"Well it IS a private school..."

...said a student I talked to at TAS. But have you ever even heard of a private school with both AP and IB programs, an indoor rock climbing wall, an Olympic sized swimming pool, and honor societies for at least 8 different nationalities?

Since I haven't had the opportunity to post for some time, I'm going to go ahead and give everyone a quick overview of what I have been up to at Taipei American School, the school I have the opportunity to observe/student teach at while I'm here in Taiwan. If you want to know more about the school, here is the official website: http://www.tas.edu.tw. I've been working with Mrs. Rowe, an eighth grade Humanities teacher at the school.

This school is incredible! The students are incredibly thoughtful, intelligent, and eager to learn. Whenever we talk to each other after school, there are countless stories of overhearing students discussing politics, literature, and even math outside of class! Just the other day, I overheard two students in a heated discussion about the political situation in India while they were at lunch. In fact, the school has to establish rules to force students to put their laptops away (each student in the Middle School and Upper School has their own school laptop) and get some fresh air during breaks, or students would probably spend all day studying. Many of these students have set goals to attend Ivy League schools, so academics are of utmost relevance and importance to them.

Perhaps the most astounding part of the school is the amount of quality extracurricular opportunities that the students have! Even in Middle School (the level I'm working with this month), kids can participate in Model United Nations, many different styles of dance classes, Toastmasters (public speaking), cooking club, breakdancing club, drama, community service club, and many other activities. The opportunities in the Upper School are even more extensive! The funny part of all of this is that the kids here don't seem to realize that it's abnormal to work on group projects via internet, to receive electronic worksheets while sitting at their desk, or to be able to special order a protein shake from the Fitness Cafe on their way to gym class.

No wonder teachers love to teach abroad! This school is amazing, and teachers live very comfortably here compared to in the United States. While I'm not sure that I could stand to live so far from home, it's definitely a great option for teachers who love to travel!