Local couple takes teaching to Thailand

LISA ADAMS/The Acorn GETTING READY TO GO ABROAD - Oak Park High School English teacher and associate student body advisor Daisy Mastroianni, right, and her husband, Scott, will be leaving to teach in Thailand for two years. The International School Service recruited both to teach abroad. Scott teaches in Thousand Oaks.

Scott Mastroianni, 29, a Thousand Oaks High School math teacher and assistant baseball coach, and his wife, Daisy, 28, an English teacher and associate student body advisor at Oak Park High School, have accepted positions to teach at the International School Eastern Seaboard (ISE) in Thailand.

The opportunity and ultimate decision to move was made over one weekend in early June. For Scott, this will be a major lifestyle change.

But not for Daisy.

Daisy’s father coached professional baseball in Japan from 1989 until 1993 and she, along with two younger sisters and a younger brother, attended an international school there.

Daisy started her freshman year of college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, then attended an international college in Japan for one semester of her sophomore year before transferring back to Cal Poly to complete her college education.

"I visited (Japan) every spring for three weeks and went back every summer. It was an outstanding experience," Daisy said.

Scott graduated from California Lutheran University with a degree in history.

Before teaching math this past year at TOHS, Scott taught math at Colina Middle School and coached baseball at Westlake High School. He also taught college prep math and coached baseball at Chaminade, a private school in the San Fernando Valley.

Daisy believes that by living in Japan she became far more immersed in their culture and traveled much more than if she’d simply been a tourist. She even vacationed in Thailand while living there.

According to Daisy, her family made lifelong friends in Japan and kept in touch with them, including one particular friend of her parents who recently came out of retirement to take a position as superintendent of ISE.

"At the last minute their enrollment went up, so he called us first. He knew we might be willing to do this," Daisy said.

According to Scott, the ISE has 30 different nationalities, and while only half the students are American, all classes are taught in English.

This was a big plus for Scott since he knows only a little Spanish. Daisy can speak Japanese.

While Daisy will continue to teach English, Scott will teach a variety of subjects.

"It’s ironic that I won’t be teaching any math for the first year," Scott said.

According to information the Mastroiannis have received so far about their new school, the majority of ISE students are children of executives who work for Ford, Nissan, Nestlé and Opel.

Both Scott and Daisy have great relationships with their students here and often converse via e-mail. While they’ll miss their students and friends, they’re confident they will continue to visit via e-mail and maybe even have some visitors.

Daisy’s father continues to travel as an international scout for the Seattle Mariners, so there’s a good chance he’ll be visiting.

And Daisy has already made arrangements with a teacher at Oak Park High School to travel as a chaperone to Thailand and bring along some of her students for a visit next summer.

"I can be their tour guide and the kids can camp out on our living room floor," Daisy said.

Daisy believes that there are only so many opportunities to travel and that people should grab them when they can.

"People get caught up in their own little world and forget that there is an enormous world out there to see," she said.

The Mastroiannis signed a two-year contract with ISE and Daisy in particular feels it’s a shame that their 20-month-old daughter, Jennifer, won’t be old enough to appreciate the experience.

For Scott, who hasn’t traveled outside the United States other than Mexico, this was an opportunity he just couldn’t pass up.

Among some of the benefits Scott mentioned is the fact that ISE is a brand new school and it’s an excellent opportunity for any teacher who wants to experience world travel–and get paid to do it. In most cases, the salary is comparable to living here, but it’s tax-free income in an area that has a low cost-of-living.

"The benefits are unreal," Scott said. "And the cost of living is a lot less expensive than the Conejo Valley," he said.

Daisy gave a few examples. A five-course meal for a party of four costs about $8 in Thailand.

Besides his interest in baseball, one of Scott’s all-time favorite hobbies is playing golf.

"And it just so happens we will be living on a golf course,’’ he said. ‘‘What an easy sell."