1 hr 12 min
Tokyo Alumni Podcast Episode 46: Anna Novik - Educator, Runner, Writer, Translator, St. Maur Tokyo Alumni Podcast
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- Education
Episode 46 (Episode 45 delayed to next week)
Anna Novic (St. Maur 2008)
International Educator / Writer / Runner
Anna was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1989 to a US Navy family. After spending the first 18-months of her life between Seoul and Vermont, her family moved (back) to Japan (her family had lived there before she was born) in 1992.
Following in her two older brothers’ footsteps, Anna attended local Japanese public school from Kindergarten through ninth grade. After finishing junior high, Anna’s mother, a professor at Keisen Women’s University in Machida, took a sabbatical to North Wales, where Anna experienced her first school with English instruction. By the time she got over the culture shock a year later, it was time to return to Japan. She attended Saint Maur International school from 2005-2008. She attended Harvard (C’2013), where she studied Sociology and Psychology. She completed the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program and has a Massachusetts teaching license in Biology.
In high school, Anna was best known for her academic and running career. She broke the Tama Hills Girls’ cross country record 2007 (it has since been broken, and rebroken…). At Harvard, Anna competed for the Greater Boston Track Club, setting personal bests in the 5k (17:53), 10k (37:30), half marathon (1:23:05) and the marathon (2:56:23).
Anna returned to Japan in 2013 and has been teaching IB Biology and General Science at Saint Maur ever since. She is also a member of the college guidance team and coaches cross country. She has been a bilingual IB examiner since 2016.
Outside of education, Anna works as a translator, researcher, and writer. She is working on a novel, which she hopes to finish before she is 80.
She lives in Hayama with her two cats, dog, and partner. She continues to train and race competitively with the hope of running an Olympic Trials Qualifier (2:45:00).
Episode Summary
0:43 - Introduction
2:50 - Annas Book
5:27 - Maintaining a high level of writing in both English and Japanese
13:35 - Attending a Japanese public school and being the only "Yankee" at a school in Wales
24:50 - How Anna as an educator sees her experience as a student affect her management of a heterogeneous classroom
34:35 - Tama Hills, Olympic Trials Time and Kanto Plains Cross Country with the St. Maur Cross Country Team
51:44 - The IB program
1:04:40 - Anna and St. Maur
1:10:30 - What is to come in Annas life in the next few years
Episode 46 (Episode 45 delayed to next week)
Anna Novic (St. Maur 2008)
International Educator / Writer / Runner
Anna was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1989 to a US Navy family. After spending the first 18-months of her life between Seoul and Vermont, her family moved (back) to Japan (her family had lived there before she was born) in 1992.
Following in her two older brothers’ footsteps, Anna attended local Japanese public school from Kindergarten through ninth grade. After finishing junior high, Anna’s mother, a professor at Keisen Women’s University in Machida, took a sabbatical to North Wales, where Anna experienced her first school with English instruction. By the time she got over the culture shock a year later, it was time to return to Japan. She attended Saint Maur International school from 2005-2008. She attended Harvard (C’2013), where she studied Sociology and Psychology. She completed the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program and has a Massachusetts teaching license in Biology.
In high school, Anna was best known for her academic and running career. She broke the Tama Hills Girls’ cross country record 2007 (it has since been broken, and rebroken…). At Harvard, Anna competed for the Greater Boston Track Club, setting personal bests in the 5k (17:53), 10k (37:30), half marathon (1:23:05) and the marathon (2:56:23).
Anna returned to Japan in 2013 and has been teaching IB Biology and General Science at Saint Maur ever since. She is also a member of the college guidance team and coaches cross country. She has been a bilingual IB examiner since 2016.
Outside of education, Anna works as a translator, researcher, and writer. She is working on a novel, which she hopes to finish before she is 80.
She lives in Hayama with her two cats, dog, and partner. She continues to train and race competitively with the hope of running an Olympic Trials Qualifier (2:45:00).
Episode Summary
0:43 - Introduction
2:50 - Annas Book
5:27 - Maintaining a high level of writing in both English and Japanese
13:35 - Attending a Japanese public school and being the only "Yankee" at a school in Wales
24:50 - How Anna as an educator sees her experience as a student affect her management of a heterogeneous classroom
34:35 - Tama Hills, Olympic Trials Time and Kanto Plains Cross Country with the St. Maur Cross Country Team
51:44 - The IB program
1:04:40 - Anna and St. Maur
1:10:30 - What is to come in Annas life in the next few years
1 hr 12 min