Meet our talented Secondary Years teachers.
We read over 250 applications each year before carefully selecting candidates for any new teaching positions. All teachers receive 2 weeks of rigorous training before they start and benefit from around 70 hours of ongoing professional development support throughout the school year.
Teachers must be qualified and experienced, but most of all they must be ready to be role models to our students. We know we ultimately teach through modelling and expect all teachers to fully embrace the values of the school and develop personal attributes in line with the school’s 12 Wise Habits.
At Panyaden, we value passion, personality, commitment.
Bongkot Theppiman (Kru Ying)
Thai Teacher and Manners Coordinator
Kru Ying graduated with honours from Chiang Mai University and worked as a Thai language and culture teacher at an international school in Chiang Mai and an English teacher in her hometown, Kamphaeng Phet before joining Panyaden four years ago. She is passionate about working with children and believes that the focus of education should be to teach children a sense of responsibility towards themselves, their community and the environment. Kru Ying is a trained Zumba dance instructor – you might even catch her teaching at one of the fitness centres in town!
Charles Tetreault (Kru Charles)
High School and IB Coordinator
Kru Charles was born and raised in Halifax, Canada. He has been an IBDP educator for ten years, and a teacher for twenty years. Prior to Panyaden, Charles worked at Shekou International School in Shenzhen, China, and Colegio Internacional de Caracas in Caracas, Venezuela. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and a master’s degree in social studies education from Hunter College in New York City. Kru Charles is joined by his wife, Kru Susan, who will support the Primary as an EAL Teacher, and his daughters Penny (5) and Lucy (3). In his spare time he enjoys sports, travel, and tabletop role-playing games.
Christopher O’Connor (Kru Chris)
Science and Theatre Teacher
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona USA, Kru Chris comes to Panyaden from Shenzhen, China where he taught basic STEM engineering. He received his bachelor’s degree in Communication from Southern New Hampshire University. Kru Chris was also a performer in NYC for over a decade where he performed sketch, improv, stand up, and theater. He enjoys designing, building, writing, performing, filmmaking, drawing, and spending time with his family. His wife is a Secondary English teacher here at Panyaden and his daughter is a Year 5 student.
Christine Vithayathil (Kru Christine)
Student Support Services Coordinator and Middle School Coordinator
Kru Christine originally comes from a small and beautiful village in the Austrian Alps. She holds teaching qualifications from Austria, as well as the UK. In addition to this, she holds a Masters in English Literature and various certificates in English language teaching. After several years of teaching in Austria and the UK, she ventured into the big wide world of teaching in international schools.
As an English language learner herself, she feels very passionately about being an advocate for them. This passion she has shared with students, parents and staff at international schools in India, Japan, China, the Philippines now at Panyaden International School.
Outside of school she keeps herself busy by reading books about education and connecting with and learning from educators around the world. She enjoys spending time in our kitchen baking bread, sweet treats and making jams. She also enjoys knitting and drinking cups of tea in our garden. Most of all, she loves spending time with her family: her husband Daiju, her daughter Nina (Year 4) and her two cats. Kru Christine's family is excited to be part of the Panyaden community and to contribute to it in any way we can.
Clayton Dowty (Kru Clayton)
English Language and Literature Teacher
Like many of our students, Kru Clayton grew up outside of her home country. She spent most of her childhood in Malaysia, and moved to New York at the age of 18, where she experienced some of the same cultural diversity she enjoyed as an international student. She was an actress for six years before getting a master’s degree in English and theater education. She taught English and drama in public schools in Harlem and Queens for seven years before moving to China, where she taught at Shekou International School in Shenzhen. She loves acting, writing, drawing and filmmaking, and is passionate about infusing physical play and movement into every day learning.
Prawitra Chaimanee (Kru Fern)
Thai Teacher
Kru Fern graduated from the faculty of Humanities, majoring in English at Chiang Mai university. She has three years of experience as a Teaching Assistant at an international school and fours years of being a Thai teacher. She believes that learning new languages opens doors to a new world. It is such a pleasure seeing students use their newly acquired language skills in their daily life. Kru Fern is also very passionate about baking either alternative baked goods for those with food allergies or extraordinarily delicious cakes.
Dean Jackson (Kru Dean)
PE and Life Skills Teacher
Kru Dean Jackson is from Tasmania, Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Tasmania, Australia. He has been teaching internationally for 15+ years in Kuwait, Jordan, Mexico, Dubai, Thailand and China. He has also taught extensively in Australia prior to teaching internationally. Aside from his teaching and coaching, he prides himself self in providing fair, professional pastoral care for all his students in such areas as; Behaviour problems, personal and home issues, bullying, study difficulties, dress codes and safety.
As well as being qualified to teach Physical Education and Health, he is also a qualified Varsity Basketball coach, teacher of swimming and water safety, and a Level 2 coach of volleyball, badminton, tennis, cricket, gymnastics and Aussie Rules Football. His passion is and has always been to teach and coach the benefits that a healthy, active lifestyle has to offer. He believes he has an immense amount to offer Panyaden International School. He will support and play an important role in the school’s development plan, as well as the wider school community.
Denison Lane (Kru Denny)
Social Studies & English Language Teacher and Buddhist Education Coordinator
Kru Denny joins us from his hometown of Sonoma, California, where he has taught 9th grade for the past 3 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature and teaching degree from Sonoma State University, where he focused on literacy for English Learners. He enjoys reading, hiking, swimming, cycling, and playing games with friends and family, especially his daughter Maury, a Year 7 student here at Panyaden.
Lin, Hsin-Ju (Kru Amy)
Mandarin Acquisition Teacher
As well as a passion for Mandarin teaching, Kru Amy also passionate about many sports such as trail running, yoga, rock climbing, badminton, squash and last but by no means least, scuba diving! She moved to Thailand to join the team at Panyaden with her husband Kru Robbie. We are both International School Teachers who have worked and lived abroad since 2007. Most recently, she has taught Mandarin in both Garden International School in Malaysia and the United Nations International School in Vietnam. Before this, she spent a few years as a Scuba instructor in the South China Seas, Maldives and UAE.
She believes it is true to say that language learning is a continuous process for all of us. In her lessons she always endeavour to create a positive environment of teacher-student and student-student interaction. She achieves this through a variety of active learning strategies, positive encouragement and discovery to understand the different ways of learning Mandarin in speaking, writing, listening and reading. Exploring and learning from different dimensions of the whole Chinese culture and using the IMYC to resonate with an International perspective make it a more meaningful and stimulating learning journey.
Meriska Bock (Kru Meriska)
Years 7–9 Science and Mathematics Teacher
Kru Meriska is an enthusiastic and energetic Science and Mathematics teacher who will be living out her passion for teaching and traveling, teaching Science and Mathematics at Panyaden International School. Previously she taught in South Africa at an under-privileged school for two years followed by three years in an International school in Dubai. In 2013 she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Life sciences and Psychology and in 2014 she qualified as a teacher after completing her PGCE(Post Graduate Certificate in Education).
She received both qualifications at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She enjoys teaching in a multicultural environment where we can learn from each other and am looking forward to continuing to do so at Panyaden International School. As a teacher she strives to create an environment where her students can develop curiosity and a passion for learning, not just in the classroom. Her classroom is very interactive, she does her best to provide a safe environment for her students to engage and ask questions.
Paul Sorenson (Kru Paul)
Secondary School Counselor
Kru Paul is a licenced clinical social worker by profession and has spent years assisting people with mental health and counseling concerns. He hails from the USA and have been in Thailand for most of a decade. Kru Paul has two Bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Fine Arts and a Master’s Degree of Social Work from Port states you He has a passion for helping people develop and become the happiest and healthiest they can be. He values freedom of choice, and he guides people to what is best for them. As a counselor, he feels that being supportive and encouraging is an essential part of his role. He believes that people grow when they feel safe and valued.
Theodore Guggenheim (Kru Ted)
English Acquisition Teacher
Kru Ted is from New Jersey, USA. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies, an M.A. in Political Theory, and an M.Ed in Teaching English as a Second Language. He has taught at secondary schools in Namibia, China, and now Thailand! He enjoys reading about history and politics, gardening, woodworking, playing rugby, backcountry hiking and camping, and fitness. He is very excited to begin the next chapter of his life as a teacher-learner in Thailand at Panyaden!
Danielle Baccioli (Kru Danielle)
Mathematics, English and Social Studies Teacher
Kru Danielle moved to Chiang Mai from Shenzhen, China (via a long term stay in Italy and USA due to Covid). She taught MS Humanities at Shekou International School for 3 years, and upper years PYP for 3 years at Qatar Academy Al Wakra in Doha, Qatar. She started teaching upper elementary and middle school in St Helens, Oregon after getting her Masters of Arts in Teaching in 2007 from Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education. In total she has been a teacher for 13 years. As a teacher Kru Danielle is passionate about supporting students in becoming passionate global citizens. She wants to facilitate a classroom where students can find and develop their own unique voice and curiosity. She believes that education is at its core about building relationships and community.
Phatnaree PhahonThammasan (Kru Tukta)
Secondary Teacher Assistant
Kru Tukta graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna. She has 14 years of experience working in international schools. In her free time, she enjoys running (road & trail), travelling and reading books.
Nipada Punjai (Kru Maggie)
Secondary Teacher Assistant
Kru Meggie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hotel Management) from Payap University. After graduation, she had worked as a supervisor at Novotel in Queenstown, New Zealand for almost 3 years before moving back to her hometown here in Chiang Mai. As soon as she came back, she had completed the TEFL Certificate at Chiang Mai University and there, she discovered her passion for teaching students and supporting them to shine and be the best version of themselves. Furthermore, as Kru Maggie had joined the national youth badminton team of Thailand before, she strongly believes that a vital part of her success is having a great coach. Therefore, she would like to support all students as her coach had dedicated to the team. Kru Maggie spends most of her free time wandering in books, learning Mandarin, listening to financial podcasts, and playing Thai traditional xylophone (rá-nâat àyk).