My name is Jeni Nelson, and I serve as the Head of Early Childhood Education (ECE) at BASIS Bilingual School Guangming Shenzhen. I began my teaching journey after earning a Bachelor of Education from Florida State University and a Master of Education degree from Southwestern Seminary in Texas. My husband and I have always shared a desire to connect across cultures, and this led us to international teaching roles in Kuala Lumpur, Doha, and Hanoi. It was in Vietnam that I found my calling: supporting students at the very beginning of their English language journey.
That calling eventually brought us to China. In 2021 we joined BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour, where I was the Chair of the English Language Learners (ELL) Department for two years. In our third year there, I opened the school’s first Kindergarten class. After choosing to delay retirement, I accepted the Vice Head of Primary (VHOD) role at BASIS Bilingual School Guangming Shenzhen, where my responsibilities largely focused on early childhood education. In the school’s second year of operation, my title formally changed to Head of ECE.
ELL Roots
My experience with English Language Learners deeply influenced my transition into early childhood education. I often return to a central question: how do you help a child who doesn’t speak English learn to speak English? That question guided my professional development over the years—through ELL certification programs, counseling coursework, and courses at the Principal’s Training Center in Miami. This ELL lens helps me offer practical strategies to our new teachers, and together, we empower our students not just to speak, but to find reasons to speak—to connect, ask, laugh, and grow.
Leading ECE
My primary responsibility is to oversee teaching and learning for our 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds, ensuring the teaching, curriculum, and learning environments meet BASIS International & Bilingual Schools high standards. I lead, observe, shepherd, and coach our faculty, and I collaborate closely with other school managers through weekly management meetings as we consider and solve issues facing our school.
A core part of my role is building strong partnerships with teachers and parents so every child experiences a nurturing, structured, and joyful start to school. The impact of this work is reflected in strong instructional quality, increased teacher confidence, and a cohesive ECE that supports both academic and social-emotional growth.
Through intentional coaching, I help teachers refine practice, elevate bilingual learning outcomes, and sustain classrooms where children thrive. My leadership and the excellent work of our teaching team contribute to smooth and consistent home-school communication via weekly newsletters and posts on our electronic portfolio Seesaw. Parent Perception Surveys indicate high family satisfaction.
This year, our Head of School, Dr. Mark DiFabio, inaugurated our Parent Academy program. To build and sustain trust, we offer monthly sessions for parents on topics including fostering and deepening oral language skills; acquiring a second language; strengthening bonds between parents and children; and using technology in appropriate ways, to name a few. Our sessions are well-attended, and parent feedback confirms that families feel informed and supported.
Opening a New Campus, One Relationship at a Time
Joining BASIS Bilingual School Guangming Shenzhen to help open this new campus was a unique opportunity to shape a school culture from the ground up. In that first year, we had a small number of classes, so I had the privilege of being in classrooms nearly every day. That daily presence helped me offer real-time support and connect deeply with teachers and students.
I welcomed new teachers by being there with a smile and asking how I could help them. I checked in regularly to see how they were doing and got to know them as people. We also made sure the classrooms were fully set up and stocked when the teachers arrived — the furniture, the cots, the technology, the supplies — everything was ready, so they could focus on teaching rather than logistics.
Dr. DiFabio describes our ECE as a well-oiled machine, reflecting the strong cohesion among our team of 10, who were strangers before joining BASIS Bilingual School Guangming Shenzhen. We have a great mutual respect and a common passion for working with our youngest learners.
When a teacher is absent, other teachers substitute without complaint, and as the only ECE administrator, it has been my pleasure to substitute when needed. Just before winter break, both our PreK-1 Subject Expert Teacher (SET) and Learning Expert Teacher (LET) returned to their hometowns due to family emergencies, and a small teaching troupe stepped in to bridge the gap, using the team’s meticulous, in-depth planning documents to deliver lessons in keeping with curricular goals. Having observed so often in the PreK classes, I had built relationships with students and knew the behavioral expectations, rituals, and routines. This is all thanks to BASIS International & Bilingual Schools’ requirement of daily observations and coaching conversations.
Building a Culture of Professional Growth
As a BASIS International & Bilingual Schools administrator, I’ve participated in professional trainings at our Chengdu campus and benefited greatly from monthly job-alike roundtables with fellow leaders across the network. These meetings have helped keep our schools aligned and were especially valuable last year as we refined report cards and implemented the EL (Expeditionary Learning) curriculum in our kindergarten classrooms. 
One of my biggest joys is co-teaching with our Kindergarten team during the daily EL block. After the SET presents whole group lessons, the SET, LET, and I each teach a small group of students. By co-teaching with the Kinder team, I support the implementation of this new curriculum model.
Throughout my leadership journey at BASIS International & Bilingual Schools, I have been guided by a group of experienced ECE Heads from our other schools, whose wisdom and input have helped me uphold the BASIS International Schools & Bilingual China brand. Cognitive coaching is a central part of professional development at BASIS International Schools & Bilingual China schools, and it’s given me a chance to shape and encourage the teachers as they mature in their craft.
I’ve read that you’re not a leader until you make a leader. I strive to empower teachers by listening to their suggestions, sharing decision-making, and treating them with respect and appreciation.
When I asked teachers what their ideal PD experience would look like, they unanimously said they wanted to observe other BASIS International & Bilingual Schools teachers in their classrooms. This feedback sparked plans to facilitate inter-campus classroom visits—an organic, peer-led model that aligns with our culture of shared learning. In December, BASIS Bilingual Kindergarten Nanshan and BASIS Bilingual Kindergarten Futian invited our teachers to participate in a combined Professional Development Day, offering a phenomenal, carefully tailored buffet of PD choices that no one school could have provided on its own.
The Power of a Mentor
When I think of the mentors who shaped my journey at BASIS International & Bilingual Schools, I have to mention Dr. Mark Wilkerson. His feedback, encouragement, and excellence as an instructional leader were pivotal when I opened the first kindergarten class at BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour. Although he would say I’m his mentor, he has it all backwards. The humility and mutual respect he shows his colleagues are qualities I try to bring into my own leadership.
Whether it is ensuring classrooms are fully stocked before teachers arrive, or simply greeting them with a smile each morning and an occasional cup of Starbucks coffee, I want teachers to feel supported—both as professionals and as people.
Advice for Aspiring Leaders
If you’re joining the BASIS International & Bilingual Schools network, my best advice is this: come with your experience, but don’t plan to use it all. Come with your experience and be open-minded, flexible, teachable, and coachable, and have fun. If you aspire to leadership, this is a place that will promote you. There are many opportunities for you to grow professionally and advance into managerial positions.
Jeni Nelson
Head of ECE
BASIS Bilingual School Guangming Shenzhen
Visit our careers website for more information about teaching with BASIS International Schools.
Watch the recording of our live webinar about teaching at BASIS Bilingual School Guangming Shenzhen on our YouTube channel.
