Kanako Suwa
諏訪 佳奈子

About me

Dedicated & passionate educator of multilingual learners. Japanese, Third Culture Kid & proud alumna of international schools. Born, raised, and educated in Japan, Taipei, and Boston. Fluent in Japanese and English, conversational in Mandarin. 

Currently working as the EAL Coordinator for Chaing Mai International School.

TwitterInstagramLinkedIn

Teaching Experiences

August 2022 - current: Chiang Mai International School

August 2017 - June 2022: American International School Vietnam

Education History

2019 - 2021: Endicott College, Boston, MA, USA

2013 - 2017: Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

2010 - 2013: Doshisha International High School, Kyoto, Japan

2005 - 2010: Taipei American School, Taipei, Taiwan

Media Appearances & Community Involvement

The Coming Out Monologues - a monologue in which queer educators reflect and share their stories. 

In this episode, I reflect on coming to terms with my queerness, having an Asian family, and how COVID19 travel restrictions helped me feel more secure in my identities. 

Identity Talk for Educators Live with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah

Kanako Suwa shares her life as an international educator and her journey as a third culture kid living in Japan, Taipei, and Boston.  She also breaks down the nuances and complexities that she has experienced in her identity journey as a queer, multilingual Japanese woman.


AIELOC Webinar: LBGTQIA+ and International Schools


In this community webinar, Sulwyn Garcia and I share what it's like working as queer teacher in international schools and make suggestions towards queer inclusive practices.

Where Are You From podcast with Michael Sullivan

In this episode, Mike and I chat about our Third Cultlure Kids experiences and my journey to becoming an international educator, as well as my identity as a queer woman.

the way home podcast with karen

In this episode, we discuss supporting tcks at school, having difficult conversations with our parents, and defining home as something more than a location.

Bonus episode with Michael Sullivan!

In this bonus episode with Mike, we talk about how parents can support TCKs / queer TCKs better in their homes and during transitions.

Global Cktizens interview with Calvin

In my first ever interview, Calvin and I chat about my upbringing as a Third Culture Kid and how I ended up in Vietnam as an international educator.

English Language Learning Specialists in Asia (ELLSA)

x
Special Education Network and Inclusion Association (SENIA)

TCK Global

EduSpark

Website Navigation

Teaching Resources

Professional Development

Blog

DEIJ Resources

Learn about things!

Gallery

College TikToks

Kanako's TCK Story