(Newswire.net — September 24, 2014) Singapore, Singapore — Singapore American School (SAS) can boast about many things, and one of them is that only the best teachers are selected for faculty positions. On average for the current teaching year, there were 41 applications for each available position, but some openings garnered over 90 applications.
Mr. Russell Cooke, SAS Executive Director of Human Resources said, “We have an enthusiastic group of new recruits that have been specifically hired for the wide range of skills that they bring to contribute to the culture of academic excellence at SAS.”
Newly hired middle school faculty Megan Beltinck shared why she wanted to teach at SAS, “I knew SAS’s reputation for excellence. I was teaching at another school in the region with similar programs. I wanted to continue to grow as a professional in a new educational community that aligned with my experience and beliefs about instruction and learning.”
Ms. Beltinck enjoys teaching reading and language arts. She has a bachelor of arts and master’s degrees from Michigan State University and is certified by the State of Michigan to teach secondary English and social studies. Before being hired by SAS, she taught at Jakarta International School for four years and at international schools in Latin America prior to coming to Asia.
“I’m continually impressed by how warm and connected the faculty and students are despite the size of the school,” said Ms. Beltinck. She looks forward to sharing her experiences living and teaching in Indonesia and Guatemala with her students and the larger SAS community.
The nationalities of the new teachers range from the United States of America (67.2%), Australia (4.9%), China (4.9%), New Zealand (4.9%), Japan (1.6%), Spain (1.6%) and South Africa (1.6%). Of these new teachers, 59% of them have taught at other international schools while some are just starting their careers at SAS.
Newly hired high school math faculty Tim Trainor has taught in American international schools in Paris, London and Switzerland. He also volunteered for one year promoting equality in African schools before joining SAS this fall.
“I chose SAS because I wanted to work with a school that was ready to explore and make interesting changes to the traditional high school education model,” he shared. “The senior Capstone project was one really interesting concept, but I’m also keen to see how we can support those students that are interested in extending their passions beyond the typical AP route.”
He added, “The size of SAS means that we are less limited by resources. Before, if I wanted to run a new course I had to ensure that I had at least 10 students and that this would be sustainable year on year. The largest high school I had worked in during my time in Europe was 400. Here we have 1200. Finding those students who have a similar interest in extending their passions should prove to be easier.”
SAS is deeply invested in the concept of collaborative teaching and learning. As such, they are firmly committed to professional learning communities across all divisions and grade levels. Teachers at SAS learn together, plan student learning together, analyze data together, discuss important pedagogical and methodological issues together, problem solve together, and grow together as professionals.
Established in 1956, the school primarily serves the American and international expatriate communities of Singapore. SAS is registered with the Singapore Council for Private Education, affiliated with the Office of Overseas Schools through the U.S. Department of State, and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
For more information about Singapore American School visit www.sas.edu.sg.