Introducing Ms.Jacobson
This week, St.Mary’s has welcomed Ms.Jacobson, a visiting teacher from the Hutchins School, an all-boys school in Hobart, Tasmania. Her connection between her school and St.Mary’s started last year, when the Titans soccer team visited the Hutchins school last year. During her visit, she observed multiple classes and interacted with students and teachers.
Ms.Jacobson has been working as a teacher for 8 years now, primarily teaching elementary and some middle school grades. As stated above, she works at the Hutchins School, an all-boys school located in Hobart, Tasmania, established in 1846.”If a teacher is away, rather than calling in a substitute, I can cover that class or specialist lessons.” She currently works as a cover teacher, a position that allows her to teach students from kindergarten up to grade eight. She has previously worked at an IB school in Australia, but explained that this is her first experience working at a boys’ school. She arrived in Japan on September 30th to visit her sister and brother-in-law, who currently live in Japan, and to visit St.Mary’s. Before coming to St.mary’s, she enjoyed sightseeing, and especially enjoyed her visit to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Her connection between her school and St.Mary’s started last year, when the Titans soccer team visited the Hutchins school last year. She got to know Mr.Chan, the high school learning support teacher at SMIS, through the Round Square, an organization connecting over 200 international schools across the globe. Led by Mr.Chan, the high school learning support teacher, and Mr.Ratzliff, the elementary school principal, she has spent four days at SMIS, interacting with both students and teachers.
School environment and education in Australia and SMIS
When asked about her first impressions of St.Mary’s, she stated that “It gives the impression of being an elite school—the area is beautiful, with lots of nature and well-organized buildings. My school back home was established in the 1800s, so it’s over 100 years old. It’s interesting to compare that with the modern layout here.” When she first visited the school, she felt a very welcoming and inclusive atmosphere among everyone.
One key difference between the Hutchins School and St.Mary’s is the learning curriculum. She explained that her school follows the Australian Curriculum, ACARA, while this school uses the IB curriculum. “Personally, I prefer inquiry-based and hands-on learning, which the IB encourages. I’ve worked at an IB school before and loved it. Many Hutchins staff come from IB backgrounds, so we try to include inquiry projects where possible, even though we must still follow ACARA. When asked about future goals, she would like to visit more schools and work abroad as a teacher for a certain period of time. “I am a permanent staff member there, which means that I can take a year’s sabbatical, where I can work away somewhere for a year. My plans are for the future, where I would like to work at an international school, such as this, in Japan or China. That’s my hope for the future.”
Overall, Ms.Jacobson’s visit to Japan and St.Mary’s allowed her to gain new insights and perspectives towards teaching and global education, as well as fostering a stronger relationship between the Hutchins School and St.Mary’s.
