
Talent Coaching

Tina Klassen
Talent Coach
Tina Klassen is a trained primary and middle school teacher with a master’s degree in education, certified to work in Canada and the United States. She has spent her career traveling the world to diversify her teaching experience. She joined the JSS team in 2015, teaching in grades three and four. In addition to her work as a class teacher and in the school management team, she also takes on the role of talent coach.
The aim is to support high achieving and highly motivated students within the classroom by providing the knowledge and materials appropriate for teachers and support in high-level critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Students are officially recognized as gifted through outside testing from a psychologist but are also supported in the talent coaching program by outstanding performance within the classrooms as identified by the class teacher. Students within the program are supported in a variety of ways:
1. Enrichments
Students have the same topics and themes as their peers but are given goals and tasks at a higher level within the class community.
2. Acceleration
Students are given the opportunity to accelerate past mastered topics and go on to goals at the next grade level.
3. Small group/individual support
Students work with the Talent Coach in a small group or one-on-one to support in critical thinking skills such as working through challenges.
4. External support
Students are given the opportunity to register for higher-level courses through the Hector Kinderakademie.