Originating from Oxford, Livvie has spent many years living in China. She has taught children in Oxford, London, Shanghai and Beijing from various backgrounds and feels deeply that every child has a thirst for knowledge, a need to be seen and understood, and a desire to thrive in the world.

Livvie is committed to helping children to remain kind, to remain curious and to remain connected to our planet while still embracing new technologies and the fast-paced nature of the society we live in here in Beijing.

Prior to gaining her teaching license, Livvie obtained a Foundation Degree in Montessori education, a BA Honours Degree in Early Childhood Studies and over a decade of experience teaching young children under various curriculums. Livvie has a passion for uncovering the best ways to support every child to reach their full potential.

Beyond teaching, Livvie loves running and hiking as well as reading. She loves discovering new children’s books with her young son and her students. Livvie has enjoyed exploring China over the many years she has lived here and derives a lot of joy from living in Beijing!

Noel is an experienced Early Years teacher who studied in Cambridge and has completed his Masters in International Education. With a passion for empowering young learners, Noel has worked in IB schools with students aged 3-7 years old for over 18 years in Shanghai, China. He strongly believes in co-constructing the learning environment to empower student action and voice.

As a father of two children, he understands the importance of creating a supportive and nurturing classroom atmosphere. While studying he also worked in the field of care. His background in working with adolescents and adults with various learning needs, physical disabilities, mental health issues, and supporting this in assisted living has provided him with a unique perspective on education and community support.

In his free time, Noel enjoys walking, reading, cycling, yoga, meditation, and even attempting to learn the ukulele. His diverse interests and experiences outside of the classroom contribute to his creativity and dedication to fostering a positive learning environment for his students. With a commitment to student-centered learning and community support, Noel is a dedicated educator who continuously seeks to inspire and empower young learners.

Jan Boshoff, an enthusiastic early years educator with nearly seven years of experience teaching children aged 4-6 in IB PYP schools. His educational background includes a degree in Information Technology from South Africa, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Leeds Beckett University in the UK, complimented by a TEFL certificate from China.

He believes young children are capable of remarkable achievements when supported by a nurturing and inspiring learning community. He focus on fostering a child-centered environment that encourages exploration, inquiry, and collaboration. He aims to build strong relationships with the children in his care through playful and real-life experiences, helping them connect learning with their natural interests and skills.

By emphasizing positive attitudes towards problem-solving, creative thinking, and playfulness, Jan supports children in constructing their own knowledge and understanding of the world. He strives to create a culture of learning and respect, where children feel valued and empowered.

When he is not teaching, Jan enjoys engaging in creative projects and outdoor activities. Whether it’s woodworking, exploring nature, or experimenting with new technologies, these experiences fuel his passion for lifelong learning and inspire the dynamic and engaging environment he aims to create in the classroom.

Gabrielle "Gubbi" Potvin comes from a small town in the state of Maine, USA. This is where her passion for teaching young children first took root. Her journey began in her high school vocational program, Early Childhood Occupations. It continued with a scholarship to the University of Maine at Farmington, where she focused on Early Childhood Education with a minor in Psychology. 

After graduation, Ms. Gubbi found her calling as a public preschool teacher in the RSU50 school district, all while pursuing her Masters in Early Childhood Education. Seeking a new challenge and adventure, she made the leap to Qatar, where she spent 9 years delighting in the company of 2.5-year-olds.

Now embarking on her 15th year of teaching and her first year at BCIS, Ms. Gubbi is eager to create more cherished memories and inspire young minds. Outside of the classroom she appreciates the arts, enjoys laughter with friends, and revels in the discovery of all things shiny and new in her surroundings. Her enthusiasm for learning and nurturing shines through in all she does. Ms. Gubbi looks forward to finding her place in the school and community to share her strengths and continue to learn. If you need her, just look for the flower in her hair. 

Sam is a passionate early years teacher dedicated to nurturing young minds. Sam holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Pretoria in South Africa and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education in International Early Years Education from the University of the West of England.

Sam has been teaching in China for 6 years, starting as a teacher of English as a foreign language and then transitioning to early years education. Inspired by children’s enthusiasm and passion for learning, she strives to continuously expand her own knowledge to better guide her students.

Sam's teaching philosophy centres around the importance of social-emotional skills in early years education. Recognising that these skills form the foundation for lifelong and collaborative learning, she creates a nurturing and inclusive environment where each child's unique abilities and interests are embraced.

Beyond teaching, Sam explores her creativity through cooking, reading, and travel. Through these experiences, she continues to grow personally and professionally, bringing fresh perspectives and inspiration into the classroom.

With a commitment to fostering a love for learning and empowering young learners, Sam strives to instil curiosity, resilience, and a strong foundation for future academic and personal success. 

Louise Chen, from Beijing, China, has been part of the BCIS community since 2018. With a decade of dedicated experience in early childhood education, she brings both expertise and passion to her role. Louise holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from Capital Normal University, complemented by a background in Art Education.

Over the years, she has worked extensively with children aged 2 to 8, accumulating rich teaching experience in international school settings. She has also been involved in projects with Tsinghua University and Peking University, further enriching her educational perspective. Louise excels at fostering children’s creativity through art initiation and sensory exploration with diverse materials. She deeply respects each child’s individuality and skillfully engages them through gamified and life-oriented teaching methods, ensuring every child is included and inspired to discover their unique potential.

Warm and cheerful by nature, Louise has a great love for music, dance, and travel. Her gentle and patient disposition is also reflected in the care she gives to her many cats and dogs at home—a quality that endears her to the children and makes her a cherished companion in their learning journey.

Kinsey is from the United States of America and has lived in Beijing, China for over 10 years. She adores teaching children at an Early Childhood level and has been an ECC teacher for 9 years. She also worked in ECC leadership for 4 years as the Phase Leader for a British School in Beijing and Head of School for an international Kindergarten in Beijing. She is a passionate educator who truly values these foundation years in a child's learning journey and believes in the power of learning through play. 

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in 2011 and her Post Graduate Certificate in Education in 2017. She is currently working on her Masters in Education with a focus on Early Years. She believes that learning is a continuous journey and is always seeking new ways to develop herself.

She is an avid reader and enjoys getting lost in a good book, baking, traveling and spending quality time with her husband (a Beijinger) and her young daughter. 

I'm Rochelle "Chelle" Boshoff, a qualified teacher from South Africa with a true passion for early childhood education. I have over 5 years experience teaching children aged 3 to 6. My academic background includes a Bachelor of Education and an Honors degree in Educational Psychology, providing me with a good understanding of child development.

I firmly believe in the capability of every student. In my classroom, children are not just learners but also contributors, capable of surprising us with their ideas and potential. I aim to foster a problem-solving classroom with a positive and responsive approach to classroom management.

At the heart of my teaching practices is a commitment to addressing the unique needs of each child. I am dedicated to cultivating a learning environment that is both engaging and welcoming, inspiring a lifelong love of learning in my students. My goal is to support each child to reach their full potential.

Building and maintaining positive relationships with parents is a cornerstone of my role. I strongly believe in the importance of open, regular communication to best support each child's development and learning.

Beyond teaching, I lead an adventurous lifestyle with my husband. Whether we're exploring new places, snowboarding down mountainsides, hiking in the great outdoors, or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, we find joy in diverse experiences.

Cathy is from Beijing, China. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Literature and a Master's in Linguistics of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from Beijing Normal University. She has been working at Beijing City International School for 14 years. This is her 10th year working at the Early Childhood Center (ECC) as a PK flow teacher. She is honored to be a part of the BCIS family and is thrilled to guide her students through play-based pedagogy.

Cathy is a qualified IB teacher and IBEN workshop leader, she is also a WASC International Visiting Committee member. In her spare time, she enjoys having fun with her daughter Coco, reading, drawing, swimming, and traveling with family and friends.

Crystal comes from the northern part of China. She graduated from Capital Normal University with a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She has been working at BCIS since 2008.

She appreciates the opportunities to work with students at both the Elementary School (ES) and ECC. She has always believed that children learn best when the learning environment is designed to meet the developmental needs of each child, one that encourages exploration, creativity, and independence. She thinks an environment that provokes the understanding of new concepts and encourages children to interact in ways that develop language, thinking skills, and a love of nature is key. She loves being in the classroom with children and seeing their happy smiling faces as they explore their learning environments.

In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, swimming, and spending time with family and friends. She feels very blessed to be part of the BCIS family.

Dan graduated from New York University with a Master of Teaching English as a Second Language and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language.

She has worked with students from Toddler to Grade 12. She has been a part of the ECC team for four years. Learning new things in education, especially in the early years, excites her. She is happy to be able to integrate play-based learning into her teaching and is excited to begin all the exploring, learning, and fun with the children.

In her spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also loves reading and hiking. She feels very blessed to be part of the warm BCIS community!

Wai is from one of the most beautiful countries in the world. A country worldwide recognized for its nature, Costa Rica. He moved to Minnesota in the US, where he graduated from high school and returned to Costa Rica to get his bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Costa Rica. Wai also holds a PGCE Certificate from Nottingham University, UK and became TESOL certified. He brings 14 years of experience working with children from 2 months old to 8 years old in an early childhood environment. 

Wai has spent 14 years living in Beijing. He has six years of experience as a lead teacher in early childhood institutions, focusing on a play-based curriculum, and has also worked for a few years as an art teacher at an art academy. Additionally, he enjoyed a great opportunity to work for a year in a Montessori kindergarten and has seven years of experience as a homeroom teacher incorporating the PYP alongside his expertise in the play-based approach. 

Having accumulated many years of professional experience and having implemented various international curricula, Wai possesses exceptional expertise and knowledge, fully equipping him to design and prepare outstanding and personalized learning opportunities for children to cultivate lifelong and global learners. 

Moreover, Wai's extensive experience working in China has provided him with a wonderful opportunity to immerse himself in the local culture, traditions, and language. This deeper understanding naturally helps him connect more easily with young learners. 

Wai has a beautiful Beijinger wife and two lovely daughters. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, visiting parks and amusement parks, shopping, dining out, playing drums, basketball, and soccer, as well as dancing and traveling. 

This is Wai’s fourth year as a BCIS member, and he is excited and looking forward to a great new year.

Emma is from Jiangxi province in the South of China. She has been working with early childhood children since 2006, when she graduated from university specializing in education. After graduating, she spent four years in Guangzhou where she worked as a bilingual teacher and academic director. Following this, she then moved to the capital, Beijing, with her husband. She has a great passion for early childhood and believes teaching and learning should be differentiated and personalized according to a child’s interests and learning style.

Emma is honored to be a part of the BCIS family and is very excited to explore new learning experiences with children.

In her spare time, Emma enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Chelsea is from Beijing, China. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. Chelsea has dedicated the past 11 years to Beijing City International School, where she has built a rich career in early childhood education. She discovered her passion for teaching younger children while she stepped into the role of Nursery Homeroom Teacher during pandemic.

Embracing the belief that each child is unique, Chelsea is dedicated to fostering a nurturing and stimulating learning environment. She is committed to respecting each child's individual pace, ensuring that learning experiences are tailored to children’s interests and developmental needs. By valuing children's voices and encouraging their agency, she strives to create a space where they can thrive and explore their potential.

In her spare time, Chelsea enjoys reading, cooking, swimming, crafting, and traveling with family and friends.

Dave Abbott is a Canadian educator who is currently celebrating his twentieth year as a teacher. He has a deep passion for Early Years teaching and is a strong believer in the power of play-based education to provide a deep foundation for learning. He maintains that play-based learning achieves this by delivering instruction in a manner that is appropriate to the developmental stage of Early Years students. As part of a teaching team, he and his colleagues observe students very carefully—both as individuals and as a learning community—and design the learning path to establish developmentally appropriate academic skills and knowledge in a way that activates students' interests and curiosity.

For Dave, the learning environment should be filled with songs, games, painting, and stories, where students have opportunities to explore and inquire, and to develop social skills with both peers and adults. He views Early Years as a fundamental period in any child's development—a time when curiosity leads them to explore their world and begin to understand their place in it. It is also a time when they learn to ask questions, to inquire, and to experiment. In his view, these are the foundational skills of scientific thinking and inquiry.

Dave is very excited to be teaching in China, having previously taught in his native Canada, as well as in Thailand, Myanmar, India, and most recently Egypt. In addition to holding a Bachelor of Education, he also possesses a Master of Education in Applied Linguistics, which provides him with a strong foundation in teaching students who are learning English. On a personal note, he loves to paint and often creates pictures inspired by favorite books to hang within the learning space.

Linda has taught at Beijing international schools since 2011. She got her Bachelor’s in Child Development from Michigan State University with a language arts specialization and an early childhood endorsement. Throughout the years, she has been the lead teacher in Nursery and Grades 1-6 classrooms.

Linda grew up in a bilingual and bicultural household and attended international school in Taiwan. Because of her personal experience as a student in the international school system, she is especially passionate about her work here at BCIS. She really enjoys learning more about multilingualism and language acquisition.

In the summer of 2016, she married her husband Romer, whom she met in Beijing. In her free time, she enjoys bike rides, trying new restaurants, and cooking with friends.

Mary is from the south of China. She graduated with a BA in Pre-school Education, and also holds a teacher certificate in Pre-school Education. She has three years of experience as a homeroom teacher and a Kindergarten Chinese teacher before joining BCIS. She has learned much through these experiences about real teaching and real children beyond what is found in textbooks.

Mary has been working at BCIS since 2010. She is very excited to be working with people from around the world and really appreciates the opportunities to learn from others. In Mary’s class, she likes her students to learn in a natural and joyful way. She also loves to share Chinese culture with her students, and not just through language, but in other interesting and engaging ways as well. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, swimming, reading, singing, and spending time with family and friends.

Hello! My name is Megan Reinders. I started my teaching career as a teacher assistant in 2011 and have been a homeroom teacher since 2016. I am very excited to be teaching at BCIS in 2022. This year will be my 5th year teaching in China, celebrating diversity and encouraging students to succeed in their learning, creating meaningful hands-on experiences through play, promoting a love of learning, and bringing out the best in every student.

I am looking forward to working together in partnership with parents and the community to provide an engaging and supportive classroom environment.

I am a South African early childhood teacher with a Bachelor of Education from the University of South Africa. I have worked closely with children ages 2-6 during my 12 years of experience. I believe that every child is unique in their way. I will do my best to reach a child’s full potential in a play-based learning environment.

I am a person with lots of energy who enjoys sports and loves travel, and I’m pretty adventurous too. I am an enthusiastic educator who is passionate, friendly, and caring.

It is a great opportunity for me to join BCIS this year. As we continue to adapt to change, I know we will make the best of the 2022-2023 school year. It will be a productive school year with many new adventures, challenges, friends, and discoveries.

Rina is a native Beijinger who graduated from the Beijing Language and Culture University with a Bachelor's degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. She also holds a teaching certificate in Kindergarten Education. She has more than ten years of experience working in international education and two years in a local kindergarten as a homeroom teacher during her early teaching days. She is excited to be teaching here at the ECC in an IB World School that fosters inquiry based learning and learning through play.

Rina’s interests include painting, cooking, and traveling.

Sissi Qi is from Hubei Province of China. She started her teaching career in Beijing in 2007 and received a Master’s Degree in Preschool Education from Capital Normal University.

Sissi’s mom is a primary school teacher in her hometown. Inspired, her dream was to become a teacher. Before joining BCIS in 2014, Sissi worked in an Educational Consultant Company that provides services to different kinds of early childhood centers around Beijing. Since joining the BCIS community, Sissi has embraced the BCIS mission and philosophy in her everyday work. In 2017, she volunteered in a local Australian kindergarten to deepen her knowledge and understanding of early childhood education. Working with the children at BCIS, she has enjoyed how much they learn and grow through play based learning and looks forward to continuing this into the future.

During her spare time, she likes to read, sing, exercise, and travel. She feels honored to be part of the BCIS community!

Winnie is an experienced early years educator from Qinghai Province in northwest China. A graduate of Beijing Language University, she has dedicated 16 years to fostering young children's development and learning. Her passion for education and bilingualism drives her to create enriching experiences for her students. 

Winnie has extensive experience in translanguaging, supporting children's learning and development through both English and Chinese, as well as integrating Chinese culture into the curriculum. She loves working with children, expanding their minds, and helping them explore new concepts. Believing that children learn best in a loving and nurturing environment, she prioritizes socio-emotional development in her teaching. A strong advocate for lifelong learning, Winnie believes that teachers learn from their students just as much as students learn from their teachers.