I am leaving SOIS and Minoh and Osaka and Japan to return to my hometown in Iowa, USA, where I will take on a new position as a high school English teacher. It was a difficult decision to leave a place I love so much. My professional career developed here. I got married and had a family here. I made so many international friends here.
I grew as a person here. I will miss SOIS and Japan very much.
My three grown children all live in Iowa now and my elderly mother needs someone to look after her, so being close to family is the main reason for our move. My wife and I want to start a new chapter in our lives, so off we go - leaving behind many great friends and fond memories. Don’t worry: I’ll keep in touch and visit as often as I can.
I’ve worked at SOIS since April 1994, about 28 years. I started as an SIS English teacher, and served a few years as the SIS English department chair, and I’ve taught SIS English the whole time. For 6 years, 2003-09, I was the OIS director of academic affairs (timetabling, grade reporting). For 8 years, 2003-11, I was the IBDP coordinator. Then,
for the past 11 years, 2011-22, I was the SOIS athletic director. For some years I was an OIS language support teacher. I was a homeroom teacher for both SIS and OIS, and I coached and refereed and led camps and read to elementary students and performed in school productions and helped build the SOIS School of Hope in Cambodia and did all the things all teachers do in a small learning community. It’s been fantastic.
What I love most about SOIS is my relationship with the students. My job was to teach students, but I feel like the students taught me so much more. One special group of students always were teaching me: the Sabers Sports Council (SSC) students. I will miss the SOIS students, faculty, and staff.
If you missed it, here is my “jumping jacks” send-off to the SIS student body. And I really enjoyed Eun’s OIS farewell speech for me.
Everyone has been so kind to me and my family. We hope you can visit us in Iowa someday. You can email me at [email protected].
Sayonara, for now. Be strong, Sabers strong. And go-ooooo Sabers!