In our ‘Meet YCIS’ series that portrays our excellent faculty, we spotlight Ms Margaret Zhang, Head of Early Childhood Education (ECE) at Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing).

Ms Zhang joined YCIS Beijing in 2015. During her six years at the international school, she has worked in the Early Childhood Education section across a wide variety of class levels. She has held the position of Homeroom Co-Teacher and was later appointed ECE Chinese Coordinator, accumulating valuable experience guiding children through our Emergent Curriculum (a responsive teaching method that focuses on children’s interests). Starting in the 2021/2022 academic cycle Ms Zhang will take up her post as Head of ECE.

After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in English and, with a belief in life-long learning, she is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Education Management from Renmin University of China.

Ms Zhang sees YCIS Beijing as an ideal place to further develop her career with its welcoming environment that allows her to express her creative ideas. Being in tune with the school’s educational philosophy and its ECE Section, in particular, was a deciding factor in her decision to join YCIS Beijing. She believes that the school should be a place where children are genuinely cared for and where they feel safe, respected and valued. In her eyes, each child is unique, with innate talents and gifts that should be nurtured to the fullest potential. If she has to give the children one piece of advice, it will be to enjoy reading every day. When not at school, she is busy cooking, travelling or playing the guzheng.

YCIS Beijing’s Early Childhood Education programme from K2 to K4 is open to children of nursery and preschool age, and focuses on play-based learning. The school’s Co-Teaching model in ECE and Primary School ensures that equal importance is placed on English and Chinese language learning. Activities are jointly planned by English and Chinese-speaking teachers, who work together to meet the learning needs of each child, encouraging confidence in the mother tongue while developing skills in an additional language.