Faculty and Staff
School Administrative Team
Jie Moore (郭捷), Founder & President – B.S. in Biology from Beijing University, and Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Washington. After graduate school, Jie worked as a Research Scientist at the University of Washington for six years during which she studied a variety of issues related to academic and social/emotional development among children and adolescents. Through her research, she began to think it might be beneficial to children in the United States if we could combine the best educational approaches and cultural perspectives of China and the United States. This early thought, coupled with a series of events in the last few years (such as having a child of her own and failing to find a satisfactory Mandarin immersion program in the East Bay area), triggered her decision to start Shu Ren.
Tony Moore, Founder & CFO – New Zealand, ACA and member of the New Zealand Society of Accountants. Tony’s role at Shu Ren is primarily finance and administration. He is currently President of Kiwi Consulting, Inc. providing financial and accounting consultation services to federal contractors and the construction industry.
Nathan Pope, Head of School - Nathan Pope is an international educator who specializes in inquiry learning through constructivist and trans-disciplinary approaches. Nathan earned his undergraduate degree at the College of Charleston in South Carolina where he studied World History. He went on to receive his teaching qualification through the University of Sunderland in the UK, where he specialized in assessment for learning and differentiation. He holds a Master of Arts from Clayton State University.
Nathan is a IB Workshop Leader, Site Visitor and Consultant. For almost ten years he has been teaching PYP (International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Program) to a range of ages. Many of his years teaching the PYP were in Shanghai, China where he was able to gain insight into supporting second language learners inside the curriculum. Nathan is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and also speaks conversant German and Italian.
Ping Xie (谢平), Admissions Director & Office Manager – A native of Beijing, Ping Xie received her BA degree in Electrical Engineering from Beijing Institute of Technology. She was then accepted to the MBA program at California State University Los Angeles. She left the corporate world after 8 years to become a full-time mom. She has always been interested in bilingual and bicultural education and has taught Mandarin to adults in various institutions. Her duties at Shu Ren will include assisting the Head of School in school administration, assisting the Chief Financial Officer in bookkeeping and other financial matters, answering questions related to school activities, and supporting teachers with their needs.
Teaching Staff
Ying Liang (梁颖), Chinese Classroom Teacher – Ying Liang was born and grew up in Guangzhou, China. She always dreamed of being a preschool teacher. She received a B.A. degree from South China Normal University, and then taught for three years at Nan Yang International Kindergarten in Guangzhou as an art specialist, where she discovered that arts and crafts activities help inspire children’s interest in learning a different culture. After immigrating to the U.S. in 2008, she worked as a Culture Teacher at East Bay Chinese School and as a Recreation Leader at City of Oakland Dimond Recreation Center for young children. She also completed Early Childhood Development classes from Merritt College and has obtained a Site Supervisor Permit in Child Development from California Commission on Teacher Credentials.
Ying’s personal goal is to dedicate her knowledge and passion to educating children from different backgrounds by exploring their talents, encouraging them to overcome difficulties, and empowering them to achieve their full potential.
Kai-Yao To (塗凯姚), Chinese Classroom Teacher – Kai’s passion is to teach young children Chinese language and culture. She enjoys integrating teaching Chinese language with stories, art (Chinese brush painting), calligraphy, and history. She has been teaching Chinese language and cultural classes in the East Bay area for more than 7 years. Before joining Shu Ren, Kai Yao was a kindergarten teacher in the Chinese Program at the Cornell School, Albany Unified School District, where she taught students with vastly different levels of Chinese knowledge. She also taught Chinese brush painting at East Bay Chinese School and Albany Berkeley Chinese School. Kai-Yao brings her talent as an accomplished artist to her methods of teaching Chinese. She has a Communication Arts Degree in Zhu-Shan School, Taiwan, and had worked as a Graphic Designer and Art Director in companies in Taiwan and in the U.S. She received a “Teaching Chinese as a Heritage Language” certificate from Cal East Bay University and has passed the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) in Mandarin Subjects.
Patricia Pope (孙侨), Chinese Classroom Teacher - Patricia Pope (孙侨) studied Elementary Education at Qingdao University in Shandong, China. After completing her Bachelor of Education at Qingdao University, she began teaching Chinese and Math at a private international school in Qingdao. After her first year of teaching she also began teaching English and became the English Department Coordinator at her school. She went on teach at Shanghai United International School, an IB World School, where she taught as a PYP teacher. She has also worked at Shanghai Rego International School where she taught the English National Curriculum as a classroom teacher. For the last two years she has been a Chinese teacher at Imagine Wesley International Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. In all, she has been teaching the PYP for over ten years. She is a bilingual, bicultural educator. Patricia also has a Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) from the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom. She enjoys all arts, particularly singing and dancing.
Zhiling Xu (许志玲), Teacher Assistant - Zhiling Xu got a B.A. degree from South China Normal University and has been teaching Chinese in the U.S. for over 10 years at Berkeley-Albany Chinese School and Keystone Chinese School at Albany. She also has been taking courses in Early Childhood Education in the U.S. and has worked at UC Berkeley Family Resource Center with infant and preschool children for two years.
Lam Tsoi (蔡琳), After School Chinese Teacher & Librarian – Lam Tsoi was born in Mainland China and grew up in Hong Kong. She received both her Bachelor’s degree (with a double major in Chinese Literature and Chinese History) and Master’s degree in Contemporary Chinese Literature from the University of Hong Kong. She spent ten years teaching Chinese History and Mandarin in a Secondary school in Hong Kong for 10 years before moving to the US. She also finished a certificate of education course while teaching.
Ping Chen (陈凭), Teacher Assistant - Teacher Ping has a B.S. degree from Beijing Telecommunications University in Electrical Engineering and a B.A. degree from Beijing Language and Culture University in Chinese Language for Foreigners. She worked for the CCTV station as a director and editor for many years. She was a tutor teaching Mandarin to foreigners. Since coming to the U.S. in 2008, she has worked at the Silk-Road Institute as a Chinese language instructor and curriculum designer and at the ABC Language School. She has completed an associate degree in the Early Childhood Education Program at Contra Costa College.
Libby Beytien Carlson, English Classroom Teacher - Libby is a credentialed teacher coming to us from Minnesota where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Gustavus Adolphus College. She has taught at Soto Grande IB World School in Barcelona, Spain, as well as at Five Hawks Elementary School in Prior Lake Minnesota. She is a very passionate and energetic teacher committed to inquiry learning and the IB PYP framework. She has experience in working with colleagues in collaborative planning and developing a Programme of Inquiry. She also has received IB training in the PYP curriculum. Nathan will work closely with Libby to ensure continuity for the students between this year and next year.
Jeff Luna-Sparks, Music Teacher (M.M.Ed./Kodály, B.S. Music Ed., and Orff Training) (AKA Jingle Jeff) – Jeff teaches ongoing Kodály music classes at Jingle Jamboree Music and several Bay Area schools. After receiving his Masters in Music Education with a Kodály Emphasis from Holy Names College where he did student teaching in the Piedmont Elementary Schools, he became a Kodály Master Teacher. He has two levels of Orff Certification completed through the summer program at Mills College in Oakland. He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Ball State University in Indiana with a major in trombone and instrumental music, and a bachelor’s degree in Humanities from Heritage University in Indianapolis, Indiana. He currently holds two California State Teachers Credentials in Music and Elementary General Classroom.
He has taught elementary vocal and instrumental music K-8 since 1987 and infant, toddler and preschool music since 1994. His elementary school in Fairfield was awarded the California Distinguished Schools award for Visual and Performing Arts under his musical leadership in 2000.
Consultant
Anne-Marie Pierce – President of A.M.P & Associates which provides educational consulting services to independent and international schools. Anne-Marie was the Head of Washington International School in Washington D.C. from 1991 – 2001 and the Head of Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley in Berkeley, California from 1980 – 1989. She also serves as a board member for French – American International School – International High School, IBO board and committees, California Association of Independent Schools, and Board of International School Associations.
