HomeLearners Network (HLN) has some fabulous certified educators (guides) who are always excited to help your kids discover new passions and realize unique skills. Our new Guides, Heather and Augusta, are no exception!
We sat down with Heather and Augusta to get to know them better and find out why they’re excited to be HLN guides.
Meet Heather, scientist extraordinaire!
Heather has been an educator for over 20 years and is inspired by the magic of science.
“I love learning about how the world works and looking at things differently,” she says. “The experiential, try-for-yourself, and hands-on part of it is what I’m really passionate about sharing, and anywhere I get to combine art and science is just amazing.”
Heather has enjoyed working at science centres and still participates in local science fairs. She even helps kids and teens prepare for the Canada-Wide Science Fair! She loves that young people can develop scientific theories and experiments as valuable to the world as what’s studied in big research labs.
“Kids have unique ideas and aren’t as bound by what they’ve been told they can’t do,” says Heather. “Just seeing how kids venture into the world keeps me young!”
Heather has three impressive degrees. She has her teaching degree and is working towards her Master of Education. While completing her degree in Biochemistry, she got the unique opportunity to experiment with cancer drugs. Not only did she test how well various drugs worked, but she also tested what order to use them in so that patients recovered faster! Her third degree is in Anthropology, where she travelled to France for one of her courses.
“HLN is all about presenting different opportunities, making connections with other kids and families that they wouldn’t make otherwise, and helping kids approach learning on their terms in a space where they’re comfortable,” says Heather. “Each activity allows kids to try things out in their unique way and see how their peers approach problems differently.”
Register your kiddos for an activity with Heather, and they may get a glimpse of her lovable cat!
Meet Augusta, the math wiz!
Augusta has had experience teaching in high schools and private schools and now has the pleasure of leading home learners through educational activities with HLN.
“The best part about being an educator is doing hands-on activities,” she says. “Any time kids aren’t just sitting at a desk and taking notes is a pretty fun and memorable experience.”
Although Augusta has spent time teaching language arts and coding, her absolute favourite subject to teach is math (and she knows how to make it fun!)
One of her best teaching experiences was creating a virtual math escape room, where kids were given math hints and problems that guided them through a virtual obstacle course.
“I gave the kids hints about things like the slope of a line. They’d have to take that information to create a graph, which would help them find the key to the next room or set of math challenges,” says Augusta.
Augusta is inspired by her mom, who immigrated from Nigeria and has helped pave the way for Augusta and her family to live in Canada today. “She worked her butt off when she came here, and there’s so many things I wouldn’t be able to do without her.”
When Augusta isn’t guiding your kiddos through a super fun HLN activity, she likes to play sports or watch the Yukon Huskies tear up the basketball court.
Check out these highly anticipated activities with Augusta!
To browse all HLN activities, visit homelearnersnetwork.ca
