My name is Lucy Balloch and I am the Reception Class homeroom teacher at VIS, this being my second year teaching at this school. I was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland and I spent a lot of time in nature with my family. I was encouraged to explore the world around me and to express myself creatively. From my late teens through my twenties I trained and worked with my father holding games sessions – mostly concentrating on “New Games” (non-competitive games encouraging cooperation, fairness and fun). This experience gave me the opportunity to work in many different settings with children and adolescents from a variety of backgrounds.
I took my degree from Edinburgh College of Art in Printed Textiles, spending a further year there as Artist in Residence, and shortly after graduating I worked in a primary school assisting in the art department. I first moved to Italy in 2007 for 2 years; having set up my own textiles business I collaborated with local fashion designers. I returned to Italy in 2019 working with children and adults in a language school as well as in a bilingual nursery. While working at the nursery I was offered the opportunity to run an “English Club” for 3-6 year olds. This club was based on learning through play and I was able to gather my experiences in games, arts and nature to create a curriculum which was stimulating and nurturing. I have found that these experiences have prepared me well to contribute effectively within the IB curriculum at VIS and I look forward to continuing to inspire students to become curious lifelong learners.