Jacobs Teaching Fellowship

Christelle Lonez

International School of Geneva

Christelle’s 24 year career as an educator has taken her from her native Belgium to Louisiana (USA), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Lilongwe (Malawi), and most recently to Geneva (Switzerland) in 2015.  These experiences have enabled her to gain wide-ranging perspectives on educational best practice around the world.

Early in her career, Christelle taught French in Louisiana public schools for the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), whose mission is to support and grow Louisiana’s francophone communities through scholarships, French immersion and various community and language skill-building programmes.  This experience impacted her professionally and personally, increasing her existing belief in the power of language learning and caring relationships. Over the years, she has become a passionate advocate for international education, inclusion, language learning and education for peace, knowing the impact an education can have for success in life.

Currently she is a School Principal at the Ecole Internationale de Genève (Ecolint), the world’s first international school, driving innovation through student-centred decision making and a focus on inclusive education, inquiry-based and experiential learning.

As a Jacobs Foundation fellow she is thrilled about developing and enhancing her knowledge of Early Childhood Education, based on up to date research, and looks forward to integrating innovative educational practices in her practice and that of her teaching team, with the aim to make her school an even better place for its students.