Arwen Batiste
For my undergraduate degree, I studied International Development Studies at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich. As part of this I gained experience working overseas in a foster home for orphaned children with additional needs, in a small village on the outskirts of Beijing, China. In addition to this, I helped to manage a small Fair Trade co-operative, Scarlett Threads, providing empowerment for women within the workplace. Whilst this experience focused on my interest in the socioeconomic impact of NGO’s within developing areas, in particular adoption and social care, this opportunity also allowed me to teach children with a wide range of physical and developmental needs, and to learn more about education and physical therapy. After completing my undergraduate degree I went on to gain a PGCE from UEA and begin my formal teaching career. After qualifying I returned to Beijing where I taught in a variety of local schools, whilst also continuing to educate the older children at the foster home in which I had previously worked. The educational needs of the children were extremely varied and this allowed me the opportunity to develop my teaching practice. Following this, I returned to London where I taught at an Independent Preparatory School in Blackheath, The Pointer School. I taught in Key Stage 1 for three years, in addition to taking on the role of Charity and Community Coordinator. In 2014 I began my career with Nord Anglia, accepting a position as a founding teacher in their newest school in Hong Kong. This was an exciting opportunity to shape the curriculum and help to establish the culture of the school. Additionally, I took responsibility for leading and organising House events, local service projects and a variety of school community activities, as part of my responsibility as Charity Coordinator. I worked at NAISHK for three years before moving to join BIS Houston in 2017, where I have taught in Year 4 and Year 6. Last year I joined the Student Support Services team, as the Middle School Learning Support teacher. Working alongside students who approach learning in a variety of different ways has always been a passion of mine and I feel so privileged to work collaboratively with each of my students; strengthening their understanding of their skills and how they learn best as individuals, in order to access the curriculum.
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