E066: Tom Kelley, ASH Chemistry Teacher

Key takeaway: Tom discusses his career teaching chemistry to students at the American School of the Hague and why he thinks ASH was so transformative for teachers and students alike

Topics covered in this video: 

• How a leaky roof led Tom and his wife to Holland
• Getting hired to teach at ASH
• Life (including new life) in Holland; how to navigate inevitable differences
• Leaving ASH and making his way back five years later
• The legacy that long-term teachers create, tangible and intangible
• Tom’s side gig as a musician in a chemistry rock band
• Student excursions to learn science in the field
• Teacher skirmishes, including with Richard Freedberg
• The formative impact teachers have on students
• Why ASH worked so well 
• The impact of 9/11 
• A school trip to Texel, Holland; youth hostel hijinks 
• The Holland-specific questions (public transportation, frites, etc.)
• The importance of family in our lives