A man named Thomas Oden is to take up the directorship at the Uruguayan American School next school year. Has anyone worked with him before, or does anyone know anything about his background?
David Deuel is there now and has done all the hiring. New directors can be risky, and often full of surprises. Any information would be welcome. Thanks! S.A. Bound
Thomas Oden, Director
Tom Oden, Director
I had the good fortune to work with Tom Oden when he was the principal at the American Int'l School of Johannesburg, in South Africa. It was his first assignment as a principal. He was a good administrator to work for. He was very friendly and approachable. The students and teachers loved him because he was so personable. Consider yourself lucky to have him!
Tom Oden
I served under Tom when he was the high school principal at ACS Beirut. What a great guy! Personable, fair, smart. He was one of the only administrators who could get the attention of our senior class (a rather rude and boisterous bunch, sad to say). I learned a lot from him and boy do I miss his enlightened leadership... His wife is wonderful, too.
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Tom Oden
I also worked with him at ACS Beirut. Tom is an amazing guy. He's really a stand out in the international administrator scene. He is very approachable, kind-hearted, and progressive. I would work for him again in a minute. Phenomenal individual! Great tast in music too.
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Great taste in music
So, what kind of music does Thomas Oden like?
Uruaguayan American School
What you need to ask yourself even more than what your new director is like, is what about UAS as a school and Uruguay as a country! I worked at UAS from 1997-2000 and it was the most miserable experience I have had in an overseas school! Now granted, things might have changed since then...and actually i would be curious to know what is is like now, as their name is not even listed in the school reviews section.
Anyway, I left the year before David came in. The school was financially in big trouble, the staff morale was very low and the staff culture was divided between the overseas hires and the american local hires who resented everything about the overseas hires and would find fault with everything. Not a fun situation. However, maybe David was able to turn things around...I would certainly be curious to find out! Anyone?
Anyway, I left the year before David came in. The school was financially in big trouble, the staff morale was very low and the staff culture was divided between the overseas hires and the american local hires who resented everything about the overseas hires and would find fault with everything. Not a fun situation. However, maybe David was able to turn things around...I would certainly be curious to find out! Anyone?
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This is five years too late, and odds are good Lorie no longer even looks at this forum, but I thought I'd fill her in, and maybe help out anyone who stumbles across this and is curious about UAS. Tom is gone now. he's a principal at United World College in New Mexico. I worked for him at UAS in Montevideo.
Everything everyone has said above is true. He was an excellent boss, a good guy, great to work for. And his musical tastes were quite good. But as Tom's gone that's not all that important anymore.
UAS, when I worked there, was a pretty great school. I saw none of the issues Lorrie mentioned. Staff morale was great. From what I'd heard, Tom did a bit of house cleaning after he got to the school, and some of the less than stellar teachers were let go. This did create some bad feelings. (See the ISR director reviews for Tom.) I saw or experienced no resentment between overseas and local staff. The local staff were all VERY friendly and made me feel at home. They were also excellent teachers. The school was still having some financial issues when I was there. Barely keeping its head above the water as far as money goes, but beyond a salary that could have been a bit better considering the high cost of living in Montevideo, I never got an "oh my god the ship is sinking" vibe. I never wanted for supplies or financial help while I was there.
I loved every minute of my time at UAS and in Uruguay.
Everything everyone has said above is true. He was an excellent boss, a good guy, great to work for. And his musical tastes were quite good. But as Tom's gone that's not all that important anymore.
UAS, when I worked there, was a pretty great school. I saw none of the issues Lorrie mentioned. Staff morale was great. From what I'd heard, Tom did a bit of house cleaning after he got to the school, and some of the less than stellar teachers were let go. This did create some bad feelings. (See the ISR director reviews for Tom.) I saw or experienced no resentment between overseas and local staff. The local staff were all VERY friendly and made me feel at home. They were also excellent teachers. The school was still having some financial issues when I was there. Barely keeping its head above the water as far as money goes, but beyond a salary that could have been a bit better considering the high cost of living in Montevideo, I never got an "oh my god the ship is sinking" vibe. I never wanted for supplies or financial help while I was there.
I loved every minute of my time at UAS and in Uruguay.