Naomi is in her 14th year of teaching internationally and is now proud to be part of her second Dwight School, having previously taught at Dwight School Seoul. She has taught in England, China, Thailand, South Korea, and is excited to now call Hanoi her home. Across these diverse contexts, she has developed a deep appreciation for how children learn best in different cultures while holding onto one constant, every child has a unique spark of genius waiting to be nurtured.
A Lesson That Stayed With Me
One of her fondest teaching memories comes from a Grade 7 science unit on forensics, where she and her students transformed the classroom into a crime scene, a simulated break-in. Students investigated by interviewing teachers who matched shoe prints and hair samples collected as evidence. The inquiry culminated in each learner writing a jailor’s report, explaining the crime, identifying the culprit, and justifying their conclusion using the scientific methods they had applied throughout the investigation. Experiences like this reflect Naomi’s belief in inquiry, creativity, and authentic, meaningful learning.
Spark of Genius
Naomi’s spark of genius is learning languages. She is currently studying Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, and has previously studied Thai and Korean. She loves seeing how languages connect, noticing patterns between them, and exploring how they open doors to new possibilities and opportunities. This passion for languages enriches her classroom, where she encourages students to be curious about the world, value different cultures, and see language as a bridge to global understanding.
Love for Lower Primary
Naomi loves teaching lower primary because it opens young learners to the world of language. She believes that when children learn to read, they begin to uncover parts of the world that were once hidden from them. When they learn to write, they gain a new voice, one that allows them to express their ideas, feelings, and creativity in ways they never could before. Helping students take these early steps as readers and writers is one of the most rewarding parts of her work.
Learning in the MakerSpace
Lower School learners love working in the MakerSpace, a place where they can build, cut, create, and explore with imagination as their only limit. Naomi’s class has used the space to design musical instruments, light-up creations, shadow puppets, and cultural artifacts that reflect their own identities. They have also connected the MakerSpace directly to their units of inquiry, such as when learners designed and sold keychains to deepen their understanding of market forces. For Naomi, the MakerSpace offers endless opportunities for learners to engage with the curriculum in hands-on, innovative, and meaningful ways.
Personalized Learning Philosophy
Every day offers a new opportunity for Naomi to personalize learning in the classroom. She sees each child as a unique puzzle, and believes that a key role of Lower School teachers is to discover what motivates, encourages, and excites each learner. She constantly considers the individual, how she speaks to them, how they might approach a task, and what support they need to feel successful before they even begin. Naomi believes that great teaching happens when we truly know our learners as young people: their strengths, their challenges, and their emerging identities. When students are understood deeply, they are better able to thrive.
