Mr David Emmerson Nicholson
PYP PreK & Kindergarten Teacher UKMr Nicholson has taught English as a second language for over 14 years in Changchun and Beijing, focusing on Early Years education and setting foundations for children and students to grow, learn and develop. While in Changchun, he married his Chinese wife and had a son. In acknowledgement of his contribution to education, he was awarded a Distinguished Foreign Educator Award due to his work ethic and standard in teaching. His experience with Montessori, the IB curriculum and PYP themes has added to his teaching tools working as a homeroom teacher in Beijing the past three years before joining BISS in August 2021. He believes that by promoting a strong nurturing learning environment through supervision and implementation of classroom instruction that students can grow to their full potential.
Ms Cassandra Anne Folsom
PYP Homeroom Teacher USAMs. Folsom earned her two Bachelor’s of Science in Hospitality Management and Event Management from the University of Central Florida, located in theme park central, Orlando, FL. She has been teaching in Beijing for two years and shows no sign of stopping! She has experience teaching English at the primary level and thoroughly enjoys integrating her experience working for Disney in the classroom. She encourages students to be independent and fosters creativity to instill confidence in her students. She is passionate about creating a safe space in the classroom for her students to become productive and self-sufficient learners. In her free time, she enjoys staying active, painting, reading, and socializing with her friends.
Ms Charlie Jean Spietz
PYP Art Teacher USAMs. Spietz has obtained degrees in both Fine Art—with a concentration on painting, drawing, and printmaking—and another in Art History from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Throughout her time at University, she studied abroad in both Italy and Costa Rica where she learned Italian and Spanish. Upon arriving in China three years ago for a teaching position, she began independent study in Chinese. Besides her interest in language acquisition, she is passionate about studying culture through art. Her personal interests outside of artmaking include reading, practicing yoga, skateboarding, hiking, traveling, cooking, and scuba diving. She is almost always smiling and full of energy. Her teaching philosophy is to allow students to discover new techniques on their own and guide them along the way. She constantly references art history in her classes and motivates students to draw inspiration from other artists. Throughout her five years experience teaching children from all different ages and backgrounds, she has gained such an appreciation for integrated education.
Mr Ray Liu
PYP Music Teacher ChinaMr. Liu is a multi-award-winning music educator, music education researcher, and musician. He graduated from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree, Summa Cum Laude. He also holds a Master of Arts degree from University of Houston. His goal of music education is to inspire students to be creative, brave, and respectful. Mr. Liu has a passion for nurturing students and aims to guide students to live a more balanced life using music as a means for thinking critically, building confidence, and maintaining a positive attitude. He has more than ten years of experience in teaching music to various age groups, from kindergarteners to professionals. In addition to teaching, he has published music education papers in national core journals such as Musical Instrument Magazine. As a performing artist, Mr. Liu’s experiences include Strawberry Stage of Strawberry Music Festival, Asian American Festival at Lexington Battin Hall, NAMM Show at Anaheim Convention Center, Music China, and “Voice of Wuhan” album debut China Tour.
Ms Jean Wang
PYP Chinese teacher ChinaMs Wang is an Accredited Senior Chinese Language Teacher. She started her education career in 2005 and was the Primary Years Programme coordinator in an IB candidate school. Ms Wang loves education and cares about the growth of students. Ms Wang holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Taiyuan University of Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree of Finance in International Economics and Trade from Shanxi University of Finance and Economics.
Ms Sara Chen
PYP Chinese Teacher ChinaMs Jianan Chen holds a Master degree with major in Children’s Literature and Literacies from University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) and a Bachelor degree in education from Central China Normal University. Ms Chen is an experienced and IB trained educator, who has been working as a primary school Chinese teacher for several years. Ms Chen is passionate about picture books and their various applications in children’s language education. Ms Chen refers to picture books as to a magic wand that can stimulate imagination and encourage students to share their thoughts. Ms Chen loves poems, drama and music, and often implements them in her Chinese class.
Ms Vicky Chang
PYP Chinese Teacher ChinaPrior to joining BISS, Ms Chang taught English and Mathematics in a Chinese school for 8 years, and worked as an Assistant to the Dean in another international school in Beijing. Ms Chang enjoys working in an environment of diversity. At BISS, her role is the Educational Assistant in Grades 4 and 5 as she likes to work with upper elementary students. Ms Chang considers herself as a caring individual in every aspect of her life. She is collaborative and works well with homeroom teachers as well as others colleagues. Ms Chang strives to help students reach their full potential in their learning process. Coming from the northern part of China, Ms Chang holds a Bachelor’s degree from Peking University in English Translation and a certificate in English from Hebei Teachers’ University.
Ms Amy Pang
Librarian ChinaMs Pang has been living in Beijing for almost 10 years. She has a Teaching Certificate and has worked for several years as an English Language teacher for students aged 3-12 at a local English immersion school. She is interested in comparative study between Chinese and Western teaching strategies. Ms Pang is also trained in psychology and worked as a business consultant and project manager in Beijing. Ms Pang believes that a good teacher plays a very important role in a child’s life. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Education from Dalian University of Foreign Languages in 2006.
Ms Laura Li
Educational Assistant ChinaPrior to joining BISS, Ms Li worked as a principal of a Chinese English training school for ten years. She is very aware of the learning characteristics and developmental psychology of children aged 3-12. She thinks age 3-6 is the best time for children's character and habits development. She attaches great importance to the cultivation of children's ability growth, such as attention, time-managing, proactive, empathy, reflection. Ms Li has helped many children improve their characteristics from being introverted and unconfident to being active and brave. She feels honored to be an educator and takes the great responsibility in that role. Ms Li was graduated from Beijing Polytechnic University with a bachelor's degree, majoring in International Trade. She also studied at the University of Hong Kong and earned her postgraduate diploma in Integrated Marketing.
Ms Vicky Liu
Educational Assistant ChinaMs Vicky Liu has been working at BISS since 2010 in different roles, including Elementary School Librarian, as well as Educational Assistant in Kindergarten, Grade 5, Grade 2 and now Grade 1. She contributes to building a positive atmosphere in the classroom and loves to work with children and collaborating with homeroom teachers. Ms Liu was born in China, and completed her studies in New Zealand, where she earned a Master Degree in Management.
