Foreign Faculty

Jamie Yvon Dumas

Mr. Dumas was born in Ontario, Canada and grew up in Thunder Bay. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in geo-archeology, a bachelor’s of arts in geography, and an English teaching certificate, TESOL, from Oxford Seminars in Victoria, British Columbia.

Through his earlier work as a geologist, Jamie had the opportunity to travel around the world. It was his love of travel and desire to experience new cultures that eventually brought him to Asia to teach English as a second language.

Before joining the YuDa team, Mr. Dumas taught English and science at the high school level for three years to students in an English immersion program. At Hainan YuDa, he continues to distinguish himself as a highly dedicated and talented educator with an excellent understanding of students' needs.

Laura Louise Gehring.

Miss Gehring was born in British Columbia, Canada and grew up in Calgary. She holds a bachelor's of arts degree in English from Canterbury University in Australia and a certificate in teaching English as an official second language (TESOL) from Oxford Seminars in Victoria, British Columbia.

Prior to joining the faculty at Hainan YuDa, Laura taught ESL students in Asia for three years as well as English, math, and science in an intensive English program for two years prior to that. Miss Gehring has always wanted to be a teacher and this lifelong desire is clearly reflected in both the level of enthusiasm and skill she brings to all her classes at Hainan YuDa.

Daniel R. Mooney

Daniel Mooney, a native of Alabama, USA, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Auburn University with a bachelor of science degree in finance and was a member of the National Dean's List from 2002 through 2005.

Immediately upon graduation, Dan decided to try his hand at teaching and moved to South Korea where he worked as an English teacher for three years. During this time, he taught all four language skill sets, i.e., reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as well as business courses to adult students.

Mr. Mooney has distinguished himself as a highly effective and enthusiastic teacher and earned sterling letters of recommendation from his employers. Dan joined the faculty of Hainan YuDa in February 2009 where he has continued to demonstrate excellence in teaching, quickly becoming a favorite among his students.

Chris Ennis

Chris Ennis, a native of Ireland, attended the City of London University where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in accountancy. Shortly after graduation, he joined a Canadian insurance company where he worked for 20 years as an investment manager specializing in international investment.

In 2001, Chris decided to retire early and move to China where he worked as a foreign English teacher at Jiaotang University in Nanchang. Realizing that he had made the right decision by moving to China, Mr. Ennis decided to relocate to Haikou where he has lived since 2002. During this time, Chris has held several positions teaching listening, speaking, reading and writing skills to students of all ages and, in February 2009, Mr. Ennis joined the faculty of Hainan YuDa.

During his time in China, Chris has earned a reputation as a very successful and serious teacher, one who is respected and admired by all his students. Hainan YuDa is proud to welcome this seasoned teacher.

Debbie Claassens

Mrs. Claassens earned her diploma in nursing science in 1990 and worked in the medical profession as both a nurse and a healthcare administrator before relocating to China with her family in 1999. Debbie earned considerable post-secondary teaching experience in Dalian and Harbin, China, before joining the faculty at YuDa in August of 2003.

Mrs. Claassens is particularly talented with our primary school age students as she is able to offer the same level of dedication, caring, warmth, and patience to her young pupils as she had previously provided to her patients back home. Debbie is especially gifted at approaching the less interesting topics of grammar and sentence construction in a relaxed and engaging manner by integrating those lesson points into fun and exciting games.