Jemma was born in Hampshire, UK and spent her childhood traveling around RAF camps in Cyprus and Germany and attending international schools just like SJII. She has always had a love for the Arts and could always be found in a dance rehearsal, choir or band practice with her clarinet. She gained a BA Hons. Degree in Dance Movement Studies with Healing Arts from the University of Derby and later went on to gain her teaching license in Early Years and Young Learners from the Board of Education in Washington D.C, USA.
Jemma left the UK 11 years ago and lived and taught in the beautiful city of Hangzhou in China. This experience provided her with the courage to approach challenges and the empathy to understand the difficulty students face in an international school setting. She moved to Malaysia with her young son in January 2020 so has spent most of her time in Malaysia teaching from behind a computer screen. She taught children from Nursery age to Key Stage 2, and has been involved in school performances and concerts wherever she has taught, and was proud to co- direct the whole school Musicals. A phrase her students will hear a lot is “Practice makes progress” because no one is perfect but everyone can improve. Her classroom is an open space where children can explore their ideas and support each other in their discoveries.
