Ms. Michelle is from Cape Town, South Africa, and comes with 25 years of international experience in early childhood education. She is a passionate and seasoned educator whose journey began in her home country of South Africa. 
Alongside her loyal travel companion, her dog Rada, she brings her warmth, creativity, and expertise to classrooms across Taiwan, China, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Outside the classroom, she enjoys scrapbooking, arts and crafts, reading, and swimming. A firm advocate for learning through play, Ms. Michelle has completed the Reggio Emilia course as well as gained experience using the IB PYP curriculum and integrating their principles into her practice. Her classroom environments are intentionally designed to reflect children’s interests and ideas, promoting collaboration, creativity, and purposeful exploration.

Mr. Alex is from Ontario, Canada, and earned his degrees at St. Francis Xavier University, studying kinesiology, nutrition, and history before completing a Bachelor of Education in Physical & Health Education, Elementary, Social Studies, and Family Studies. He began teaching in Canada, taught internationally in Ho Chi Minh City, and spent the last two years teaching Grade 5 in Bahrain. He promotes active, hands-on classrooms and is passionate about building critical thinking skills students need to navigate today's flood of information.

Mr. Donovan is excited to welcome your child to first grade! Originally from Texas, this is his fifth year of teaching, with experience in kindergarten, second grade, and third grade. He is passionate about creating a safe, caring classroom where every student feels valued and encouraged to learn. Mr. Donovan strives to foster curiosity, confidence, and independence while helping each child grow academically, socially, and emotionally. He looks forward to partnering with families to make this a fun, successful, and memorable school year.

Mr. Douglas is excited to join the Mathematics Department at Thai Chinese International School. He brings 11 years of international teaching experience in both Thailand and China. Throughout his career, Douglas strives to create a positive and engaging classroom where every student feels supported and challenged to reach their full potential, while sharing his passion for mathematics. Outside the classroom, Douglas enjoys tabletop role-playing games, music, sports, and traveling. He is excited to become part of the TCIS community and looks forward to a fantastic year of mathematics.

Mr. Jay Heaney is an international educator with 13 years of experience teaching across IB, British, and U.S. curricula in Thailand and the United States. Originally from the U.S., he brings a real passion for history, social studies, and inquiry-based learning to everything he does in the classroom. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History (minor in Political Science) from Charleston Southern University and a Master of Education in Elementary Education (Innovation) from Webster University, and is a South Carolina–certified Social Studies teacher at the secondary level. What matters most to him is creating engaging, student-centred spaces where high expectations go hand in hand with genuine care for every learner. He believes every student deserves to feel seen, challenged, and supported. James is excited to be joining the TCIS community and looks forward to getting to know its students, families, and colleagues.

Mr. Jonathan is an experienced British educator and designer with over 20 years of teaching experience in higher education and international schools. He has taught IB MYP and DP Design, Visual Arts, Interior Design, Digital Communication Design, and Communication Arts, combining academic excellence with industry experience. Mr. Jonathan is passionate about project-based learning, design thinking, and developing students' creativity, problem-solving, and practical skills. His experience includes curriculum development, academic leadership, university programme coordination with UK institutions, and mentoring students from secondary through undergraduate level.

Mr. Zen graduated as a psychology student from Chulalongkorn University with direct clinical experience in structured interviews, group sessions, and psychoeducation. He interned at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, administering cognitive assessments and facilitating activities for patients with cognitive impairment. His research spans childhood trauma, resilience, and executive functioning in youth, as well as identity and acculturation among migrant populations. He served as Vice President of External Affairs for his university's Psychology Student Committee and led a multi-faculty mental health awareness initiative. His exchanges in Japan and China strengthened his ability to build rapport and communicate across diverse cultural backgrounds. Fluent in Thai and conversational in Japanese, he works comfortably with individuals from varied communities. He has consistently demonstrated ethical, careful handling of sensitive personal information. These experiences make him well-suited to the empathetic, detail-oriented demands of a school counseling setting.

Mr. Michael, originally from Georgia, is a dedicated and dually licensed educator in the United States, specializing in elementary education and middle school subject areas. Throughout his career, he has accumulated diverse classroom experience, teaching elementary and middle school mathematics, as well as serving as a Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Learning Support Teacher. He describes himself as diligent, self-motivated, and highly collaborative, thriving in team environments to support school-wide success. Guided by the philosophy of being a lifelong learner, he continuously adapts his teaching methods and sets targeted instructional goals based strictly on individual student needs to ensure every learner achieves their full potential.

Mr. Patrick Slattery is from Minnesota, USA. He is licensed to teach ESL and Elementary in Minnesota, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. Mr. Patrick earned his Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2018, and his Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Bilkent University in 2026. He joined TCIS this year as the homeroom teacher for Grade 3A. Prior to TCIS, Mr. Slattery taught in South Korea for four years and in Turkey for two years, working with the Cambridge curriculum and the IB PYP; he now teaches the Common Core curriculum at TCIS.