Liam O’Shea
A proud ‘Vancouverite’, I first graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Physical Education, then taught for several years at various private and public educational institutions in Japan. I earned my Bachelor of Education degree and Master’s degree in TESOL in Australia. I developed an Intensive School of English, specifically for overseas students, at an IB school in South Australia, and also pioneered and headed the ESL and Extra-curricular Activities programmes at another IB school in Abu Dhabi. In addition to teaching, I love being involved in school sports and extra-curricular activities, especially football and chess. I am happily married with two children, who have been attending SSIS since 2010.
Tammy Roelse
High School English B and Learning Support Teacher
I studied at California State University, Fresno before completing my teacher certification program in 2003. I then taught English, Science, Maths, and Learning Support in urban and rural areas in the United States while completing my Masters Degree (M.Ed) at Longwood University, before coming to SSIS in 2009.
During my time at SSIS, I have taught English B Standard for grades 7, 8, and 9 and Learning Support for grades 9, 10, and 11. This year my responsibilities will include Grade 9 English B Advanced and Grade 10 English B Advanced, as well as working with Learning Support for grades 9, 10, and 11.
Sue Scott
I studied at Auckland University, New Zealand, before training to be a secondary teacher in 1968. I then taught English, History, French, Maori and Social Studies in mainly rural or multicultural state co-educational schools before going to teach in Papua New Guinea in 1995. This opened my eyes to the opportunities in international education. I returned to New Zealand as HOD English, before heading to Istanbul, Turkey, four years later.
Our next stop was Suzhou. In my eight years here, I have taught English to Years 6-12. Currently I teach 12 IB English A2 and 11 IB English Language and Literature and I am the Home Room teacher for 12 E. I am also working to support teachers in my role as Secondary Teaching and Learning Coordinator.
In addition to my main duties, I help produce Dragon magazine and run a lunch time Writing Club for students who are pasionate about writing. Together with a team I take responsibility for the publicity and ticket sales for school productions. My Email address is: suescott@ssis-suzhou.net
Sherry Farida
I am originally from Detroit, Michigan in the U.S. This is my fifth year as a teacher and my fifth year at SSIS. I have a Master’s of Arts in Teaching with a Secondary Teacher Certification in English and Mathematics. My first degree was a Bachelor’s of Arts in Corporate Finance. I worked as a Business Operations Manager in the states for some years before going back to university for teaching, one of the best decisions I ever made. At SSIS, I have been involved in a variety of activities, including Head of Grade 8, MYP C&S Coordinator, International Day, Grade 7 Student Council, international and local camps, D1 Girls Basketball, Middle and High School Track and Field, Middle School Girls Soccer, homework support club, Tiger Hill Orphanage, 2010 Shanghai World Expo Field Trip, student-led conferences, and school dances and sleepovers.
Noël Southall
English Language B/ESL Support
I was born, raised and educated in the UK but most of my working life has been spent abroad. As my degree was in French and Psychology, I originally trained as a French teacher. However, the pull of foreign shores proved too great and I retrained to be an ESL teacher. I lived in France, Portugal and most recently 10 years in Japan before moving to China. When I am not teaching I enjoy playing my guitar, singing, cycling, swimming, cooking and doing origami.
This is my first year at SSIS and I will be teaching English Language B Standard Level to grades 9 and 10 and working with the SWA students in the role of ESL support teacher. I am greatly looking forward to getting involved in all aspects of school life. Outside of school, I am interested in learning Mandarin and about Chinese culture. I am keen to start working with the students, my colleagues and parents. I can be contacted at noelsouthall@ssis-suzhou.net
Leanne Smith
Hi. I'm Leeanne Smith, known as Ms. Leeanne to my students. I come from Christchurch, New Zealand and am excited to be teaching Grade 6 Language/Humanities, Grade 7 and 8 English this year. This year is my third year in China, after teaching for eight years in international schools in Laos and Tonga, and for many years in New Zealand. I am here with my husband and two children and we are very much looking forward to being a part of the SSIS community for yet another year. I am also looking forward to establishing more great relationships between home and school and to getting to know your children well.
Lauralynn Stefureak
High School English Teacher / Subject Leader for English A
A graduate of the University of Alberta (Canada) (B Ed), I have been teaching English and Humanities in schools in Canada, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Qatar and now China. I was born in Canada, but am now a Swedish national.
My responsibilities at SSIS are: English 9A, English 10A, Grade 11 English (Literature) and Grade 12 Language A1 English (SL). I am also the Subject Leader for English A. My favourite activity is to act as the Coordinator for the SSIS Footprint e-newspaper. My e-mail address is:lauralynnstefureak@ssis-suzhou.net
Kerry Haddon
I am from Geelong, Australia and have been teaching for many years in a variety of settings. I have a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ballarat with Major Studies in English and Physical Education. I have spent a great deal of time teaching in both areas as well as Health, Outdoor Education and Humanities. Apart from working in Australian Schools I have also worked at the New International School of Thailand in Bangkok. I have a Masters Certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Certificate of Clinical Massage, and am also a trainer of Public Speaking. I am teaching Middle Years English at SSIS and am looking forward to helping students improve their English skills.
Ernest Bolster
I have an MA in Secondary Education, English and French, from the University of Stockholm in Sweden. I was born in Edinburgh Scotland but spent my childhood close to Aberdeen. In my twenties I moved to Sweden and now hold dual citizenship, British and Swedish.
This year at SSIS I teach: Grade 9 English A, Grade 10 English A, Grade 11 Language and Literature, Grade 12 English Literature and Theory of Knowledge.
My Email address is ernestbolster@ssis-suzhou.net
Brenda Lyons
English Language B/Spanish B
I was born and raised in the U.S. in the state of Vermont. However, I have spent nearly all of my professional life overseas in Venezuela, Colombia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Pakistan, Greece and most recently 6 years in Ethiopia.
I have a B.S. degree from the University of Vermont and an M.A. in English as a Second Language from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I am licensed to teach ESL, Spanish, and French. At SSIS I am teaching Language B English and Spanish in the diploma program and MYP Language B English in grades 9 and 10.
I love dancing, yoga and tennis. I will be teaching “Yoga for Kids” in the primary school. My husband, Douglas Glenn is the librarian and we are looking forward to exploring China and eating lots of great Chinese food.
Agatha Zarzycka
Hello! My name is Agatha Zarzycka and I am new to SSIS this year, where I will be teaching English B in the Middle School. I was born in Poland but have lived in Canada for most of my life. I have taught in Canada, England and, most recently, Sweden, where I also taught MYP English. I am very excited to be joining SSIS and the grade 8 team and I look forward to meeting you in the near future. In the meantime, or if you need anything throughout the year, I can be reached at agathazarzycka@ssis-suzhou.net.
