Meet the Directors
Margaret Kerr has been a secondary school administrator for Toronto District School Board for the last ten years, including overseeing the Safe Schools Programs and initiatives. She is currently Principal of Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Scarborough. Prior to being an administrator she worked as an educational consultant for the same Board of Education, designing curriculum for different grades and levels of students. She has a Masters of Arts in Education, as well as a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education. Margaret has been involved in a variety of different organizations that focus on developing the skills of non English speaking students. She has worked extensively to enhance the skills of teachers new to the profession to ensure that they are competent and effective in their curriculum area. For the last several years she has been involved in organizing Homestays for students visiting from Japan. In addition, she has opened her own home to many students from around the world. She lives with her two children near Lake Ontario, in a very quiet middle class area in Toronto.
Ken Bole began teaching English as a Second Language more than 30 years ago. He has taught all age ranges and levels, from young children to new Canadian adults, in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as in West Africa and Japan. Since 1993 he has been conducting intensive study tours for Japanese client schools through his own company, Canadian Study Tours. These custom designed programs offer homestays or university residence, a specialized Canadian culture curriculum ,an outdoor camp leadership training option, as well as historic tours through Ontario and Quebec. Ken has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia, majoring in English and Psychology, and certification as a TESL instructor from Carleton University, specializing in curriculum development and adult literacy. In 2003, after completing the Alternative Dispute Resolution program at York University, he became a certified mediator, and continues to volunteer his mediation services at local community centres. In addition to other committee work, Ken is currently serving as President of the Canada-Japan Society. He is very pleased to be working in partnership with Margaret Kerr on their new Canadian Academic Preparation School initiative. Ken lives in a quiet Toronto neighbourhood with his wife and two teenage sons.