Kayla Benoit
(B.A., B.Ed.)
Director of The Gritty Classroom.
Kayla is passionate about teaching outdoors and inspiring students to learn from the land. She has a love for all things nature with a deep love of plants, turtles and bee's.
In her spare time, you can find Kayla kayaking on Rice lake with her dog and partner, going on nature walks, identifying native and invasive plant species in her area as well as gardening. Kayla teaches Grade 3 French Immersion in Courtice and hopes to one day return to Peterborough to teach. Kayla frequently takes her students outside to learn in the "forest" at Avondale park and sees outdoor education as a priority and necessity for a child's mental and physical wellbeing. Kayla loves to tie curriculum to outdoor education and provide learning through an Indigenous lens.
"There is so much a child can learn outside and I love fostering outdoor learning experiences".
​
Jesse Lisle
(B.A., B.Ed.)
Jesse is currently a Primary/Junior teacher for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. She has had Long Term Positions in various Kindergarten classrooms where she has created and implemented an inquiry based program alongside her teaching teams. Jesse has enjoyed merging outdoor education into her Kindergarten curriculum and welcomes opportunities to utilize the environment as the Third Teacher.
Currently, Jesse resides in Millbrook where she enjoys exploring various nature trails, the community garden and the thrift shops. Over the years, Jesse has been expanding her knowledge and understanding of gardening. Mostly, she enjoys growing herbs and vegetables that can be used for various pasta recipes.
Jesse aspires to teach and learn through nature, our community and the environment. She understands the importance of creating outdoor classrooms where students can learn the curriculum without being confined to four walls. Jesse believes that we need to be able to teach children that nature can be used as a mindfulness tool to help their social and emotional well-being. She believes that it is important to foster positive relationships with nature in order to promote exploration, curiosity and wonder about our world.
Jesse looks forward to learning alongside your children as we immerse ourselves in our environment.
Bre Vestby
(B.A., B.Ed.,M,Ed)
Bre has been a teacher for the past 7 years in the Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Clarington area, teaching Primary-Junior aged children. In university, she majored in Indigenous studies and learned about the importance of giving back to Mother Earth and protecting our plants, animals and the environment. She grew up spending her summers as a camp counsellor, and camping with her family. She now continues that tradition with her husband and two dogs. She enjoys going for hikes, canoeing, swimming and enjoying the beautiful outdoors and all it has to offer. She believes spending time amongst nature, and seeing all it has to offer is important for everyone's mental health and overall well-being. She often takes her classes outside for “Forest Fridays” so her students can get the spiritual, physical and emotional outcome of all the outdoors has to offer. She is looking forward to spending a fun filled summer with your children, exploring all that nature has to give!
Looking to join our team?
If you think you would be a good fit to join our team of educators, please send your resume and references to grittyclassroom@gmail.com