Meet Ms. Smith: Incoming Upper School Principal

If you visit our incoming principal’s office, the first thing you might notice is a collection of Wonder Woman figurines. 

For Ms. Smith, they represent part of her core educational philosophy. Among Wonder Woman’s repertoire of superpowers is her “Lasso of Truth.” That’s Ms. Smith’s pick for her own hypothetical superpower—not because she wants to finagle the truth out of anyone, but because she genuinely believes that honesty is where real change begins. “If we can really be honest about what we are saying and how we are feeling, that puts us at a great foundational starting place to actually make a difference,” she says. 

To make that difference, she firmly believes in student voice, remarking that “I really think it’s important that we hear how students are feeling and what they’re thinking, and I always want to be part of a solution.”

That warmth and openness run through everything about her, and she has been interested in education long before she formally entered the field. “My younger brother will say that he went to school at an early age because I would always make us play school at home,” she recalls, laughing. She has loved education ever since, and after 17 years as a high school principal, that excitement has not faded in any way.

Currently, she is most enthusiastic about coming to Taipei American School (TAS). It will be the largest school she has worked at, and it’s clear that she’s excited to get to know everyone. To achieve this, she hopes to foster an open and honest community. “I believe in a very open-door policy, but I don’t expect anyone to just walk through the principal’s door and sit down for a chat right away,” she laughs, adding with hope in her voice, “that’s where we’ll get to.”

In the past, she has bridged the gap between students and administrators by involving herself in student activities, and she does not plan to change her approach here. As she puts it, “I’ve always played a role in student government, … [and] throughout the years I’ve also been pretty actively involved in Model United Nations and Global Issues Network.” However, recognizing the difficulty in connecting with such a large community, she already has in mind a few additional ways to connect with the wider student body.

For instance, she plans to host forums during lunch or FLEX periods where students can come by and share their thoughts and experiences about the school. Ultimately, she hopes that through these sessions, not only will she learn more about the school, but the students will get to know her better. “In order for that to happen, I think that there needs to be a lot of trust that’s built. And that trust is two-way.”

That same warmth extends to how she views her role. Ms. Smith is quick to push back on the idea that principals ought to be the sole decision makers, implementing policies from above. “I think the misconceptions are that schools can seem to be very hierarchical places,” she explains, “and so by definition in a hierarchy, the people sitting at the top are perceived to always be the decision makers. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.” For Ms. Smith, a system works best when everyone is involved. “Ideally, what we want to create in a school is something a little more flat and less hierarchical, so that different voices can be heard.” 

Wonder Woman would definitely approve.

Meet Ms. Burger: Incoming Middle School Principal

What kind of relationship do you want to have with students at Taipei American School?

I am hoping to have a positive and mutually supportive relationship with students at TAS.  I want to be seen as a trusted adult who is approachable and accessible.  I hope that we can talk openly about ideas, challenges, and shared goals, all in the effort of building a stronger community.  Students should be able to count on fairness and consistency from me, and I will count on responsibility and integrity from them.  And along the way, I hope we have plenty of fun and find real joy in the work we do together.  

What do you enjoy most about working in education, and what made you want to become a principal in the first place? 

I think the best part of being an educator is that every day is focused on helping humans grow and develop.  As a middle school principal, I get to work with students who are going through one of the biggest periods of change in their lives, academically, socially and personally.  Students are discovering new interests, developing their sense of self, and gaining confidence in who they are becoming.  It’s a privilege to support them during this time.  I also get to laugh every day, be inspired by their creativity and drive, and genuinely have fun every day.

I wanted to move from teaching into administration after an experience early in my career when I served on a committee responsible for implementing a major schoolwide change. Seeing how our work positively impacted both students and teachers helped me realize that leadership at the administrative level allows for change on a broader scale. I was inspired by the opportunity to influence not just what happens in one classroom, but across an entire school community.

We often describe educators as superheroes. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be and why?

Hmmmmm … as an educator, I think I would want the ability to turn fear into courage or maybe the power to calm conflict, bringing people together in understanding. As a human, I think I would want to be able to teleport so that I could travel all around the world instantly.

Meet Dr. MacConnell: Incoming Lower School Principal

What kind of relationship do you want to have with students at Taipei American School?

That’s a good question. I would say a combination of all of those things. One of the things I really love about my job is being able to connect with students, even though I’m not the teacher in their classroom. Students at my current school come by and see me all the time or are really comfortable coming up and talking to me. If I’m outside during recess, standing at the front of the building, or even if they see me in the neighborhood, they aren’t embarrassed. It’s like, “Oh, hi, Ms. Kristen!” They’re excited to tell me about their weekend and what’s going on in their lives, and I’m really interested, too. I hope students know that I’m genuinely interested in who they are: not just how they do in school, but who they are, what they’re interested in, and what’s important to them. I also hope that students know I love student ideas. If students have ideas about how to improve something or they want to try something out, I want them to feel really comfortable coming and talking to me and sharing those ideas.

What do you enjoy most about working in education, and what made you want to become a principal in the first place? 

I think working in education is really amazing, especially when you get to work at a school where you see children grow from when they’re four years old in the lower school all the way until they finish fifth grade. You get to see so many important moments in their lives, like when they learn how to tie their shoes for the first time, when they lose their first tooth, when they learn how to read, or when they figure out how to solve a problem for themselves. Right now, we have kids in third and fourth grade who are solving their own friendship conflicts. Getting to see kids grow up, do all these things for the first time, and become more mature is a real privilege. I think it is a privilege to be a part of their lives that way and to be able to see the impact that teachers have on children as they’re growing and learning throughout their time in the school.

We often describe educators as superheroes. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be and why?

Well, one thing people have told me is that I am always in the right place at the right time. So, maybe that would be my superpower. A teacher will come around the corner and say, “Oh, I was just thinking I had a question for you.” Or I’ll be outside at recess, and a student will come running up. At my school, they call us by our first names, so they’ll say, “Oh, Ms. Kristen, I was just hoping I was going to see you!” I think that would be my superpower. I love being there to be able to help people solve problems or answer questions whenever they need it.