Joanne King

MS English and Social Studies,
Drama Coordinator

Hi! I'm Jo King, and I teach Language Arts and World Cultures in Middle School. I am originally from the UK, and have been teaching overseas since 1993. As an undergraduate, I majored in English Language and Literature, with a minor in Education and French. I also hold a Masters degree in Human Rights with a focus on the Rights of the Child. I am a passionate advocate of education, and have known since Middle School that I wanted to be involved with education! As well as teaching, I have also worked as a television and video researcher and production manager; an assistant ranch manager; and an able seaman! Prior to coming to Ethiopia, I have lived and worked in Australia, England, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Nepal, and Thailand. I have also traveled and studied in Central America, Europe and South East Asia.

I am happily married to Enenetie Bayabil Gobeze and together we have been blessed with 2 beautiful children - Luca and Pascal.

I am also the Arts Coordinator at ICS, with a fierce belief in the right to play! I coordinate the fine and performing arts events at ICS, support teachers who want to use the arts in their in-class and extended curriculum courses, and run workshops on Learning through Drama. I produce and direct a number of drama performances at ICS each year, and am an active member of 2 out of school drama communities: Addis Stage and V-Day.

I am also a committed member of ISTA (the International Schools Theatre Association); have hosted an ISTA festival here at ICS in 2006; and recently completed a 1:1 ISTA training with Mike Pasternak in Geneva, Switzerland. I see drama and theater arts as important learning tools in all subject areas and incorporate them into all my courses. I also believe the arts are a powerful way to use your voice, and raise awareness about local and global issues.