ICS President Ronald A. Kuipers says of the hire: "Edith's appointment to this position has truly been an answer to our prayer that God would bring ICS a worthy candidate to serve us in this strategically important position, directing a fledgling and promising professional development program that seeks to serve the leadership training needs of the Christian school movement in Canada and beyond.”
Edith joins the ICS community after having spent many years with John Knox Christian School in Oakville as a special education instructor and, most recently, as the Director of Learning there. She has also spent a number of years teaching education courses at Redeemer University in Ancaster. Edith received her PhD in developmental psychology and education from the University of Toronto, specializing in reading comprehension and diverse learning styles. She has, since then, continued to research and publish in this area, leading workshops with local schools and churches in the field of differentiated instruction in Christian education.
Edith is committed to the project of Christian education, and to guiding other Christian educators in their own teaching and learning practices. In her own words: “My teaching is rooted in a belief that each person is God’s unique creation, made for a specific purpose to serve him and bring him glory. I believe that Christian schools need to be places of inclusive education where solid foundations are provided for all students both spiritually and academically.”
As we continue to develop our MA-EL program, the combination of Edith’s enthusiasm and experience will open up many new possibilities for ICS to serve Christian K-12 schools. As President Kuipers says: “ICS has a long history of supporting Christian day schools, and I am extremely excited and hopeful that through Edith's leadership of the MA-EL program we will continue this legacy in a bold new way."
We would like to warmly welcome Edith to the ICS community, and we look forward to her vision for an MA-EL program that continually “embraces a growth mindset in each student’s journey of learning,” and to the many other ways in which she will contribute as a Senior Member to the educational life at ICS.
