Sakura Mya
Many of you may already know them already, and even if you don’t, the faces and names may be familiar, but here’s a closer look at our two new high school teachers this year!
Ms. Mary Kawamura (Physics 8th-12th Grade)
Ms. Kawamura was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she was raised and went to high school. Later, she went on to study civil engineering at the University of Waterloo. As a child, she was to be studious in which she says she was thankful for as it allowed her to pursue her career, travel the world, and so on. “Studious” also meant outside academics, as she played the piano and had lots of lessons and band practice times. Other instruments she took pride in playing included the cello and the trumpet. Ms. Kawamura also had her share of interest in sports like volleyball and basketball, but after she broke her finger in the latter sport, she was encouraged to quit basketball in order to continue her budding performance in the piano. One of her greatest accomplishments is taking part in the Royal Conservatory, and earning an Associate of the Royal Conservatory (ARCT).
As a side hustle, she used to work at Saint John Ambulance as a cadet where she spent restless hours being taught first aid and training. From then onwards, she had done lots of tutoring and had believed that teaching had always been in her. She had incredible passion in the field of engineering but wanted to bring contribution to the subject as a teacher. Since then, she had been teaching and it has been about 20 years since she took up this field.
As for her hobbies, apart from pursuing music, she is an “avid K-drama watcher.” She likes listening to K-pop and J-pop but these days she leans towards classical music because it aids in focusing on her work.
She advises the students of Saint Maur to really get as much as out of high school or grade school, since opportunities aren’t always accessible and open as they would be now. She wants you to try new things without being in any way, let down or discouraged.
Mr. Rob White (HS English)
Mr. White grew up in a small town in Nova Scotia and the population was as few as five-thousand. He had a big family, with a total of six brothers and sisters. Mr. White says that his kind family relationship shaped his childhood.
He worked in Canada for 17 years as a public school teacher and mostly worked in the high school department. However, in 2003, he came overseas and decided to teach internationally. He had his stays in Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and then came back to Japan. He recalls the first time he arrived in Tokyo: “Should we scramble with the contrast? There were more people at the stoplight than the people that live in my hometown.”
He also states that he found his schooling experiences interesting, whether it was in Canada or in Asia. It was a chance to see a lot of different ways of doing things,” he says.
As for his interests, he likes watching sports, especially American Football. He says on Mondays, he’d have to stay off the internet to not spoil the scores because he can’t watch it live, and when he would get home to watch, that’s when the fun would begin. Another one of his hobbies is that he enjoys reading. “English teacher… reading…,” quite humorously he says.
Mr White’s advice to the high school students would be to be open to new experiences. He says that people can be convinced that life was going to be shaped a particular way but oftentimes it isn’t. He asks you to not be disappointed and to be accepting when things don’t go as planned, such as colleges and jobs, and that new findings play a crucial and important role in life.
I hope this article made you learn a thing or two about the teachers and if you haven’t already done so, be sure to drop by and greet them!