Jason Wood

I am fascinated by the prospect of curiosity and wonder. It's one of our most underrated gifts. As we age into adulthood, it becomes much more challenging to appreciate the small wonders that make up our daily lives. I always set aside time each day - even if it's just a few minutes - to spend time wondering about the world around me. It's a skill that you need to practice, and it certainly helps to be around curious kids all day. Given the challenges that the world is facing, if we all spent just a little more time being curious, we could do what humans do best - innovate and create solutions to some of our biggest problems. 

To that end, I work hard to design and facilitate learning-friendly environments that thrive on curiosity. As one of my favourite ties reads: The world is just awesome! Providing opportunities for kids to lean into their curiosity and wonder is my highest priority as an educator.

I'm lucky to have an amazing job. Every day, I get to witness the power of human potential. To see a kid's eyes light up when they finalize a code that works or successfully land their spacecraft on our model of Mars is the true gift of being a teacher. It sure makes coming to work easy! 

 

I have had the opportunity to work at a few other top-tier independent schools. Overwhelmingly, my favourite thing about CDS is its commitment to community and tradition. In a hyper-competitive competitive learning environment, institutions sometimes race to find an advantage and leave their roots behind. The trouble is - if you cut away too many roots, the tree may fall. One of CDS's most outstanding qualities is its focus on the people in the building. As many adults know, it's not always the highest grade or the most awards that guarantees success; it's about the relationships you build along the way. CDS works hard to instill those values in its students, and it's a commendable and noble endeavour. 

 

Visiting Europe, A top-five finish in a 21k Spartan race, and (soon to be on the list) writing a book.

 

LetGrow.org, which advocates banning social media until the age of 16 and increasing the amount of unstructured free play for kids.

 

Hometown:  Stouffville, ON

 

I'm an Apple Professional Learning Specialist and an Apple Learning Coach - In my spare time, I help teachers supercharge their classrooms through challenge-based learning and technology integration with the iPad. 

 

Joined CDS in:  August 2023

 

BBA from Lakehead University
Bachelor of Professional Studies in Education from Niagara University
I have formal education in Science, Business, and Public Relations. I'm an OCT-certified technology integrations specialist and elementary science specialist. 

I suppose the most interesting part of my education is that in lieu of completing a master's of education, I took the tuition fee and designed my own program where I spent time interviewing veteran teachers across Canada and the US in an attempt to close the gap between theory and practice. Teaching is one of those professions where it's equal parts art and skill and learning on the ground level is essential.