New Teachers in 2023-24!

In the 2023-24 school year, we give a hearty welcome to nineteen new teachers from KG, ES, MS, and HS. Among them, I will introduce eight new teachers: Mr. Jimenez, Dr. Reimer, Ms. Stuchlik, Mr. Haworth, Ms. Loke, Ms. Tomita, Ms. Ching, and Ms. Chee. 

 

Kyle Jimenez (He/Him): Art 
To start off, we have Mr. Jimenez, who came from Phoenix, Arizona in the US. 

His favorite grade to give to students is 8—he loves inspiring students to push their limits and boundaries in their art-making and creative-thinking (💪). 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he teaches art because he wants to change the world. While acknowledging that it may be grand, he believes that he can do so by inspiring his students to embrace a greater appreciation of art and make impacts that reflect their love for it.

Lastly, he says that his room is always open for students to stop by and chat (but be mindful that you are making art).

 

Jon Reimer (He/Him): Drama
Dr. Reimer (Gemini, Rat, INFJ, Ravenclaw, and Chokai) came from Allentown, Pennsylvania in the US. After living in Japan for 7 years, he went back to the US to earn his MFA (Master of Fine Arts) and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). Subsequently, Dr. Reimer returned to Japan and worked at ISSH last year as their Drama Teacher before coming to Seisen.

If Dr. Reimer were to write his autobiography, its title would be “Do By Do: a life of learning & experiencing from taking action & trying things.” “Do By Do,” which captures his risk-taking outlook, is a motto that he uses in rehearsals to encourage actors to try things out.

His most eccentric hobby, which is ongoing, is studying shamisen (traditional Japanese string instrument) with a musician sensei who plays in kabuki and bunraku theaters. 

Dr. Reimer teaches drama because he loves it (as is obvious from his degrees and hobbies). His dedication of all of his free time to directing or acting also reveals his ardent passion.

 

Laurie Stuchlik (She/Her): Math
Ms. Stuchlik is from the US, and she and her husband have lived in Morocco, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic. She has 2 children who are both in Kindergarten - Tulip and Violet.

If Ms. Stuchlick could live on another planet/star, she would like to live on one that has beautiful weather, has delicious food, and which forces her to go to bed early…Unfortunately for her, however, I’m not sure if this wonderland exists (or would ever be discovered before we all die). 

Ms. Stuchlik’s most eccentric hobby is doing Reiki (レイキ) Level 1 training, which is a form of energy healing. She loved it!

At Seisen, she is surprised that more students laugh at her bad jokes than she expected. 🙁

 

Chiaki Tomita (She/Her): Japanese 
Ms. Tomita was born and raised in Brazil, attending Japanese school until 9th grade and an American/international school until 12th grade. 

She seems to be capable of surviving through a zombie apocalypse—if she knows that it is happening, she would get gasoline and fire. She says, “ If I can get an automobile, I can escape further—and I assume that the zombies are flammable... or at least, I can make something warm for the last supper.” But, in reality, zombies might be fire-resistant. Who knows?

Her most eccentric hobby was solo traveling; she has done over 30 trips by herself to the US, Canada, Peru, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Czech, other East European countries, Sri Lanka, India, and so on! 

She teaches Japanese because she realized that literacy is not only essential to life, but also a valuable skill that enriches one's way of living. She wants to “share the joy of reading literature and learning languages.”

 

Rachel Ching (She/Her): Science
Ms. Ching was originally born in Tokyo, lived in Taiwan, moved to San Francisco Bay Area when she was two years old and grew up there, then lived in New York State, moved to San Diego and lived there for 20 years, and finally moved to Japan back again! 

I hope Ms. Ching’s health is fine—she wishes that she would have stopped aging at 39, because as soon as she turned 40, her body decided to start breaking down 🫠. “Vision, digestion, gums—all started going downhill…I feel like a device that slowly stops functioning correctly when the warranty expires or when the new model comes out.” Let’s cross our fingers and hope that medical technology reaches its apex before we are wiped out from the surface of this planet. 

In Japan, she has moments when she is taken back to previous times in her life—muggy summer vacations in Taiwan, navigating busy subway stations in New York City—being able to reminisce on times long past has been an unexpected comfort for her, especially during this time of so many new things.

 

Kate Loke (She/Her): Science
Ms. Loke originally came from Singapore, but she has been living abroad for the past 16 years—so, to her, Singapore is now more like a tourist destination. Before joining Seisen, she worked at another international school in Tokyo. 

Her husband is also a teacher and she has 3 kids who are attending Seisen and St. Mary’s. She thinks that she will probably be making Japan her home. 

Unlike Ms. Ching, if she is given the choice to stop aging at a certain age, Ms. Loke would choose to do so at her current age. She loves the warmth, stability, and freedom she’s enjoying now. Carpe diem!

Her most eccentric hobby is collecting paper shopping bags that are uniquely designed. 

Ms. Loke teaches because she loves sharing her knowledge with the younger generation…and also because the job keeps her young at heart. ;)

 

Ben Haworth (None): PE
Mr. Haworth came from Chicago, Illinois but has lived in Japan since the age of six. Mr. Haworth graduated from CAJ and has been teaching/coaching in various international schools in Tokyo for the last 20 years. Mr. Haworth is currently at Seisen to cover for Ms. Nienhaus, who is on maternity leave, teaching PE (physical education) and coaching basketball and volleyball.

Mr. Haworth's favorite grade to give to students is “of course the best possible grade available,” because it makes both the student and Mr. Haworth very happy. But, Mr. Haworth will only give them to those who deserve it—which seems to be a sad but justified trend among our new teachers. It would be great if we could all get 7s and 8s without studying. Hahahahaha. 

Mr. Haworth’s hobbies are playing sports and music, cycling, and hanging out with great friends to eat some good food.

 

Lydia Chee (She/Her): Religious and Cultural Studies
Ms. Chee was born and raised in Singapore and lived there before coming to Japan. 

If she were to be a song, she would be Wii Turn Up (Wii menu remix) and Ludovico Einaudi's Nuvole Bianche. What an interesting and confounding combination.

The most eccentric hobby Ms. Chee had was collecting rocks and small pebbles from spaces that she and her friend enjoyed being in and collecting them in a jar. The most memorable rock was one from the Holy Trinity Church at Stratford-upon-Avon—the site of William Shakespeare's grave.

On a last note, she would like to tell the Seisen community that she is a big fan of Japanese candies (the variety of candies is mind-blowing) and can do a perfect imitation of the Asian Koel's "uwu" bird call. She also loves bouldering and birdwatching. Feel free to ask her about her hobbies!

 

Conclusion
From the new information, we have now gained some new insights about these teachers. But, keep in mind that we have more new teachers not introduced in this editorial, and let’s make sure that we welcome them as well!