Three new faces are being introduced to Pope John XXIII Central Catholic staff and students this school year.
Mark Vincent F. Pioquinto, who wishes to be called Mr. Mark, and John John L. Lausares, who wishes to be called Mr. John, have come to Elgin from the Philippines. Mr. Mark arrived in Elgin from Omaha on July 7th. Mr. John arrived in Elgin from Omaha on July 21. The third teacher that Pope John has hired comes from closer to home, Kara Seamann from Spalding.
Mr. John will be teaching music and chemistry. He has been teaching since 2004. Mr. Mark is the new English teacher, and he has been teaching since 2020. Mrs. Seamann, teaching since 2016, is assuming the teaching duties of Preschool. All three teachers are Catholic, and all three will begin working on August 7th, which is their first retreat to prepare for the school year.
Mrs. Seamann lives in Spalding with her husband, Jeremiah, and their dog, Nala. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education from UNL, a master’s certificate in Theology from St. Joseph’s College in Maine, and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Concordia. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, gardening, and baking. When asked if she was looking forward to start teaching at Pope John, Mrs. Seamann answered, “Yes. I’m very excited.” She was also asked what she anticipates most when she does start. She said, “Getting to know the families of Pope John and all of the students.” Along with these questions, she was asked if there is some excitement about meeting the preschoolers that she will be teaching. Her answer was a simple but emphatic “yes!” Mrs. Seaman, when questioned, noted her favorite part about teaching. “My favorite part of teaching is getting to see the kids have their ‘ah-ha’ moment, where all the pieces click and everything just falls into place.”
Mr. Mark is from Zamboanga City. Along with majoring in English, he earned his Bachelor of Secondary Education from Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology. In his free time, Mr. Mark enjoys playing badminton and volleyball, along with watching movies and TV series. He also explores new places, learns new languages, and “capturing moments through photos”, and is always eager to learn and grow with his students and colleagues.
Mr. John is from Zambales. He received a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, majoring in General Science, and a Master of Arts in Cultural Education. He has taught in the Philippines for 19 years. In his free time, Mr. John enjoys badminton, volleyball, cycling, trekking, and mountain hiking, along with other outdoor activities. He also leans towards the arts in his free time, doing sheet music arrangement, composing music, playing musical instruments, film scoring and sound design, macro and micro photography, behind-the-scenes stills, community theater and historical immersion, screenwriting or playwriting and story writing, and poster and advertisement designing.
Because Mr. Mark and Mr. John are both from different cities, they had different flight lengths. When asked how long each of their flights were, Mr. Mark answered, “twenty-three hours”, and Mr. John answered, “thirty-two hours.” When asked if Elgin was very different from their homes in the Philippines. Mr. John stated, “Elgin is a smaller town, but it’s very peaceful, and it’s very beautiful.” Mr. Mark added, “I think we’re used to a noisier town. Elgin is a culture shock, really, because in the Philippines, people are playing music at six (in the morning) through the afternoon, and here, it’s peaceful and quiet.”
Both Mr. Mark and Mr. John answered said that they, too, are excited to meet the students they will be teaching and to start working at Pope John. Mr. Mark said, “I don’t know how many months I’ve been waiting, but I’m really excited to start. We’re both so excited to learn from our principal, and from our students, too.” Mr. John added that “It’s what we’ve been dreaming of, especially in a place like this, so we are so lucky to be assigned here.” Talked turn to each’s favorite part of teaching. Mr. John said, “Giving my talents and expertise, and sharing what I’ve learned with my students.” Mr. Mark answered, “My favorite part of teaching is my students learning from me, because I’m thinking of a language barrier between my students and me, so I’m wondering if they will understand what I’m teaching.”
This will be the second year in a row that PJCC has hired teachers from overseas. A large part of the reason school are seeking staff from out of the country is because there has been a shortage of teachers. According to the PJCC principal Lisa Schumacher, the shortage of teachers is “not only in Nebraska, but in other states too. Why there’s a shortage of teachers? I don’t know. Hypothetically, it’s because there are fewer kids going into education, and I’m sure the rural area has something to do with it too.” Schumacher said they interviewed several people for all of the positions. “The Nebraska Department of Education has come up with lots of new programs to encourage youth to become educators and to give people multiple avenues to enter into teaching.”
