Welcoming New Faculty to Our Community

9/10/2025

On the last day of New Faculty Institute (NFI), our newest faculty members found their rhythm — literally.

At the School’s five-day orientation for new teachers and staff, middle school music teacher John-Alec Raubeson challenged the group to embrace unpredictability and step outside their comfort zones.

“I gave a quick lesson on writing music notation for drums, then everyone wrote a beat to play on the drum kit,” he said. “Just like I do with my seventh graders, I set up two drum kits. Participants could be brave and play the full drum kit or choose the more accessible option of playing one of the individual components of the kit, like the hi-hat, snare, or bass drum.”

New middle school English teacher Mitsuki Nishimoto jumped right in. “I grew up playing music, but this was the first time I felt comfortable making mistakes and being messy with it, especially in front of a group,” she said.

“New teachers think deeply about the experience of being a student at Masters, and so it is valuable and exciting to create moments where they are, doing and learning in the way that Masters students do, which is really joyful,” said Jason Hult, dean of teaching and learning, who leads the NFI program.

The week was filled with all things Masters: Harkness learning, campus tours, primers on classroom technology and a panel discussion with student leaders.

William Jin ’26, senior class co-chair, participated in the student panel. “It was nice to meet the new teachers and hear all about their thought processes and ideologies,” said Jin, who was reminded of his own experience when he entered Masters in ninth grade. “It’s interesting to hear what faculty think.”

Upper school math teacher Arlene Casey, who also serves as NFI's pedagogical coach, described the learning process as a two-way street: “NFI gives us the chance to share a lot of information, but it also creates time to talk as teachers about what goes on in our classrooms. I always take away lots of nuggets from those conversations, too.”