The Blue and Gold interviewed all new Upper School teachers to help students get to know them better. Be sure to say hi if you see them in the halls!
Mr. Bauer – Foreign Language Department

Where were you before TAS?
I was at graduate school at UMass Amherst in Western Massachusetts.
What do you do in your free time?
Fitness, weightlifting, a lot of meditation, reading, studying Chinese
What are you looking forward to doing in Taiwan?
Getting involved in Chinese language teacher organization, learning about Buddhism, and going to temples, meditation temples, and monasteries
What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?
Whale bacon, rabbit head

Mr. Huang – Art Department

Where were you before you came to TAS?
I was a project manager for a Taiwanese consulting firm. I came back to Taiwan two years ago and worked with that firm, for ZARA Taiwan. I took a break from that and came to TAS where I worked as a lower school art assistant while setting up my own firm. I was ready to leave TAS, but there was the opportunity to teach architecture, so here I am.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to do a little bit of gaming, to relax, chill a little bit. I also like to do some drawings, read some design books. Also, I watch movies.
What would be your spirit animal and why?
I googled “what’s my spirit animal” and did a quiz on it. Apparently it’s a brown bear, like the one in the line stickers.

Mr. Walker – History Department

Where were you before TAS?
I was a social studies teacher and department chair at International Bilingual School at Hsinchu Science Park.
What’s the one thing in the world you wish could be in Taipei?
Chipotle.
What are your pet peeves?
Whining and asparagus.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
A pig’s eyeball.

Ms. Rhee – History Department

Where were you before TAS?
I was in New Jersey spending time with my family.
What do you do in your free time?
I like to watch movies and explore different places.
What is one thing in the world you wish could be in Taipei?
This might be a cheesy answer but my friends and family.
 
Mr. Simeonidis – History Department

What you doing before you came to TAS?
I lived in Connecticut, and I practiced law in NYC.
What do you wish you could bring to Taipei that isn’t here already?
My two sons, who are grown. One is in Miami and one is in Maine.
What’s your pet peeve?
Politicians using bad grammar.
Who inspires you?
My wife. She’s a great educator and the lower school principal here.
 
Ms. Liao – English Department

Where were you before TAS?
I was teaching at the International Bilingual School in Hsinchu. I taught AP Lang, AP Econ and AP Lit. And before that, I was in Texas.
What is one thing you wish could be in Taipei?
Barbecue and Tex-Mex.
What is a pet peeve of yours?
Students writing “a lot” as one word.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Kangaroo tail.

Ms. Kundel – English Department

Where were you before you came to TAS?
I was a graduate student at teachers’ college Columbia University in NYC. I was studying private school leadership.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I am a somewhat avid yogi, and I also read a lot. My goal is to read 100 books by the end of the year and I am on track.
Who’s your favorite celebrity figure?
I’m most jealous of Emma Watson. In part because she got to play one of my favorite characters in literature, Hermione Granger, but also because she’s doing really awesome things as a UN ambassador for women. She occupies this really cool space in my mind as a person who is very active in pop culture that ties to literature and is standing up for my gender. I like her. I respect her. I wanna be her.

Ms. Siu – English Department

Where were you before TAS?
Before I was at TAS, I was working at Trevor Day School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I was teaching 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English, ran the High School Writing Center, and was also the Department Chair.
What is one thing you wish could be in Taipei?
My friends and family! Other than that, I would also settle for a Shake Shack.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Zebra jerky.
What are your quirks or unique habits?
I like to take my shoes off when I’m sitting down.  I also frequently clap and say “Yay!”

Ms. Winton – English Department

Where were you before TAS?
Most recently, I was helping a friend who has written and is performing a one-movement play [to] tour it all around the world. She’s going all over the United States, to Israel, to Europe. I was helping design curriculum, run workshops, write grants, shape revisions to her play. She did all the performing but I was in the backstage helping out.
What are some unique habits of yours?
I really enjoy cleaning, I find it very calming to clean surfaces like floors, counters, and windows. I [also] like to read with my feet up against the wall; makes it very hard to annotate but I like reading that way.
Who is your hero?
I binge watched Game of Thrones and fell in love with Daenerys Targaryen partly because she frees all the slaves. She’s a very powerful and beautiful young woman who is trying to reclaim territories she believes is her family’s.

Mr. Halsey – English Department

Where were you before TAS?
Retired in France. I came back because I miss the teachers and students and I wanted my daughters to experience Taiwan because their grandparents are from here.
What do you do in your free time?
Read, hike, explore Taiwan, eat.
What are your pet peeves?
As an English teacher, my pet peeves are grammar mistakes that have to do with misuse of pronouns and “whom and who”.

Mr. Baldwin – Math Department

Where were you before TAS?
I was teaching math at a school in Seattle with my lovely bride, Kate Winton, the new English teacher.  I also spent some time in New Jersey, Europe, and Africa.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like hiking, golfing, lazing about with my daughters and friends.
What are your pet peeves?
I hate it when kids crumple paper and try to shoot baskets.

Ms. Vinod – Math Department

Where were you before TAS?
I taught astronomy and physics at Phillips Exeter Academy. I helped to run the astronomy club, did a lot of observing, [and] a lot of physics. I was the advisor for the Subcontinent Society.
What’s the one thing in the world you wish could be in Taipei?
I could either go with the honest answer, or I can go with my second honest answer. My honest answer is sometimes I wish Chipotle was in Taipei. I love that place. Second thing I wish could be here would be that my best friends and my family could be here in Taipei – that would be great. But you can see what my priorities are – food.
What is your spirit animal?
I think monkey, cause I’m like very active, and I used to love climbing trees, and I still love climbing trees. And I think monkeys have a lot of personality; they’re like funny, do silly things and I think that I can be like that.  

Dr. Hsieh – Science Department

Where were you before TAS?
I worked in multiple hospitals before coming to Taiwan, and I worked recently in Kaoshiung, Taiwan.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I watch a lot of movies and different T.V. shows. I also enjoy hanging out with friends. I also like swimming and biking.
What did you do over summer?
Before summer, I went to Czech Republic and Austria. I also served as a Teacher Assistant with Mr. Olson over the summer.
What animal most represents you and why?
The animal that most represents me is the dolphin because I like being in water.