Vivi Teng (Teng Lao-shi)
Executive Director, Chinese Coordinator
Executive Director, Chinese Coordinator
I was born in the country side of Taiwan (Hsin-wu) where I spent the first 16 years of my life with my farmer parents and 8 siblings (I am the youngest one!). Living with nature allowed me to enrich my life with an appreciation and love for the people and environment. As a child, my teachers played a tremendous role in nurturing my passion for learning. Because of the influence from my teachers, I took it upon myself to make a difference in the lives of young children – a goal which serves as one of my top priorities in my teaching career. After I graduated from Taipei Teachers University, the first school I taught at was a bilingual international school in Tangmu. After two years, I moved to Tucheng (20 minutes away from Taipei), where I was the academic director of the Ming-Ren Bilingual Preschool. I was also the owner of Ming-Shine English Language School, where I developed the first English program and established the first bilingual school in the Tucheng area. After 1998, I moved to the U.S. and started my Montessori certificate training. I taught at Bayside Montessori School in Alameda as a preschool teacher for one year. I earned my Master’s degree in Montessori Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Saint Mary’s College and continued my teaching career at Pacific Rim International School as the Elementary Chinese teacher. In May 2004, I established an English language program, located in Berkeley, for college students who come from around the world to study English, because the English language program at UC Berkeley was closed. I garnered valuable experience in both Taipei and the United States, which has allowed me to familiarize myself with different personalities and learning styles. I dreamt that one day I would open a bilingual Montessori school that incorporated the values of the Montessori philosophy and emphasize the value of a demographically diverse community. Thus, I have dedicated my time and efforts to the Berkeley community through various projects and businesses. I hope to make a difference in the global community and the world with my positive outlook in life. I enjoy teaching kids, reading, shopping and watching movies.
Melissa Chan
Administrative Director
I grew up in San Francisco and received my Bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego in Ethnic Studies and Japanese Studies, while also taking Teacher Education courses and volunteering as a Classroom Teaching Assistant in kindergarten and elementary classrooms. Growing up in a multi-lingual family, it has always been important for me to learn about new cultures and languages and to be open to new experiences. After graduating, I participated in the JET Program for two years, teaching English at elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo, Japan. Once I returned to the United States, I enrolled in a graduate program at Stanford University, earning my Master’s degree in Education, with a concentration in International Comparative Education. My Master’s Monograph examined English education policies and practice in Japan. I can speak Japanese and Cantonese and can understand some Mandarin. I enjoy reading books, listening to music, traveling and baking.
Emma Boblak (Ms. Boblak)
English Teacher, Children’s House
After completing my Nursery Nurses Examination Board Certificate in Bristol, England, I have used it to work with children in Turkey, France and the United States. I have lived in the U.S. for 14 years and for the past 6 years, I have been working in the Montessori environment. Currently, I am taking my Early Childhood Montessori training at Saint Mary’s College, whilst enjoying the beautiful location of Global Montessori International School and its children and staff.
Tina Huang (Huang Lao-shi)
Chinese Teacher, Children’s House
I was born in China and trained at the Teachers College for 5 years, majoring in child education. After that, I became a head teacher and taught Reading & Writing, Science, as well as Field Practice classes in elementary schools until I moved to the United States. In Los Angeles, I taught Chinese and Drawing classes for a few years to grades K through 6. I believe that each child is an individual with a unique personality and has his/her own preferred approaches to observing, learning, discovering and innovation. I enjoy working closely with them to find out their uniqueness and favorites. Besides working with children, I liked cooking, hiking, and sleeping. Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley is my favorite place for hiking and observing the lovely wildlife.
Ya Ju Tsai (Tsai Lao-shi)
Chinese Teacher, Children’s House
I am from Taiwan and Mandarin Chinese is my native language. I have an M.S.Ed. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from University of Pennsylvania. I also have a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, and this made me more open-minded and organized in language teaching. I have 4-5 years of classroom experience teaching languages, especially teaching languages to young learners who tend to respond to meanings in contexts instead of grammatical rules. I also taught ESL to adult learners from different cultural backgrounds and tutored sciences and math to middle school students. Enlightened by my teachers, I believe that education can have a huge and powerful impact on people. And I do hope that I can be one of the impacts to help others. I have great passion for teaching and learning from it, from my students, and I am more than happy to receive your feedback or suggestions that can help me to reflect on my teaching and continue to grow as teacher.
Katherine Rieger (Ms. Rieger)
English Teacher, Children’s House
I grew up in Oakland and earned my degree in Biology from UCLA. My introduction to teaching happened when I was a furniture maker. One of my responsibilities was to teach apprentices in the woodshop. So, I began volunteering in elementary classrooms. I immediately loved getting to know the children and helping them find ways of applying the things they already knew to build up and expand their skills. I decided to get my California state teaching credential. In one of my first classes, I did an independent project about Montessori Education. The primary aspects of Montessori philosophy that resonates with me is that children are helped to learn using hands-on materials. I have always loved working with my hands. I attribute this to the time I spent drawing, cooking and sewing with my beloved Popo (grandmother). I will be finishing my Early Childhood Montessori Credential at St Mary’s College of California this year. I feel very fortunate to be a part of the GMIS community, both as an intern teacher and parent. My two children, Owen and Miles, attended GMIS last year and this Fall was the beginning of their second year.
Eshanthie Nugapitiya (Ms. Nugapitiya)
Head English Teacher, Elementary
I spent my formative years in Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon), where I began my teaching career. My passion to work with children was further enhanced after I learned about the Montessori philosophy. I obtained my AMI Early Childhood Diploma in Sri Lanka and taught in a 3 to 6 age-group classroom for several years prior to coming to the United States. My early years in United States were spent volunteering and teaching in an early childhood classroom. I continued my education at Saint Mary’s College, where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal and Civic Studies with a minor in Montessori Thought and a Montessori Credential in Lower and Upper Elementary. I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to work and learn in an elementary Montessori environment for the past five years.
Jung Chieh Clair Ma (Ma Lao-shi)
Chinese Teacher, Elementary
I started my teaching career in 2005 as an ESL teacher in Taiwan. Although I was also working as a TV producer at the time, I decided to focus my energies in teaching and applied to study abroad at the University of San Francisco. In 2008, I completed my Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at USF and began to teach in the United States. To gain more experience, I have taught in many different schools and institutes, covering a diverse range of students, age groups, and skill levels. Furthermore, to enrich and to engage my students, I incorporate different teaching methods, which includes elements of mass entertainment stemming from my previous experience in TV production, as well as drawing from my basic art training education as an undergraduate. I am happy to be in a place and position where I can inspire young children directly and into the future as they carry the basic skills, love, and desire to learn Chinese with them.
Mitsuyo Vicky Umene (Mitsuyo Sensei)
Japanese Teacher, Elementary
My name is Mitsuyo Vicky Umene and I am a second generation Japanese American. I wanted to be a teacher all my life and have taught in both public and private schools in the East Bay for almost ten years. I am passionate about motivating the children to learn and for the children to take pride in their own learning. I see children as having great potential and my job is to provide a learning environment that is intriguing and fulfilling. All in all, I take great pride in the Japanese language and culture and heavily credit my parents for providing an environment to keep up my interest in learning the language and culture.
I was raised in LA until I was 17 and moved to Berkeley for my undergraduate studies in Psychology at UC Berkeley. I then worked for 3 years in various educational capacities, such as an English teacher for UC Berkeley Extension, Arts and Crafts instructor for Cal Youth Camp, a literature consultant for a children’s novel, and also as a tutor for grades 1 through 7. I returned to school to earn my Masters in Education and a Multiple Subjects Credential from UC Berkeley. My program valued the understanding of child development and the importance of making the content developmentally appropriate for the child. I constantly reflect on my teaching practices in order to find areas that need improvement.
Yichih Theresa Lin (Lin Lao-shi)
Chinese Teacher, Young Children’s House
I received my AMS Early Childhood credential and M.A. in Montessori Early Childhood Education from Saint Mary’s College of California. I also hold a Nursing and Midwifery Diploma and Nurse Practitioner certificate in Taiwan. I have seven years of teaching experience in an AMI trilingual school since 2002. I started as an assistant in the Elementary classroom in the mornings, and taught Mandarin lessons in the afternoons. Also, I have experience co-teaching in the Early Childhood classroom for about 2 years.
Cui Ling Xiang (Xiang Lao-shi)
Chinese Teacher, Young Children’s House
I was born and raised in GuangXi, China until 14 years old, when my parents decided to immigrate to United States for better life opportunities. As a first generation immigrant, I had the responsibility of taking care of my younger brother, since my parents did not speak English. While taking care of my little brother, I always wondered how children developed so rapidly and became interested in child development. I have worked at multiple childcare centers, while studying in college. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development with a concentration in Young Child and Family from San Francisco State University. I really enjoy working with children and I look forward to working with the children and teachers here at GMIS.