Leading International Education

By Barbara Healy

From our archives, Compass Magazine, November 1999.

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.