Our Faculty

Sydnie is a passionate and multilingual (English, French, Spanish) global studies educator with an M.Ed in Second Language Acquisition and experience teaching in Canada, Kenya, and Costa Rica. She is excited to guide students aboard Class Afloat, helping them connect classroom learning to the diverse cultures and communities they encounter around the world, and to the unique perspectives they each bring. Inspired by bell hooks’ philosophy of building vibrant classroom communities, she values curiosity, connection, and the power of hearing one another’s voices. Sydnie’s love of the mountains and respect for her partner’s love of the sea (who also serves as 2nd mate aboard) lead her to travel far and wide, enjoying all the adventuring life has to offer.

What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to it?

Wing foiling. As an avid snowboarder, I’ve always been curious to see if wing foiling really is the water equivalent everyone claims it to be. It requires some special equipment (and maybe a friend who knows what they’re doing!), so I’m hoping the right opportunity will come along someday.

What is your best advice for having a great adventure?

Choose your adventure for its ability to challenge you. Once you commit, stay the course. Even the most daunting mountains can be climbed with small, deliberate steps forward. The reward of tackling the harder or scarier path far outweighs the fleeting thrills of an easier one. Do this again and again, and you’ll find that great adventures have a way of finding you.

What is one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned to date?

Pocket-chocolate! Some of you might already know what I mean. For everyone else: bring snacks. Fill your pockets with chocolate, granola bars, pretzels, whatever you like. Why? Because nothing says “I’m approachable” quite like offering someone a little treat when they need it most. Sharing snacks is the ultimate cross-cultural social currency and one of the easiest ways to make friends wherever you go. And if that’s the surface-level wisdom, the deeper lesson is this: life is fragile. It touches all of us in time. Until then, remind yourself often that life is happening right now. Learn to serve others in the unique ways only you can and be open to receiving their gifts in return. Ultimately, it’s those spontaneous moments of kindness and connection that make for a rich life.

What book impacted you the most?

Dove by Robin Lee Graham found me at just the right age. A friend gave it to me while I was on a solo cycle tour, wrestling with some of life’s bigger questions. On the surface, it’s the story of Robin’s solo sailing voyage at sixteen, but as a non-sailor, it spoke to me as a story of movement, curiosity, and quiet reflection. It was a book that recognized a part of me I hadn’t fully understood yet. I would easily recommend it to all students joining Class Afloat, given their natural pull toward adventure and the sea.

For the past six years I have lived in remote communities in Alaska, working as a science teacher, commercial fisherman, and emergency medical technician. As a teacher, I aim not to just teach my students about scientific facts, but to teach them how to engage in the scientific process.

Outside of work, I enjoy many outdoor activities including hiking, camping, birding, and wildlife photography. When the long, dark Alaskan winters keep me indoors, I enjoy reading, baking, and weightlifting.

What makes you most excited about teaching/working with Class Afloat?

I am excited to teach about the ocean while we are surrounded by it! Immersive experiences make for the best learning outcomes.

What is your best advice for having a great adventure?

Don’t make too many plans; amazing experiences can unfold if you just live in the moment.

What is the best single day on the Calendar?

I’m Owain, a Scot who loves trying as many new things as possible. Having taught across three continents, I can attest that seeing the world is one of the best ways of learning about yourself and the planet you inhabit. I’m happiest when learning about new places through their landscapes, history and the people who live there (or playing Geoguessr and Sporcle quizzes). Whenever possible, you’ll find me outside doing something active, from running and football to scuba diving and slacklining.

What is your best advice for having a great adventure?

Say yes as much as you can. That doesn’t mean saying yes to everything, and try to remember common sense, but don’t spend so much time planning an adventure that you forget to have one.

What is one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned to date?

One lesson that sits close to the heart of Class Afloat’s mission is the idea that “More is in You”. Time and again, I’ve seen people achieve things they once thought were beyond them. The best way to discover what you’re capable of is often to stretch your comfort zone and attempt something that feels just a little bit daunting at first.

What is the best single day on the calendar?

For me, and for many Scots, it’s around the 21st of June. We spend most of the year battling rain, wind and 3PM sunsets. But it all feels worthwhile when one of our ten cloudless days of the year arrives, the temperature finally creeps above 20°C, the sun barely sets below the horizon, and the midges haven’t appeared yet.

Among your friends and family, what are you famous for?

Stopping to read every sign we pass. Historical plaque, geocache, museum display; if it has writing on it, there’s a good chance I’ll stop to read it. Will I remember what it said an hour later? That is less of a guarantee…

What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to it?

Actually spending an extended period living aboard a sailing ship. It seems I’ve finally found the perfect opportunity!

I have always been drawn to experiences that help people learn, grow, and connect with themselves and the world around them. My experience in the classroom, outdoor education, and wilderness programs has shown me that some of the most meaningful growth happens through connection, community, and shared experiences. With a background that blends special education and experiential learning, I am passionate about helping people discover their strengths, navigate challenges, and learn through experience. I am excited to bring my curiosity, compassion, and love of exploration to the Class Afloat community and to learn alongside students from around the world.

What is your best advice for having a great adventure?

Know that things won’t always go as planned. Stay curious, be open to what each day brings, and pay attention to your surroundings. Keep your eyes and ears open, as you never know what unexpected experiences might show up.

If you could have anyone as a dinner guest – living or deceased, who would you choose?

I would love to share a meal with Mahatma Gandhi. I am inspired by his belief that meaningful change can happen through nonviolence and compassion. I would love to get his perspective on bringing people together to create lasting change.

What is one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned to date?

I have learned that I have control over how I respond, even when I cannot control what life brings my way. I can choose to meet myself and others with grace, compassion, and understanding.

What makes you most excited about teaching/working with Class Afloat?

I am excited to meet the students and learn what brings them to Class Afloat. I look forward to learning alongside them, sharing experiences, and being part of the challenges, discoveries, and connections that shape our journey together.

Being named Jack and loving teaching and learning about lots of different things comes with one occupational hazard: the inevitable ‘Jack of all trades’ joke. As a teacher, for the past few years while working in the Toronto District School Board I have had the pleasure of teaching a variety of subjects spanning from Biology, Science, Math, Geography, Sociology, Visual Art and more! Outside of teaching, I love coaching football and rugby, playing my guitar, weight training, running, reading, and of course spending time with friends and family. This year, I felt it was time to start a new adventure, and having grown up boating around Georgian Bay, and nowadays spending most weekends on the water at my family cottage, Class Afloat became my obvious first choice for exploring the world, and doing what I love, working with students and helping them grow!

If you could have anyone as a dinner guest – living or deceased, who would you choose?

Probably John Frusciante, the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. As a guitarist myself, I have so much respect for his story, his work, and his style. His playing is intentionally raw, imperfect and human, and to me, that imperfection is what makes his work so beautiful, and emotional. I think it’s really inspiring how vulnerable his art is, and I think we could all learn a lot about the power of vulnerability and imperfection in art and beyond.

What is one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned to date?

Everything you are looking for is right on the other side of your comfort zone, and you will always surprise yourself when you push past it. There’s a certain magic to throwing yourself in the deep end. Teaching, coaching, public speaking, even singing karaoke, all things I now love doing at one point made me nervous to try. But I could feel I’d be good at them (except for karaoke), and pushing past that initial discomfort is always how I’ve found my strengths.

What book impacted you the most?

Definitely When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Prior to reading this book I think I would have imagined wrestling with the topic of our mortality to be discouraging, or even frightening, however this book showed me what a gift life really is. The message I took from the book is that a purposeful life isn’t about pushing through today to chase a happiness you’ll finally feel tomorrow, it’s about being present with yourself and those around you now, taking pride in your life, and in all you love doing.

What makes you most excited about teaching/working with Class Afloat?

Our public education system is often criticized for being one of the only industries that looks about the same today as it did a century ago. This begs the question, “what might secondary education look like beyond the four walls of a typical classroom?”, and I think Class Afloat is an incredible answer to this. I am excited to explore the history and culture of all the ports we will be attending with my students first hand, and live within a school where the ship itself is the classroom, and the community.