Our Teachers

Suzy Brown

founder and principal of the school, has an M.A. in Language and Literacy, a B.S. in Elementary Education, a teacher's certificate for grades 1 through 8, and a gifted and talented certificate.  Mrs. Brown has experience teaching in the public school system in Texas, USA, in several colleges, and at NLIS.  She loves teaching, and she loves the students!

Aiko Veale

is the assistant administrator of NLIS.  She is an experienced and licensed bookkeeper and caligraphy teacher.  She can answer any questions in Japanese and English.

Khristine Ilagan

teaches 1st grade. She has a BA in Elementary Education, an elementary teacher's certificate, a 120-hour TEFL (Teaching English) certification, and three years of teaching in an international Christian school in the Philippines. She is working toward a Master of Arts in Education English language teaching. She has also trained in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. 

Claudia Stadius

teaches 2nd grade.  She has a BS  in education and an elementary teacher's license.  She is an American with many years of teaching in Japan.  She pours herself into her teaching, and the students learn much from her.  She also watches the after-school time with the children.  

Sue Yi

teaches the 3rd and 4th grades. She has a Master's degree in education, a BA in Elementary Education, a teacher's certificate, a 120-hour TEFL (Teaching English) certificate, a gifted and talented certificate, and 15 years of teaching in a public school in Chicago, Illinois. She also taught in Thailand for over two years. She loves teaching, and students love her! We are very blessed to have her at NLIS.

Christian Brown

teaches the 5th and 6th-grade classes. He has a BA in Communications from Dallas Baptist University and has many years of teaching in Japan. He is an American but was born and raised in Japan. He is a gifted teacher, and the students love his humor. He is very talented musically and teaches the ukulele to the classes.  

Jonathan Rasson

is an American from Colorado.  He teaches language arts and math to grades 7 and 8, social studies to grades 7 through 11, and the electives PE, psychology, and computer to grades 7 through 11.  He has a BS in Asian History and a Master's degree from Waseda University in international communication. For more information about Mr. Rasson, and a look at the subjects he teaches in junior high and high school, please look at his site: https://sites.google.com/view/jonrasson/home

Andrea Boko

teaches junior high and high school. She has a bachelor of secondary education with a major in English,  a secondary teacher's certificate, a 120-hour TEFL (Teaching English) certificate, and three years of teaching experience. She teaches English literature, writing, earth science, math, home economics, photography, and art. She hopes to start a class blog with the students. She is a young, vivacious teacher with lots of energy. We are truly blessed to have her join us!

Mrs. Tomoko Furuya

is a highly qualified and experienced Japanese teacher with a master's degree.  She teaches Japanese to the 3rd and  4th grade class.  She is a blessing to NLIS!

Mr. Naoyuki Furuya

is a highly qualified and trained language teacher.  He teaches the 7/8 class. We are thankful for him! 

Reiko Maruyama

has a Japanese for foreigners license, a kindergarten license, and an education degree.  She teaches Japanese to grades 1, 5, and 6.  She also teaches two after-school classes, one for Japanese as a Second Language and the other for more practice for our Japanese speakers.  She is a fantastic teacher, and the students love her!

Sumiko Matsuzaki

teaches Japanese to grades 9, 11, and 2nd grade.  She is a graduate of Yamanashi Eiwa University and is gifted in languages.  She speaks four!  She was an assistant teacher at Eiwa.  She is a great addition to New Life International School.

Yukiros Shinohara

is an assistant teacher. She helps with recess duty, in classrooms, with office work, and teaches the Japanese class for non-native learners.  She is a Japanese-Filipino who was raised in Japan. Her language ability is a great help to the parents and teachers, but her kindness is why the children love her. She is a wonderful asset to NLIS.  

Stephen Veale 

is the chaplain.  He teaches the children stories from the Bible every Friday.  He is an experienced teacher from New Zealand.  The students absolutely love "Chapel Guy."  

Kiyoyasu Kawaguchi 

teaches Eiken classes and ESL classes after school.  Mr. Kawaguchi is a highly qualified and experienced teacher with over 30 years of college teaching. 

Dr. Danny Brown

is our consultant for NLIS and pastor of New Life International Church. Dr. Brown is a full-time English teacher at Yamanashi Eiwa College. He has a B.A. in Religious Studies, an M.A. in Teaching E.S.L., and a Ph.D. in Foreign Language Education.