Nathan (Nate) Abbott is a proud husband, a father of 5, and an educator.  He has over a decade of experience in the classroom and over 6 years of administrative experience.  He has enjoyed teaching students from kindergarten to university.  He has a BA in Asian Studies, and an MA in Secondary Education.

Throughout his educational career he has had the opportunity to present and give trainings all over the United States and also had the opportunity to work with and give trainings for the Confucius Institute in Beijing, China.  The topics included Project Based Learning, language acquisition, student engagement, classroom management, and staying in the target language.  He is a deep believer in children and their ability to learn and absolutely loves his job.

All of his children are learning Chinese and he has loved exposing them to the wonders of China.  He is passionate about education and connecting teachers, parents, and students as a community.

Lucy Zeng received a master degree in educational management, who has worked in international education for over a decade. She is the administrative backbone of Shenzhen American International School and has been part of the core team that has built the first Project Based Learning school in Shenzhen. She has a deep understanding of what administrative needs are required to create a thriving makerspace in an educational setting, as well as administrative support that is required to produce student platforms.

 Lucy is a strong advocate of PBL, Maker culture, and Design Thinking as she believes these methodologies bring about meaningful learning to students.

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Mabel Choi grew up in New York City.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Nyack College and has a TESOL certificate from American TESOL Institute.  After college she was a Mental Health Worker at New York Presbyterian hospital working at a psychiatric unit for five years.  She wanted to pursue her other passion, which is teaching and decided to move to Korea. She taught English in korea for five years and worked with elementary students most of the time. After that her family decided to make a life in Shenzhen, China.

Mabel missed teaching and felt she is ready to teach again, now that her daughter is six years old.  Being a teacher and a mother helped her understand the importance of child development.  She cares deeply about how kids develop and grow.  She uses her experience and her understanding of psychology in her classroom.  She believes the first five years of a child life is so crucial.  To her a teacher is a role model and must help students develop and learn in a safe and happy environment.

Her hobbies are reading, scrapbooking, and spending time outdoors with her family and friends.

Michael has over 6 years teaching experience with a wide array of age groups taught. I left the Washington, DC area to move to South Korea to teach which turned into over 6 years of experience teaching and educating kids aged from Kindergarten up to high school. I have spent 5 years teaching in South Korea, focusing on middle and high school students with the past year spent teaching in Shenzhen, China. I look forward to a great year ahead!

Mr. Finn grew up near Washington D.C. in the United States. His passion for science led him to become a certified science and social studies teacher. He has been teaching in America, Korea, and China since 2014. Mr. Finn aims to promote a love for science while challenging his students’ ability to understand the mysteries of the world around them. Mr. Finn is an outdoorsy guy who spent much of his childhood catching various animals at the local creek. Along with this, he is an avid golfer and fisherman.

Edwin is originally from New York City, has been working in the field of education since 2005 and really enjoy teaching young minds. He has been teaching at S.A.I.S. since 2018 and continues to be extremely excited to be part of this great institution. Prior to moving to Shenzhen, he taught in South Korea for almost 7 years and in New York for 2 years.  He received his Bachelor’s degree from Nyack College and has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Moreland University.  He is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish both at native levels. In addition, he can also speak Korean and Chinese.  During his time off he enjoys sight-seeing, learning about other cultures, Latin dancing, and listening to music.

Zainab (Zee) is from Johannesburg, South Africa. She has worked in corporate South Africa for more than 17 years where she held numerous executive management positions. She has vast experience in leadership, project management, management consulting, mentoring, coaching, and facilitating training at both junior and senior levels. Zainab has a TEFL certificate from the TEFL Academy (UK) including a BA(Hons) Management degree from the Anglia Ruskin University in the UK as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Management and Leadership. She is in the process of completing her MBA in Educational Leadership. She has experience teaching kindergarten, primary/middle school and is extremely passionate about being a catalyst in fulfilling her student’s highest potential. Zainab (Zee) believes that a solid foundation for young learners is key to the future of society. She strongly endeavours in leading by example, has an extremely high work ethic, and considers herself a lifelong learner. Zainab (Zee) arrived in China (Shenzhen) on 1 April 2018 and loves living in the vibrant expat community of Shekou. She loves colouring abstract designs, is ardent about reading, and enjoys travelling across the globe. “Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world.”– Maria Montessori

Ellie Abbott loves learning and exploring along with her students, so SAIS’s focus on project based learning provides a great environment for Ellie to bring real world experiences into her classroom. She received degrees in cultural anthropology and nursing, before becoming a teacher. She has six years of teaching experience including 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. She loves teaching 4th grade because the students are starting to figure out who they are and what they like. She strives to motivate them to be scholars. She strongly believes that positive energy and feedback can help lift her students to achieve more. Prior to teaching Ellie was a health instructor and registered nurse. These experiences have increased Ellie’s ability to meet the needs of the whole student, from academic to social and emotional. When Ellie is not teaching she loves to hike, bike, and be outside with her five children and husband.

Mark grew up in Maryland, USA before teaching in African-American and Latino communities in Chicago. Along with degrees in international studies and education, Mark has an MA in English from the University of Nottingham, UK and has taught English across a variety of levels in Thailand and Cambodia helping to establish an IGCSE program at a top bilingual school in Bangkok and recently teaching A Level English in Phnom Penh. He also has acted in the theater and has sung in classical choirs and operas. An avid cyclist, Mark looks forward to exploring Shenzhen and beyond on his bike.

Katleho Dawn Meje is proudly South African. She graduated from the North-West University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with minors in French and Linguistics.

Katleho has done multiple courses for play-based learning for younger children, and she is currently completing her PGCE in English, social studies and physical education.

Before teaching, Katleho worked within the marketing department of a corporate company, but her love for education pushed her to change her career path.  She packed her bags a few months later and has been teaching in Shenzhen for over three years. She is known to her students as Miss Kay.

Her appreciation for sports stems from her upbringing- she was raised in an athletic household. She has participated in numerous sports and competed in regional and provincial levels in sports such as hockey, netball, soccer, athletics as well as cheerleading and dance. Currently, she practices two Mixed Martial Arts disciplines: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.

The philosophy that “every champion was once a contender” is what she lives by, and she encourages her students to always try their best, no matter how challenging the work may be.

When Miss Kay is not teaching or at the gym, she enjoys hiking, travelling, reading and artwork.