EY3 Owl teaching partners
Herming Chen and Joanne Parrishen Herming has been involved in the education industry for over a decade and has simple aspirations to be: “an amazing teacher at Hiba Nursery.” Herming loves yoga, cooking, dogs and going on long hikes. Herming’s teaching partner Joanne has been teaching for almost 20 years, the past 8 of them here in China. She holds a BA (QTS) in physical education and sport science, as well as a post graduate diploma in education. Joanne has been exploring China’s language, culture and geography along with her family during their time here and they are all keen to see more of what this beautiful country holds in store. She also aims to take on additional professional challenges as she grows as a teacher: “I would like to continue to further qualify myself in my field, undertaking distance learning courses and some educational research.” Herming and Joanne are supported by Iris and Monica.EY4 Zebra teaching partners
Katrina Cui and Chris Haley Katrina’s hometown is Zhejiang but for the past 15 years she has made Shanghai her home and joined Hiba after 13 years in education. While she loves to cook, travel, dance and enjoy music, she is also a cat lover, even though her cat Bambi is a, “very naughty boy!” Alongside her career aspirations, Katrina aims to explore more of what the wider world has to offer: “I am very keen to travel to see more countries and absorb their culture. Food is also a great love of mine and I want to learn how to be a better baker!” Chris Haley, the other half of the Zebra class teaching team, is from the UK but has been in China for the past 5 years, where he has been putting his Postgraduate Certificate Education (International) (PGCEi) to good use. Chris loves to be active, whether he is going climbing with his family or taking long bike rides with friends. He is also a lifelong runner, gradually advancing from 1-mile runs as a child to completing marathons today. Currently, Chris is taking on triathlons to advance his skills and physique even further. Looking ahead, Chris wants to tackle new challenges professionally while enjoying his family life: “At work I would like to take my understanding of Early Years education further over the next couple of years and complete a master’s degree in early years education. My aspirations for my family are that firstly we are all happy, and secondly that we continue to have great adventures together.” Katrina and Chris are supported by Gillian and Julia.
EY4 Monkey teaching partners 
Emily Gu and Katie Ware After graduating from East China Normal University, Emily also achieved a Certificate in pedagogies for Bilingual/Dual language learning from Goldsmiths’ College, London. With 16 years of teaching experience, Emily is always looking for ways to make the learning experience better for the children in her care, as her ambition is to, “establish a safe, caring, happy, motivating and inspiring learning environment for each unique child. I want to find every opportunity to arouse children’s learning interests, encourage them to become independent learners and risk takers in the new generation.” Her teaching partner Katie joins us from England where she gained her BA in history from the University of Derby and her PGCEi from the University of Nottingham. Katie’s whole teaching career has taken place here in China, as she was in Changzhou for 3 years before making the move to Shanghai. As well as teaching in the classroom, Katie also teaches rugby and martial arts to adults as a fully qualified instructor, as she aims to keep developing her growing range of abilities and qualifications while enjoying her life in China. Emily and Katie are supported by Liezel and Ella.
EY4 Elephant teaching partners 
Jenny Xu and Nicolle Horn After almost 7 years of teaching, Jenny has taken on the role of Elephant class teacher with great joy and enthusiasm, as she is always eager to help her pupils develop physically, mentally and emotionally as well as academically through their studies. A keen student of healthy diet and exercise regimens herself, Jenny believes that a healthy body is essential for maintaining a healthy mind. To keep herself openminded and receptive to new ideas, Jenny hopes to, “visit different country’s nursery setups in the future, so I can learn from the way they teach and organise themselves.” He teaching partner Nicole is already something of a world traveller, having moved to Spain at age 11 with her family where she learned to speak Spanish fluently. Nicole has been in China for the past 3 of her 6 years of teaching, and says that she would love to, “immerse myself more in Chinese culture, travelling to towns and cities out of Shanghai, as well as improving my Chinese!” As a teacher, Nicole believes that there is always something new to learn and practise. As such, she is always on the lookout for opportunities to improve her teaching skills by attending as many professional development workshops as possible, while learning from fellow teachers and leaders. Jenny and Nicolle are supported by Michelle and Mandy.
