Jessica Joy Hertz grew up in a small town in the U.S., surrounded by team sports, the arts, school musicals, and road trips through national parks with her family. These early experiences sparked a lifelong love for creativity, the natural world, and exploring cultures and human stories through travel. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts before unexpectedly falling in love with teaching while helping refugees learn English. Inspired by that transformative experience, she went on to complete her Master’s in Education.
Over the past 17 years, Jess has taught in Korea, Myanmar, Colombia, Germany, Singapore, and now China. She brings inquiry, play, and the arts together to create joyful, student-centered learning environments where creativity, multilingual expression, and student voice are celebrated. Her classroom is a place where everyone belongs—where joy, curiosity, and imagination are sparked.
At BCIS, Jess is the Grade 1 and 2 Visual and Performing Arts teacher, where she explores self-expression alongside her students, with them proudly in the driver’s seat of their artistic journey. She believes deeply in IB education and is passionate about bringing PYP inquiries to life through collaborative, integrated arts experiences with her colleagues. Jess sees learning and growth happening during the creating, not just in the final product. She invites children to explore diverse materials, work together, and embrace the creative process. Through this, students not only discover how to express themselves—they come to understand and believe that they are artists.