Jen Erickson
Department Chair - Education Assistant Program
Jen began teaching in 1993 and since then has had a varied career which took her from Victoria to London (where she started a school), to Vancouver (where she was one of the first inclusion consultants), to B.C. Children’s Hospital (where she worked as an educator in the psychiatry unit), to working with UBC and the Goldie Hawn Foundation in creating the MindUP Program. She is currently the department chair in the Education Assistant Program at Langara College, where she teaches education assistants, passing on her passion for supporting exceptional children with diverse abilities.
Jen has a Masters of Education in Human Development, Learning and Culture with a concentration in Social and Emotional Learning from UBC.
I began my journey advocating and supporting students with special needs at Laurel House, a residential treatment centre for children with severe mental health and autism diagnoses. School-aged children from the centre moved into the first program for students with autism at Lord Tennyson Elementary school in Vancouver where they were supported in an integrated setting.
After a few years in that setting, I became the Low Incidence consultant for the Vancouver School District. That position then led to working in a consultant role with students with High Incidence needs, specifically students diagnosed with severe learning disabilities or a mild intellectual disability.
With the move to inclusion, Oakridge School for students with intellectual disabilities was closed and parents were given the choice of their child attending their neighbourhood school or a special education program. The Special Services Resource Team was developed to support students in this transition. As team leader, I coordinated the multi-disciplinary team of occupational and physio therapists, a nurse and part-time doctor, teachers for students who were visually impaired, psychologists, speech language pathologists and a counsellor.
In a new role as District Case Manager, advocating and working with schools to support students in kindergarten to graduation, I encouraged and promoted the development of support services to enhance student success.
In this work, I constantly respected the importance of the Education Assistants who facilitated successful inclusive practices to support students with diverse learning and behavioural needs.
I have Master’s degrees in Special Education and Educational Administration from the University of British Columbia and consider myself a life-long learner.
Erin Yorke is an instructor and practicum supervisor in the Education Assistant Program at Langara College, and believes in deeply in inclusion, generosity, collaboration, kindness, and creativity.
Erin’s passion for working with children started when she was a children’s Day Camp Supervisor at Lighthouse Park during her high school and early university years. She satisfied her scientific curiosity by earning a Bachelor degree in Cell Biology and Genetics. Inspired by many of the children she had met in the recreational setting, Erin went on to earn a Bachelor of Education degree. Erin then worked as a teacher in a number of educational settings: teacher-on-call, classroom teacher, Science and Math teacher for Youth at Risk, Resource, and Behavior Support Teacher. In these settings, Erin met a number of exceptional children she wanted to learn more about, and earned a Masters of Special Education focussing on Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Supporting other educators around the province, Erin worked as an Educational Consultant at the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD) for about seven years. Highlights of her experience at POPARD included one-to-one student consultations, delivering workshops and courses, supporting districts with projects, conducting Functional Behavior Assessments and supporting the development of Positive Behavior Support Plans, and creating eLearning modules for the website, such as the series about Picture Exchange Communication. During this time, Erin completed the coursework required for the BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) certification, and may continue to complete the BCBA work experience.
Erin has also been an instructor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Education for courses in Classroom Management and Teaching Students with Exceptionalities. Erin is a Mandt-certified trainer, and takes a keen interest in supporting the positive behaviour of students. Erin loves the dynamic team she works with at Langara, and supporting the growth of Educational Assistant students during their classwork and practicum experience.
When Erin is not working, she can be found with her two children baking creative cakes, cooking, camping, running, gardening, skiing, volunteering at her children’s school, attending a Bookclub, or challenging herself at Bootcamp classes.