It is the end of the school year which means that we will soon have to say goodbye to a few of our favorite teachers. This year, 7 middle school teachers are leaving and over the next 10 school days, The Direct Message will post an ‘Exit Interview’ that we conducted with each of these educators.
Check out all the Exit Interviews by clicking here: Exit Interviews
Mrs. Nicola Takizawa
Years at AES: 3 years (2015-2018)
Next Stop: The American School in Japan (ASIJ) Tokyo, Japan
Courses Taught: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced French and 6th grade EAL
What will you miss the most about AES?
“I will miss the warmth and friendship of this community. I will also miss those salted banana chips they sell at the Tiger Kiosk!”
What is the best part about being a teacher at AES?
“There are two “best parts” about being a teacher at AES: 1. The students. 2. The other teachers! I love the energy, creativity, curiosity and genuine enthusiasm for learning that everyone – students AND teachers – brings with them into school, every single day. I remember hearing before we arrived here that AES students are disappointed if they have to miss a day of school, e.g. due to illness, and was so pleased to find out that this really is true!”
What are your plans for next year and what are your thoughts about this next step?
“My family and I will be moving back to Tokyo in June. We will spend June and July settling into our new home and seeing family and old friends. My sons will be going into 7th and 9th Grade at ASIJ, so for all three of us August is going to be a month of many new beginnings. I am going to be an EAL and Literacy Support teacher at ASIJ Middle School. I will also get to have my own Advisory class again, probably in the 7th Grade. I am really excited about my new teaching position!”
How do you hope your students and colleagues will remember you?
“I hope everyone remembers me as a teacher and colleague who cared a huge amount about everyone. I’m always trying to be very organized, so I hope I am remembered for that, too!”
What message would you like to leave for the community at AES? “My sons and I have absolutely loved our time at this school and will leave with many wonderful memories. Thank you for being our friends, our teachers, our role models and for always inspiring us to do better. We entered AES to learn and we hope to be able to serve others well when we join the ASIJ community.”
What the students had to say.
Anoushka, Grade 8
What will you remember about Mrs. Takizawa?
“I will remember how laid back Madame Takizawa was but at the same time, she had complete control over the class. Although she made sure we did our work, she also made sure that we had fun.”
What is a funny or memorable story that you have about Mrs. Takizawa?
“One class we had to make Kahoots about French pronunciation and such. I remember that being a very fun class.”
What makes Mrs. Takizawa unique?
“Madame takizawa was unique because, I felt she understood children our age seeing as she has a son our age that goes to this school. She understood our humour and didn’t discourage it.”
Ayla, Grade 8
What will you remember about Mrs. Takizawa?
“I already knew her from being Ronan’s mom, but having her as a French teacher last year, she really understood all of us as students, and made the class a comfortable and safe environment for everyone. Not only did I learn a lot from her, but the students always felt connected in the class, which she enhanced by being engaging with us.”
What is a funny or memorable story that you have about Mrs. Takizawa?
“The World Language bake sale we did last year was really fun with Madame Takizawa, and she made it an enjoyable experience for all of us. Our French class was right after the bake sale, and for all the leftover food that we didn’t sell, we got to eat the rest in class. Events and activities like these were really fun and I will miss them a lot when she leaves. We also played Kahoot which I was very very very good at, and other games that I considered memorable.”
What makes Mrs. Takizawa unique?
“Madame Takizawa is unique because she was always so calm and engaging with us in class. I learned so much from her when I had her for French last year, and she was so patient with all of us no matter how difficult the class was to manage. You could tell she respected all of us as equals, and made an effort to make everybody feel good learning at their own pace. I am very sad she has to leave us this year, and I’ll miss her so much.”
Egor, Grade 8
What will you remember about Mrs. Takizawa?
“With Mrs. Takizawa, I will always remember her confidence in us as students in her Intermediate French class.”
What is a funny or memorable story that you have about Mrs. Takizawa?
“I’ll be brutally honest here: sometimes during class, student A would just whip out his iPad and start watching stuff about anything ranging from memes to Teletubbies and that just added to the atmosphere of the class which was oof.”
What makes Mrs. Takizawa unique?
“Mrs. Takizawa never allowed us to add memes to our presentations and so when someone did we’d say they weren’t memes just to get them to stay, but deep down she probably knew. She let them stay which made us all very grateful having her as our teacher.”