Before volunteering with IDA – Ontario, Anthony Edwards enjoyed a long and successful career as an educator, principal, and superintendent of education in Ontario’s public school system.  While completing his undergraduate studies at Western University, he found summer work through the YMCA – Youth Employment Services. This allowed him to serve and learn from students disenfranchised from the school system.  These experiences influenced his career path and swayed him to complete a degree in education at Mount Allison University.

Teaching in Etobicoke afforded him many opportunities to work with secondary school-aged students new to Canada. Rotary International later recognized his efforts to help them navigate the school system and succeed and awarded him a full scholarship to earn a Master’s degree from the University of Western Australia.

Helping students and families recognize their talents and chase their dreams brought great satisfaction to his professional career; however, when his training failed to help him teach his son how to read, he turned to IDA-Ontario for help.  This experience opened his eyes to the Science of Reading. When his son started to make meaningful gains in reading, Anthony knew changes in the system were needed.  Impressed by his son’s progress with private lessons,  Anthony collaborated with the staff at his school. He witnessed a transformational change in their approach when intervening with students with a reading disability.  The courageous team at his son’s school has inspired Anthony to encourage and support educators, administrators, and system-wide leaders to recognize that past practices in reading instruction have limited impact on positively impacting student achievement and well-being.

Anthony is currently completing his Orton – Gillingham Associate level training so that he might better serve children with dyslexia, their families, and educators alike.