Faculty Spotlight~ Ms. Tisa Spinelli

Sophia Yu (‘29) & Camilla Chen(‘29), March 24, 2023

Ms. Tisa Spinelli is a middle school math teacher at AST. She arrived in Taiwan the same year she accepted a position at AST, in 2017. Ms. S was interested in looking for a small school to build meaningful connections with students, and AST was her first choice on the island. She has been at AST for six years and enjoys every moment of it, from Camp Taiwan to Carnival and the many other experiences AST offers throughout the year. Ms. S always dreamed of being “in school” forever and loved school as a kid. She thought she wanted to be a school counselor, but later in life, Ms. S decided to be a teacher, the kind of teacher she wished she had had when she was little. She attended a graduate degree program and received her Master’s in Early Childhood Education in 2012.

As a teenager, Ms. S struggled in Mathematics, but it wasn’t until she encountered phenomenal professors and received her Mathematics Endorsement that to her love for math. This endorsement helped her discover her passion for math while learning new ways to teach math and make it fun for her students. During her time at AST, Ms. S said, “I learn from my students just as much as they learn from me, and the relationships teachers build with students and families go further than just the classroom.” Ms. S believes that teaching is an art form and you can continually improve your craft and become a better teacher. One piece of advice Ms. S would give her students is always to be themselves. Ms. S said, “Teaching is the most challenging job she has ever had, but it’s the most rewarding!” Her hobbies include cooking, dancing, true crime podcasts, and learning Mandarin. Outside of school, she supports the LGBTQ+ community and incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything she does. Ms. S is excited about where her career will take her after leaving AST and will miss all the fantastic students and families she has gotten to know over the years.

Ms. Tisa Spinelli是AST的數學老師。她2017年來到台灣，同年進入AST。她選擇AST，因為她想要在一所人數少的學校教學。Ms. S在AST六年了，從Camp Taiwan到嘉年華會，以及AST所提供的許多其他活動，她都樂在其中。 Ms. S 一直夢想能永遠「上學」，因為她從小就愛上學。她原以為自己想成為一名輔導老師，但後來決定成為一名她自己小時候夢想能有的那種老師。她有機會參加了一個研究所學位課程，並於 2012 年取得幼兒教育碩士學位。

十幾歲時，Ms.S在數學方面苦苦掙扎，但直到她遇到了很優秀的教授，並取得了數學認證後，才激發了她對數學的熱愛。此認證幫助她發現自己對數學的熱情，同時學習了新的教學方法，並幫助學生有趣的學習。在 AST 教學期間，Ms.S說：「我從學生身上學到的和他們從我身上學到的一樣多。」教師、學生和家庭建立的關係不僅僅局限於課堂。「Ms.S 認為教學是一門藝術，可以不斷提升自己，成為更好的老師。」 Ms.S 給她的學生的建議就是:永遠做自己。 Ms.S說：「教學是她做過最具挑戰性的工作，但卻是最有收穫的！」她的愛好包括烹飪、跳舞、真實犯罪播客和學中文。此外，她支持 LGBTQ+ ，並將多元化、公平和包容融入她所做的一切。 Ms. S 對離開 AST 後她職業生涯的走向感到興奮，並會想念她多年來認識的所有美好的學生和家庭。