Our Directors
Our Directors
All instructors at Robert’s American School are native English speakers from English speaking countries and have an accredited university degree or an English teaching qualification. All teachers are screened and trained (through a set of training modules developed by Robert) and have an interest in teaching and enjoy working with children. Our teachers not only demonstrate professionalism, but know how to motivate students to work hard and feel proud of their success in learning a new language.
Founder/Academic Director (Robert)
Robert Minor is the founder of RAS and hails from the East Coast of the United States. He has a B.A. from Bowdoin College where he majored in Asian Studies/Mandarin Chinese. He is a fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese and studied Mandarin in Beijing, China for one year. Robert has a Master's Degree in Education in International Teaching from Framingham State University in Massachusetts.
Since 1992, Robert has been involved in ELL (English Language Learning) education, during which he has taught at the Kaohsiung American School, the San Francisco Chinese American International School, and was Director of the ASPECT International Language School in San Francisco.
Upon opening RAS, Robert planned the curriculum, wrote numerous books, and developed a teaching pedagogy for teachers to follow. His efforts have helped students achieve remarkable results. Robert has also been invited to speak about education at Wen Zao Ursuline University and Feng Chia University in Taiwan. He currently teaches some classes at the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism.
Robert enjoys outdoor activities. He is an avid traveler and enjoys cycling and running. He has a passion for mountain hiking。 In 2020, he climbed his 100th of the Taiwan 100 Peaks thus finishing the list and completing a goal that took 12 years.
Mingcheng Branch Manager (Shane)
Shane Stubbins hails from Toronto, Canada. He has been in teaching in Taiwan for over 20 years and is currently the is the RAS Ming Cheng Branch Director.
Shane has been instrumental in shaping the RAS curriculum in the past several years as the school has started to use a blended approach in its teaching style. He has also developed several programs for teaching novels at RAS.
Shane is an avid cyclist and can be seen in racing events around Taiwan often placing in his age group. He lives with his wife and teenage daughter in Kaohsiung, City.
YuCheng Branch Manager (Tom) Thomas Gott hails from Leeds, England and has been teaching in Taiwan since 2013. He strives to create a fun, creative, and engaging classroom environment for all learners. Tom structures classes to be tailored and adapted to the learning styles and any special needs of the individuals in the class. Before joining Robert’s American School Tom taught across schools in Chiayi and Tainan. Outside of the classroom he both plays and coaches soccer for teams in Kaohsiung.
