wanted, but now they had a sense of autonomy and choice. “The student was so excited to able to understand what was going on in their environment. I got to see the skills being applied in real life,” says Emma. 

 “When I first learnt about LDS, I was drawn to how holistic they were,” says Emma. LDS focuses on academic outcomes, but there is an underlying focus on social-emotional skills and the child’s overall well-being. LDS also incorporates Assistive Technology and Speech-Language Pathology to best engage children in their learning. “I think having all of these evidence-based strategies and individualized supports for the students is so important,” says Emma. 

Emma also loves how important it is that LDS emphasizes affordability as part of its mission to be inclusive and accessible. LDS provides access to internal and external bursaries, so families who may not be able to afford remedial instruction can still access it. 

“It’s unfortunate that these kids are otherwise left behind because of something they can’t control like financial barriers,” says Emma. “LDS is able to remove these barriers that are preventing them from being successful in school, which is often tied to other skills like social-emotional and a sense of belonging or community.” 

—Rie 

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Rie Stadnichuk (she/her) is the Digital Communications Specialist at LDS. Currently studying Communications and Economics at Simon Fraser University, she hopes to use this opportunity as a way of exploring meaningful work in the field. She is passionate about social issues and creating environments of inclusivity and open dialogue. Rie graciously lives and works on the unceded territory of the Syilx people.