Hannah Merchant
Dip. E.C.E., Honours B.C.D., M.Ed.
Subject: Language Arts (Primary-Elementary)
What will my child walk away with? Young students leave my class with a genuine love of language and a growing confidence in their own voice as readers and writers. A strength-based approach means students experience themselves as capable from the start, which changes everything about how they engage with challenging material.
What can families expect? A caring, invested teacher who sees your child as a whole person, not a collection of academic skills to develop. I believe families bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that belongs in the classroom, and I actively work to honor that partnership.
What does class actually feel like? Warm, creative, and full of genuine wonder. I work with young children and I know that engagement at this age is everything — a lesson that does not capture curiosity is a lesson lost. Every class is designed to feel like an invitation to explore and play with ideas.
How do you challenge a curious mind? I follow the child. Curious young learners need someone who meets their questions with more questions, not a ceiling. I extend thinking through open-ended tasks, creative challenges, and problems with more than one good answer.
Credentials and Experience M.Ed. from York University, with a graduate diploma in early childhood education. Keynote speaker for the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario on practitioner self-image and advocacy. Workshop experience in pedagogical documentation for York Region childcare programs, and international workshop delivery for educators in historically marginalized communities.
Why Hannah? Why Brain Power?
A strength-based philosophy is not a teaching strategy I apply selectively — it is how I understand children and learning. Brain Power’s commitment to enrichment over remediation aligns seamlessly with this perspective, and each day I see firsthand how impactful and inspiring this approach to teaching and learning can be. I am deeply committed to my students’ overall well-being and consider it both an honour and a privilege to work with–and learn from–such bright, inquisitive, and exceptional young people.