EduDrama Department

• Teacher • Julia Gabriel Teaching Certificate (Speech and Drama), 2004 • Master in Arts (English), National University of Singapore in 1995 • Professional Journalism Fellow, Stanford University, 1984 • World Press Institute Fellow, Macalester College, St Paul, Mn, USA, 1975 • Bachelor of Arts (Hons, English Lit), University of Singapore, 1971

After 35 years in journalism (a career that took me to London, Hong Kong, the U.S., Beijing and Singapore), I joined Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning in 2003 to be Director of Communications. I studied for the Julia Gabriel Teaching Certificate in Speech and Drama in 2004 and started teaching debating, speech and communications skills in secondary schools in January 2005. I really like 'making a difference' as a teacher.

I love cooking, sewing, painting Easter eggs, decorating mugs and tiles.

•Teacher • Certificate in Preschool Teaching, Julia Gabriel School of Education, 2003 • Julia Gabriel Teaching Certificate (Speech and Drama), 2003 • BA (English), University of Queensland, 2004

After completing ‘A’ Level examinations in Serangoon Junior College, I enrolled in a bridging programme in Canning College (Perth, West Australia) and went on to complete a bachelor’s degree at the University of Queensland. I joined JGCL as an assistant teacher in 2002 and have had the opportunity to interact and teach children from various age groups. I played Little Red Riding Hood in JGCL’s production of The Lost Fairytales in 2003. I teach the nursery, kindergarten and primary classes in the centre and am part of our School Support Services schools team.

I am passionate about the arts – namely, music, dance, drama and drawing. I love to read, watch movies and spend quality time with my family and friends. Traveling around the world is something that I would like to do in years to come.

• Teacher • Diploma of Teaching (Secondary), Auckland College of Education, New Zealand, 1987 • Speech Communication Arts Primary Teaching Certificate, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 2005

From teaching English in an Auckland secondary school for six years, my love of teaching and travel has taken me to high school in Sydney in 1996 and to an English Language Centre in Indonesia in 1995. Since arriving in Singapore in 1995, I have taught children in all levels from Kindergarten 1 to Secondary 4 and in 2003 and 2004, I was a full-time teacher of English Language and Literature at a local secondary school.

Living in Singapore gives me the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful variety of food, great theatre and bookshops and a lively mix of cultures. Much of my time outside work is spent in the company of my two cute dogs, Sofia and Molly, who often accompany me on walks in Singapore's beautiful parks.

• Teacher • Bachelor of Arts (Merit) from the National University of Singapore
• Postgraduate Dip. Ed., National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University

My four years experience as an English language and literature teacher in a secondary school made me realise that I love working with children and teenagers. Now as a teacher at Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning, I get to work with my favourite people and to share my love of poetry, stories, drama and songs in an even more creative and enjoyable way.

I am a film and television-buff. I love movies with clever scriptwriting, ingenious directing and soulful acting. Some of my favourite movies include What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Memento, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia. Well scripted movies and drama invite us into another world to explore the new, to learn more about the human condition and discover ourselves. They are a great medium through which to enjoy the richness of the English language.

• Teacher • Diploma in Theatre Arts, La Salle-SIA College of the Arts • Julia Gabriel Teaching Certificate (Speech and Drama) • Guildhall Shool of Music and Drama, 2006

I graduated from La Salle-SIA College of the Arts in 2005 with my main focus in Drama and joined the Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning in December.

EduDrama enables my students to learn through:
• Magic of the mind which can take us anywhere in the world
• Experience in handling situations and coming up with solutions and
• Self-discovery in realising how much they can do even as children.
Teaching the children has been an interesting, wonderful and rewarding challenge for me, especially with the very young. I love it when they bound into class, full of energy, smiles and warm greetings. They make me feel I’m their friend, more than their teacher.

When I am not teaching, I also enjoy writing, reading, acting, listening to music, swimming and the occasional movie. The next goal of my life is to be able to travel the world — well, maybe not all of it!!

• Teacher • Certificate in Pre-School Teaching, RTRC, 2002 • Julia Gabriel Teaching Certificate (Speech and Drama), 2002 • Diploma in Drama from LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts, 2001

I have been teaching speech and drama since 1998 when I started with a local theatre group, Mime Unlimited, teaching schools in Singapore and introducing mime as a form of acting. That was a springboard to my interest in teaching young children. In my last year of college, I joined Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning as a trainee teacher and, on graduation from LaSalle in 2001, I became a teacher. I have been teaching full-time for the last four years, working with children of all ages.

I enjoy reading, going to movies and theatre. During my spare time, I attempt to immerse my sons in the wonderful world of books and the arts. We have enjoyed many children’s productions and concerts together.