About
Marc
Marc began his teaching journey on San Juan Island in Washington State where he taught science and served as the athletic director and vice-principal. From there he made the jump to international schools and moved to Zhuhai International School in China. Following that he spent seven years in Hanoi, Vietnam, at the United Nations International School, where he was the Middle School Deputy Principal and then the Middle School Principal. Marc joined ASIJ's leadership team in 2020. Marc's wife Deborah is an early years teacher and they are joined at ASIJ by their sons Oskar and Charles. As a family, they enjoy travel, food, and sports.
We asked
him
a few questions...
What makes working in a middle school unique?
After having spent time as a high school and secondary administrator, I've been in middle schools for the past eight years and I really enjoy it. With students from about 11 to 14 years old, it is an incredibly transformational period in their lives. In fact, studies have shown that only from birth to about 3 years old is neural development greater. Middle school students are interested in everything and full of questions, opinions and curiosity. This is contagious and the adults in middle schools get energy from this age group. That's why middle school faculty are also a fantastic group! Relationships are key and building them with middle school students should be as important as what they are learning in your class.
Who is your professional hero?
Professionally there have been too many influences to single out just one. I became interested in the sciences when I was a young boy and some of that was due to my father, a great Middle School Science teacher, and my grandfather who was an amazing chemist. I had many teachers along the way that supported me unconditionally through High School and on into College. I've had opportunities to work with amazing faculty and administrators that have inspired me to always put our students first. Currently, I follow a diverse professional group from Brene' Brown and Neil deGrasse Tyson to Simon Sinek and Sir John Jones.
What excites you about living in Japan?
My family and I are most excited about a couple of things now that we are here in Japan. We really enjoy Japanese food. Finding udon, soba, sushi, and tonkatsu places with such long standing food histories will be a real treat. Learning the Japanese language. Both of our sons have decided to switch from Mandarin to Japanese and Deborah and I are both inspired to learn! Traveling around Japan is another facet we are excited about. Whether exploring a new area closeby, enjoying the seasons, or visiting beautiful natural and historic sites Japan has it all!