Further Introduction to the New Teachers: How are they Settling in?

 

Mr. Patrick: MS/HS Learning Support

Originally from England, Mr. Patrick has lived in Indonesia for three months, and in Malaysia for the past five years. His favorite hobbies include listening to music as well as playing the bass and guitar. Mr. Patrick has a wonderful family of three with his wife and daughter Lily. If he could travel anywhere in the world, he would like to return back to England where his extended family resides, so they could meet his daughter. What brought him to Seisen was its mission statement, and values, which he claimed were “very close to mine”. He also found living and working in Japan to be a “great privilege”, and that although moving here was “a bit crazy” due to quarantine, he has come to love Japan and Seisen. In the next few years, Mr. Patrick looks forward to running his own department and trying to adapt to the new culture. If he could describe himself in one word, it would be “passionate”.

Mr. Emerson: MS/HS Religion, TOK, Social Justice 

Although originally from South Florida, USA, Mr. Emerson has resided in many different areas of the US such as San Francisco. One of his current hobbies include learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a form of martial arts and combat sport. He has three younger sisters, and if given the opportunity to visit anywhere in the world, would travel to Turkey. When asked what his biggest fear was, he claimed to have “this really weird fear of pencils stabbing me and breaking off”, describing how “uneasy” that makes him feel. Mr. Emerson was especially excited to work abroad, and teach social justice among many other classes. He has found settling into Japan “really easy” with it being “such a nice and safe country”. He also claims to be having a great time at Seisen, expressing how welcoming everybody is. If Mr. Emerson could describe himself in one word, it would be “passionate – but more so than Mr. Patrick”.

Ms. Alatini: MS/HS Science 

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Ms. Alatini spent her high school and university years in California, and has been living in Texas for the past four years. Her favorite hobbies include weightlifting, reading, and most recently, “getting lost on the train” in Tokyo. Ms. Alatini has an older sister and younger brother, and though she does not have any pets, would like to own a cat. She has many great fears including frogs for “their sliminess” and “the way they hop”. Prior to moving to Japan, Ms. Alatini had been “looking for a change”, as she had always wanted to teach abroad. Surprisingly, she had heard about this job opportunity from our very own Religion and EAL teacher, Ms.Alo. Since moving, she has been settling in “pretty well”, claiming that “the students, teachers, and staff have all been super helpful and understanding”. Ms. Alatini is looking forward to the TEDx event put together by the HS students, and the various Seisen sporting events. If she could describe herself in one word, it would be “loud” above anything else.

Mr. Lawton: MS/HS Math 

Mr. Lawton was born and raised in England, and has lived in several other countries including Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Oman. His favorite hobby is cooking, though he has found it difficult since moving to Japan, stating that “not all the ingredients that I usually use are easily available here”. Mr. Lawton comes from a large family, being the youngest of seven children, and also owns one dog and three cats. His biggest fear is the fear of the unknown, claiming, “if I have experienced it, seen it, or somebody has explained it, no matter how dangerous it may be, that’s not such a problem to me; but if I don't know what is going to happen, that's often the scary thing”. Originally, Mr. Lawton was not planning to work at Seisen – in fact, his wife found an opportunity to work as a middle school principal at another international school, which led Ms. Rogers to contact him. So far, Mr. Lawton has been enjoying the atmosphere here at Seisen, remarking, “my colleagues and the students have made me feel very welcomed”. He admits that moving in during a state of emergency has been challenging, but nevertheless looks forward to settling in more comfortably once the pandemic subsides. If he could describe himself in one word, it would be “bald”.

Ms. Jimenez: MS Counselor

Ms. Jimenez grew up in Puerto Rico, and then moved to the Dominican Republic at the age of seven, later spending the majority of her career in Boston, Massachusetts. Her favorite hobbies include watching anime, traveling, and trying out new foods, “as long as it’s not an insect”. She has one younger and older sister, and one younger brother.. One of Ms. Jimenez’s biggest fears is heights, stating “I’ve done things with going high up but going down is always hard”. As for her ideal travel destinations, she would like to visit Europe, the UK, or Portugal where her husband’s family resides. Since coming to Japan, she claims to have felt that “everyone has been so welcoming and helpful not just with things related to school but even with things outside, like getting furniture for my apartment or where to go”. Ms. Jimenez is most looking forward to learning more about the different cultures at Seisen. If she could describe herself in one word, she would consider herself “reliable”.

We are very fortunate to have been able to welcome these five amazing teachers into our Seisen community. Despite the difficult circumstances these past few months, we are very excited to make new memories with the new members of our school in the next few years!!