English Teacher
Joy Marcus
Joy Marcus was born north of the border, in London, Ontario, Canada. She is a dual Canadian/American citizen thanks to her mother, who was born in Amarillo, Texas. Foreign languages were woven into the fabric of Joy’s life from a very early age. Her earliest influence was her mother, who had first learned Spanish while living in Mexico, and then earned a BA in Spanish while Joy was still a child. As a result, Joy’s family grew up in close contact with many Spanish-speaking families who had immigrated to Canada from various countries. Joy’s lifelong love of languages, however, was truly kindled when her parents enrolled her in the French Immersion program offered in Canada’s public schools.
After completing her elementary education in French and English, Joy became interested in learning Spanish. In early adulthood, she interrupted her formal education to spend a year living in Chile. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience of cross-cultural living. Upon returning to Canada, Joy completed her Bachelor of Science Degree with Honors in Biology at the University of Western Ontario located in her hometown. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Education and immediately began working as a substitute teacher for the Thames Valley District School Board, where she gained invaluable experience teaching a variety of grade levels and subjects.
Two years later, Joy embarked on yet another journey of learning a new culture and language by moving to São José dos Campos, Brazil to work at Esfera Escola Internacional, an IB World School. Over the course of her time there, Joy was trained as a Primary Years Program teacher, and grew in her practice of inquiry-based learning while acting as lead English teacher in each of the primary grades. In addition, Joy served as a specialist library teacher for the first through fifth grades. Joy was delighted to play an instrumental role in getting her students excited about reading.
Joy is passionate about children and considers teaching a wonderful and incredible challenge. She is thrilled to continue growing professionally as part of the MIS community. In addition to teaching, Joy enjoys making new friends while exploring the culinary offerings of the South, running and biking Austin trails, and paddling on Lady Bird Lake.