THÉRÈSE McNAMARA, B.A., M.Ed.
Thérèse McNamara is a psychoeducational consultant, who works under the direction of Dr. Edward Blackstock to administer assessments both within the Simcoe County District School Board and privately. She is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers, and has more than 33 years of experience in education. Thérèse has worked as a special education resource teacher and leader, school administrator, literacy consultant, curriculum consultant, and education officer with the Ministry of Education. For more than 10 years, she was a part-time instructor for Nipissing, York, and Lakehead universities, teaching additional qualification courses to elementary and secondary teachers. She has written and edited a number of instructional resources related to literacy instruction for schools, the Ministry of Education, and educational publishers. She remains current with educational research in the area of special education, with a particular focus on learning disabilities and autism.
As a result of her strong educational background, Therese is able to work closely with the VB team to provide practical and relevant classroom strategies – modifications, accommodations, interventions – to support and/or compensate for identified areas of student needs. She enjoys working with students of varied ages, gathering cognitive/academic/behavioural data to assist in evaluating their thinking and processing abilities, and sharing assessment findings to address parent and teacher concerns. Thérèse appreciates being part of a team that can make a positive difference for students, by providing detailed knowledge to empower educators and parents to make positive changes to support student well-being.