Jade McGregor is a Master of Education student studying high ability (giftedness) at the University of British Columbia, middle years classroom teacher in the Langley School District, and a private K-12 tutor. A BC certified teacher, they have experience teaching middle years education (Grade 6-8), gifted and exceptional children, high school English (9-12), international and ELL students, online education, complex/low-incidence resource, and creative writing.
Jade also has an extensive background in the alternative education industry, including the following:
- 13 years experience in-person tutoring and 4 years of online tutoring
- 5+ years teaching AP English Literature and Composition and AP English Language and Composition preparation
- 5+ years in SAT (reading, writing, and essay) preparation
- 6+ years in SSAT preparation
- International teaching in a hagwon (after school academy) in South Korea and 5-9 at a Canadian international school in Indonesia
- ELL after school academy
With 2 sulphur miners at Ijen volcano complex in East Java, Indonesia. They carried their 70 pound baskets with one arm!
Jade’s began tutoring as a self-initiated volunteer at their former high school in the first year of university. After course instructors from UBC Learning Exchange visited Jade’s cross-genre creative writing course with Dr. Ray Hsu looking for volunteers, Jade began guest instructing an English Language Learner (ELL) cross-genre non-fiction creative writing course on the Downtown Eastwide. This experience of helping refugees and immigrants improve their English through personal storytelling galvenized Jade’s interest in teaching, and to this day, remains one of their most meaningful teaching experiences.
Education
Jade is currently a UBC Master of Education student in Special Education, studying high ability. They completed a UBC Bachelor of Education (in Elementary/Middle Years (self-regulated learning), receiving the Emily Longworth Memorial Award and the Chitose Uchida Memorial Prize for high achievement. A Dean’s List student, varsity softball player, and Academic All-Canadian, Jade also holds a UBC Bachelor of Fine Arts, Class 1 (highest distinction), with double majors in creative writing and psychology.
Specializations
- Middle years & high school (Grade 6-12)
- Creative writing
- Online learning
- Gifted/talented, high ability, students with advanced learning needs, multi-exceptional learners
- International students & ELL
Pedagogy
- Critical pedagogy
- Constructivism
- Experiential learning
- Personalized learning
- Interdisciplinary education
- Imaginative education
- Self-regulated learning
- Inquiry learning
- Universal Design for Learning
- Outdoor learning
Key Learning Goals
- Creativity and higher order thinking
- Resiliency and agency
- Self-regulation
- Domain specific skills
- Systems thinking
- Learning orientation and curiosity
Background
Jade’s work with children is rooted in their coaching history, beginning for a summer in Grade 9 and resuming during their first year at UBC. Jade is an alumnus of the UBC inaugural softball team and was a professional youth softball trainer from 2010-2020, running pitching clinics and individual, semi-private, and team lessons for pitching, batting, fielding, throwing, catching, sliding, and diving. They are a 2-time provincial softball champion, Western Canadian Champion bronze medalist (Barrier, BC), National Canadian Championship competitor (Winnipeg, Manitoba), World Championship International Division Gold medalist (Salt Lake City, Utah), and winner or finalist of over a dozen tournaments in BC and the US. Jade has competed in provincial championships for three other sports as well: Soccer (Gold division and AA/AAA in school), badminton (school), and volleyball (school), and was a provincial MVP in basketball, softball, and soccer.
Jade McGregor Fastpitch Summer Camp, 2015
Jade began dancing in their mid-twenties in 2017, taking house dance lessons. They began East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop in 2019 and took up West Coast Swing in 2023. Jade has been long distance running for pleasure since 2007 and weightlifting since 2009.
Rhythm City Mess Around, 2023 (Lindy Hop dance weekend)
Jade believes that athletics and exercise are integral to children’s development, providing physical health benefits, experiences of psychological flow and connection, stress reduction and coping, and increased focus in mental tasks. Participating in individual, partner, and team athletics provide diversified benefits for children and adolescents. Competitive team sports provide access to coaching and role models and the development of several abilities: Receiving and implementing constructive feedback, goal setting, teamwork skills, and resiliency in facing challenge.
Jade McGregor 