Venturing into the literal wild, new staff leave the safety of their monkey-less roads and tackle the great unknown we call Woodstock. The Woodstocker caught up with some of them to chronicle the first chapter of their adventures.
“I thought it was just the school for me,” said Ms. Loubna, the new Upper Years French teacher, on why she came to Woodstock.
The French woman, who spent the last three years in Sri Lanka, often took trips to India. It is through these escapades that she knew she wanted to teach in the country.
“Plane! Taxi!,” she said with a smile, about what brought her to Woodstock. “Okay, on a serious note, I looked for schools, found out about this one and just came for the interview,” she said.
She already loves some things about this school, like the relationships that one makes. “I have never worked in a boarding school before and it’s interesting to see how people bond in this environment,” she said.
A question that makes her ponder is the place of her affiliation. She identifies herself as French “because [she] is a French national, born and brought up there.” However, as her parents are from Morocco, she feels “attached to the place.” An avid traveller, she often says, “I am from all over the world.”
Her hobbies include baking, writing -short stories to be particular- and photography.
While introducing herself at the opening assembly, Ms. Loubna told the school that she has a “hidden talent,” which she would only disclose as she gets to know people. Once asked about it, she contemplated it, and then decided that she would reveal it through The Woodstocker.
She said, “I love to sing; I sing a lot but not in front of everybody. I need to be in a very safe environment to sing.”
Ms. Loubna is looking forward to teaching as that is something she “loves doing the most, just like being in a classroom with students and sharing with them.”
She said her goal for this year was to, “survive,” to the end. She then quickly added, “Just kidding! Teaching the Diploma Program is something I was always interested in and want to make sure that I match with the requirements.”
She also hopes the school will allow her to start teaching Arabic as that is something “she has always wanted to do.”
“I just love being here,” she concluded.
Photo by Mikko Aoki Liu
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