Began at CAIS in 2013

Originally from the Midwest, Ms. Clark graduated from Cal with a B.A. in Anthropology. After working in China as a tour guide for American medical professionals, she returned to Berkeley and pursued a Ph.D. in Linguistics and Anthropology. Before joining CAIS, she was the learning center director at Immaculate Conception High School in the Mission. Ms. Clark lives in San Francisco with her son and husband, and her beloved, ancient chocolate lab!

Favorite quote (Victor Hugo): “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”

Second Tenure began at CAIS in 2015

Veteran CAIS teacher Mr. Crow studied history, French and theater as an undergraduate before completing his master’s degree in applied linguistics and teaching English as a second language (ESL) at St. Mary’s College, UC Berkeley, and Golden Gate University. Living abroad in the United Arab Emirates and Tokyo, Japan, he continued teaching English to young adults intent on matriculating into English language universities. Building on his theater background and professional development at the Broadway Teachers Workshop in NYC, Mr. Crow has directed two musicals at our 888 Campus. He is a certified yoga instructor, avid actor, long distance biker, trumpet player and enthusiastic vocalist.

Began at CAIS in 2004

Coach Douglass joined the CAIS community in 2004 as a physical education teacher for grades K-8. She is originally from Maine and returns to Maine every summer. She served in the United States Airforce before receiving a B.S. degree from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and completed her M.S. degree in Sport Psychology in the East Bay. She is passionate about physical activity and feels fortunate to be able to share her passion with children. Some of her favorite activities are running, skiing and mountain biking. It is her belief that physical education can be used for much more than teaching sports. It provides students an opportunity to use games for self expression, cooperation, confidence, cooperation, health, and wellness.

Began at CAIS in 2020

Ms. Julie Farrell fell in love with China on her first trip as a high school student and enrolled in Mandarin classes immediately upon return. Her passion for Chinese language continued well into college and beyond, amplified by language intensives with Middlebury College and the US Department of State. Ms. Farrell holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from New York University and an M.Sc. in Agroecology from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. She spent several years working with NGOs across southwest China, supporting farmers in rebuilding robust sustainable food systems. She also served young learners as an experiential educator, developing school garden curriculums in Chinese public schools and designing courses in China and Taiwan for American high school, middle school, and college students. Ms. Farrell’s favorite place on earth is a rural kitchen. As a long time resident of Sichuan, she never turns down a spicy hot pot.

Began at CAIS in 2020

Ruiting was born and raised in China and has been in San Francisco for seven years. Her passion from early on has been for teaching, especially early childhood education and curriculum design. She studied Early Childhood Education at City College of San Francisco and then completed her BA in Child and Adolescent development with a focus on School Age Child and Family at San Francisco State University. Ruiting is honored to have graduated summa cumme laude in her class. Before joining the CAIS community, she taught at Bright Horizons, Presidio Knolls School, and Saint Anne Chinese School. She enjoys helping children learn to love learning, both in language acquisition and social emotional development. Ruiting’s hobbies include traveling, learning about others’ life stories, and discovering new cuisines. (Ruiting is also fluent in Cantonese.)

Began at CAIS 2022

BEGAN AT CAIS 2022

Ms. Foster joined CAIS in 2022 after working as a librarian at The San Francisco School, San Francisco University High School, and Commodore Sloat Elementary. She also had a long career in nonprofit administration with local organizations such as First 5 San Francisco and the Brava Theater Center. She holds a Master in Industrial Administration from Purdue University and a Master of Library and Information Science from San José State University. In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding, yoga, camping, and relaxing with a good book.

Began at CAIS in 2010

Fu Laoshi has been at CAIS since 2010 and has been a lead teacher in the Preschool for the past eight years. Fu Laoshi finds working with young children challenging and satisfying. She enjoys watching their abilities develop and grow. In particular she enjoys seeing children with no Chinese background first become comfortable with Chinese and then really start using it to communicate. As an English language learner herself, Fu Laoshi knows that learning a second language is challenging. She is always so proud of how well our students learn at CAIS. Fu Laoshi likes to add music and movement into her classes and she believes this is a fun and easy way to learn a second language, especially for young children. It is her hope that all children will be happy in her class and learn Chinese.