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Brian Lahan, the new Director for Taichung's Lincoln American
School, is leading a life that most would admire and even
be envious of. With a genuine care about the education of
children and a curiosity and respect for various cultures
of the world, Lahan has dedicated his career to the enhancement
of international education.
After teaching secondary high school English for 12 years
on the west and east coasts of America, he vacationed in Europe
and Asia. This inspired him to take an international leap
in his career.
With his recent Asian excursion fresh in his mind, he heard
of an opportunity with the Singapore American School. Through
a nine-year span of time, he moved from his position as the
English department chair to the high school principal.
"It was interesting to see how the school's student profile
and population evolved over the years. In 1982, I taught a
lot of oil industry family's kids," he said. "As
oil prices dropped and Singapore became more of a regional
business center, students from a broader range of backgrounds
enrolled."
Living overseas gave Lahan an ample opportunity to move into
areas other than teaching. Manila's International School recruited
him in 1996 and he spent a year focusing on forensics coaching.
He and his Filipino wife later moved to Amman, Jordan, where
he served as principal of an American school. His arrival
was just after the Gulf War. Lahan says that he always felt
safe and that there was definitely a good feeling about the
place. The school, unlike most American schools which usually
only admit those holding U.S. passports, enrolled Jordanian
students as well as those of Arab descent.
Just prior to accepting his current role at Lincoln, he, his
wife and their daughter who is in third grade, spent three
years in Nairobi, Kenya, where he served as the principal
for an international school. It was yet another fascinating
adventure - many vacations were spent on safaris.
"The game parks are awesome - miles and miles of open
space and a vivid array of wild animals," he said. Lahan
managed to pick up a few words of Swahili while there as well.
It only took the family three minutes to decide to return
to Asia when the Lincoln opportunity was presented. As much
as he enjoyed Kenya, it was refreshing to return to this part
of the world. Lahan and his family are now adjusting to their
new adventure here, which includes a new language and a change
in culture. The family is very pleased with the school and
Taichung in general.
Lahan noted the school has a very sound academic program with
a college prep emphasis. Last year, six seniors graduated
and all went on to very good university programs including
New York University, University of Washington and the University
of Japan.
He would like to see the school's programs grow along with
its population, just enough to enhance the resource base -
"measured growth" to offer more diversity in curriculum
at the secondary level. He would also like to introduce more
after school activities. According to Lahan, his new experience
working with education in Asia is not only an adventure, but
a privilege.
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