Jessica will be joining BSY this coming August as the newest addition to the Primary team.
My name is Jessica Laleo. I am originally from the state of Colorado in the United States. This school year will be my 10th year of teaching. While I was getting my degree in elementary education, I was an early years assistant teacher for five years. After finishing my degree, I taught primary school for five years in Tanzania, East Africa. I currently live in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where I have been teaching year four for the past four years.
I am most passionate about literacy. I enjoy teaching lower primary most because I get to teach students the lifelong skills of reading and writing. Through the use of several different approaches, (sustained silent reading, teacher read aloud, small group reading, peer reading, one to one reading teacher reading, play script performing, etc.) each year my goal is not only to improve overall reading skills but to hopefully ignite a continued love of literature.
I am looking forward to moving to Myanmar to experience a new culture. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the friendliness and warmth of the Myanmar people and I look forward to making new friends in a new part of the world. I am excited to be joining the BSY community. A priority for me when joining a new international school is a feeling of community where the school and families work together as a team to meet the needs of the students. I am looking forward to being a part of a new school family. I am already eagerly awaiting meeting all of the students. The students are the heart and soul of every school and what makes coming to work each day worthwhile.
I have taken a special interest in child safety and protection within the school setting. I have been a Child Protection Officer previously and have received valuable additional training in this area. I aim to continue to develop my knowledge and experience to protect children and give them the tools to protect themselves through education and self empowerment.
Outside of the classroom my main interests are spending time with my family, reading and traveling. I share my experiences with the students and allow them to share theirs with me and their peers. This helps form the foundation of our relationships. I view my classroom as an extension of my family and aim to have the students feel the same way by creating an environment that makes them feel safe, comfortable and cared for where we can all feel free to be the best versions of ourselves.
