Janelle Garrett

Activist, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Educator/Teacher, Event planner, Idea generator, Parent, World traveler

Ms Janelle Garrett joined YCIS Pudong in 2016 and continues in her role as Lower Secondary Coordinator, leading students through their learning journey in Years 7-9. Committed to engaging our parent community to strategically support school initiatives to make our mission and vision a reality, she is also serving as our Parent Ambassador Coordinator. Beyond her leadership responsibilities, Ms Garrett enjoys her time in the classroom teaching Spanish. Hailing originally from Texas in the United States, Ms Garrett was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a true TCK (Third Culture Kid) at heart who feels most comfortable in an international context. She received a BA in History and Latin American Studies at Dartmouth College, and later pursued her MA in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. Whilst teaching internationally in Brazil, she also received an MA in Secondary Education from the University of Alabama. Ms Garrett taught languages and coached competitive debate for five years in the United States, and has taught history, government, and foreign languages internationally in Bolivia, Brazil, and now in China for the past 16 years. Ms Garrett is passionate about helping students learn how to learn and how to use their knowledge and skills to make valuable contributions to their communities as responsible global citizens. To this end, over the years Ms Garrett has been involved with various student activities at YCIS Pudong, including Model United Nations, Global Issues Network, Half The Sky, Girl Scouts, and more recently, TedX. On a personal level, Ms Garrett is an avowed political news junkie and enjoys following football in its many forms--from fútbol to college football to AFL footy. She also enjoys cooking with a good playlist, Zumba, and going for walks and bike rides with her husband, daughter, and their wonder-dog Eddie!