Jennifer Huston

Greetings, I’m Jennifer. I was born in Oshawa, Ontario in November 1998 and moved to Barrie, Ontario when I was three. I’m the youngest in my family with two older half-brothers. My parents commuted to Toronto everyday for work. Growing up with two older brothers was definitely a huge factor in my love for sports today. I participated in multiple sports in high school, thriving in badminton, flag football and ultimate. I also tried to participate in basketball but that didn’t work out so well.

I’ve always had a love for children and been amazed by their big imaginations and I developed a passion for helping others at an early age. I got involved with summer camps, starting as a camper and then working my way up to a supervisor position. I have spent a lot of time working at the Holly Recreation Centre in Barrie, from summer camp, teaching volleyball and even being a swim instructor/lifeguard. I’ve worked with children between the ages of three to sixteen, through my five years with the City of Barrie Recreation department. I would help children develop skills in sports, art and through swim lessons.

Not only have I worked with the City of Barrie, but I’ve also worked at Laurentian University as an Educational Resident Assistant, where I would come up with fun activities on Friday nights for students on campus and would promote an “Awareness Week” each month. Later on, I was hired to be a Resident Assistant, where I was in charge of 22 students living in residence, helping out with any needs they may have had and coming up with different events for them to have an enjoyable time on campus.

I’ve had great experiences not only with helping children but also learning from them and understanding how every child learns differently. I want to be able to help those that may not grasp concepts as easily as another. Teaching swimming lessons really showed how differently every child learns. Some could understand how to do a front crawl from listening, others needed demonstrations and there were also those that I had to physically help them with the movement. I want to be able to give my classroom the help they need whether that means working one on one, or just giving a lecture to help them be successful. Through the work experience from multiple different age groups in my life, I've developed a love for education and hope to make a career out of teaching.