Month: October 2024

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Jade Slee

Teacher Librarian and Teacher of English

Originally from Buckinghamshire in the south-east of England, this is Jade’s first international position. Having been an avid reader and writer throughout her life, she has a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from the University of Roehampton in London. After graduating, Jade took a year out of education to work and decide what career she wanted to pursue. She quickly realised that teaching was the only profession where she felt she could make a meaningful impact and she completed her PGCE at Goldsmith’s, University of London in 2019.

Jade then returned to Buckinghamshire and worked as an English teacher, where she developed a passion for literacy in all its forms, developing the use of Accelerated Reader within her school as well as being part of an in-school AI research group. After five years, she decided to broaden her horizons and to look for a job outside the UK.

Away from work, Jade is a self-described “massive nerd”. She enjoys cooking, learning about history, crafting and is currently trying to solve the notoriously difficult ‘Cain’s Jawbone’ puzzle book.

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Merve Alemdar

Teacher of Physics and Science

Merve is originally from Istanbul. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Istanbul University and completed her Master’s in Physics Education. She began her teaching career in 2007 and since 2014, she has been dedicated to teaching IB Physics, gaining valuable experience working in various educational institutions, including an American school and a bilingual Czech gymnázium.

In 2022, Merve moved to Prague to continue her teaching journey. Outside her professional life, she is an advanced scuba diver and has a deep appreciation of movies, especially arthouse films.

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Jorge Alvarez

Director of Sports & Activities

Jorge grew up in a small town near the mountains of Segovia in central Spain. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, followed by a Master’s Degree in Teacher Training for Secondary Education from the University of Alcalá de Henares.

As part of his university studies, Jorge spent an Erasmus year at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports (FTVS) of Charles University and he quickly fell in love with Prague. After completing his Master’s, he gained valuable experience teaching in international schools, before serendipitous circumstances brought him back to Prague in 2019.

Jorge is passionate about giving students the opportunity to take on challenges and to explore the outdoors. In his previous roles, he organised student trips abroad for activities such as ski touring, ice climbing, whitewater kayaking, rafting and rock climbing. His sports career began early as a competitive swimmer, a member of his university’s volleyball team and as a ski competition coach.

In his spare time, Jorge enjoys single-track mountain biking, skiing and surfing whenever possible. He also loves road trips, cycling and cross-country skiing with his family.

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Gabriela Cuciuc

PE & Sports; Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

Gabriela is a dedicated Physical Education and Sports teacher from Romania, with a solid academic foundation. Her passion for sports and education has driven her to pursue a career where she can inspire others through physical activity. With experience of working in two international schools in Kuwait, Gabriela has served as both a PE teacher and a sports coach, guiding various sports teams to compete in numerous competitions. She firmly believes in the power of an active lifestyle, highlighting the long-term benefits of physical fitness for both the present and future.

Gabriela is an enthusiast of a wide range of sports, regularly engaging in activities such as handball, volleyball, badminton, fitness, skiing, running and hiking. Now embracing a new country and culture, Gabriela is eager to integrate her international experience into the community, inspiring and motivating her students to achieve their best through sports.

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Michaela Salačová

Teacher of Czech

Michaela comes from Mladá Boleslav, but studied in Hradec Králové at the Biskupské gymnázium Bohuslava Balbína. She decided that one school would not be enough for her and she also wanted to further pursue her love of singing by studying classical singing at the Prague Conservatory while also enrolling in the Czech Studies Bachelor’s Degree programme at Charles University. She fell in love with Czech literature and language, leading her to deepen her knowledge and obtain a grounding in pedagogy. In 2024, she graduated with a Master’s Degree in two programmes at Charles University: Czech as a Second Language and Czech Language and Literature.

Since 2019, Michaela has enjoyed the experience of teaching Czech as a second language in several language institutions in Prague. She is especially grateful for the experience she gained taking seminars on Czech as a second language at the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University. Additionally, she enjoyed teaching Czech language and literature in a primary school in Prague, where she was able to apply her academic background and practice methods of inclusive teaching. She also continues to enjoy singing, so if she isn’t teaching, reading or walking with her dog, you might find her performing at the occasional concert.

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Eric Huang

Teacher of Mathematics and Computer Science

Eric Huang is a Chinese American who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Prague in 2021. He was a teacher at the New York City Department of Education after teaching Mathematics and Computer Science in secondary schools for over six years and university-level Mathematics for over three. He has Bachelor’s Degrees in Mathematics and Secondary Mathematics Education and a Master’s in Professional Mathematics Education from Brooklyn College and Hunter College in NYC. He also spent half an academic year studying Mathematics and Chinese Philosophy and Education at the Nanjing Technology University in China as part of his undergraduate programme.

Eric was a teacher coach/mentor and pedagogical course facilitator at the Math for America (MfA) a not-for-profit education organisation in NYC. In his spare time, he enjoys playing indoor volleyball and singing while accompanying himself on the piano.

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Leidy Arenas

Spanish

Leidy is from Colombia. While studying Business Administration, she was building a career in the financial sector as a Commercial Director for HSBC Colombia.

In 2014 she decided to leave Colombia in search of new adventures and experiences, settling in Prague a few years later. She started to teach Spanish by chance and discovered how rewarding the world of teaching is and so she decided to train for a professional teaching qualification and certification at the Cervantes Institute of Prague. As a Spanish teacher, she has worked on her own project teaching Spanish to mothers and children, has taught many one-to-one lessons and has taught Spanish in both a public and an international school in Prague.

As a teacher, Leidy’s goal is to have her students learn in a practical and dynamic way, bringing Hispanic culture into the classroom as much as possible.

Outside work, Leidy is a mother of two beautiful, confident, Spanish speaking children. She looks for any opportunity to escape into nature and very much enjoys walking and hiking and doing her best to live in the present moment. As a Colombian of course she misses the culture, music and fresh fruit, but she is happy and proud to be living in Prague, having a family and raising her children here.