Heather McGadie, Mgr.
"Not in doing what you like but in liking what you do is the secret of happiness."
J .M. Barrie
Heather McGadie was born and raised in a country where the native language has always been considered a ticket to almost anywhere in the world. I believe we should never be so presumptuous as to think knowing one language is enough. That's why I made a point of learning another language as a teenager, and have continued to add knowledge of others ever since. I believe communicating with people from different cultures in their language is key to gaining an insight into and a feel for those cultures, quite apart from simply showing respect and empathy for our hosts or guests. A language is so much more than just a collection of words and phrases - for me, it's the rich expression of heritage, culture, colourful, patterned landscapes of emotion, knowledge, creativity, psychology, philosophy…the only other area in which I personally find such similar riches are in the arts, which is why I am so happy to be part of Artion…
Heather McGadie was born and raised in Scotland, studied French language, literature and culture at The University of Aberdeen, including one year teaching in a Breton secondary school and culminating in a Masters degree. She then taught English for two years at the Savoy University in the French Alps, where she gained extensive and valuable experience of teaching English as a foreign language. Subsequently, she realised a dream and spent two years studying contemporary dance pedagogy and dance in the community, a part-time course at London's Laban Centre for Movement and Dance, and gained a Professional Diploma in Community Dance Studies. Concurrently, she taught French and English part-time to young people. Contacts made at dance school led her to move to the Czech Republic, where she participated in several dance theatre projects, teaching, performing and writing in both Prague and Scotland for 12 years, but always teaching English in parallel. As well as translating a wide variety of texts, many for theatre, academic and arts contexts for 18 years to date, she has now been teaching English in universities, state and private primary schools and to adults in their workplaces, for over 25 years. She currently teaches the secondary level at Jeden strom community school, Černošice, after-school groups and Mifun children's choir, employees at AMU in Prague and individual students - both young and older adults.
Important Milestones
in Heather's Career:
in 1994 she gains a Master of Arts degree from the University of Aberdeen
in 1994 she gains her first full -time employment position, on a two-year exchange programme, as a lectrice at Universitě de Savoie
in 1996 she embarks on the Community Dance Studies diploma course at Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London
in 2003 and 2004 she is awarded Ministry of Culture and City of Prague grants to create two performances with Czech-based dancers and artists
in 2014 she collaborates on the Albi interactive children's book "Hravá angličtina"
in 2016 she begins cooperation with Jeden strom community school, Černošice
in 2019 she begins cooperation with AMU, Prague
A nyní je v Artionu...