Adam graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago with a degree in Teaching of History and the Social Sciences and holds a teacher license from the State of Illinois. He was also a recipient of the Project STELL scholarship which led to a state certification to teach English as a Second Language.
In 2016 Adam completed his Masters degree in an interdisciplinary program called The Erasmus Mundus Master of Excellence in Euroculture. During this two year program Adam attended UJ in Kraków, Groningen University in the Netherlands and Indiana University in the US. This program is based on mobility, project management and developing research skills in the social sciences. Within the framework of this program, Adam has done research on the phenomena of transnational history textbooks and the changing face of teaching history in an increasingly globalized world. Adam is currently enrolled in a COBIS Middle Leaders Programme which he will complete in 2019.
Adam’s past teaching experiences span 3 continents and are as varied as the pupils he has had the pleasure to teach. He has taught history at a high school in the United States, Literature, reading/writing skills, World History, and various academic skills at a private school in Seoul, South Korea for 3 plus years. At this school he was also involved in research and development of a tablet based curriculum, one of the first of its kind. Adam has also been a full-time supply teacher at Asia Pacific International School, giving him a wide range of extra experience across an array of subjects including sociology and human geography.
Adam’s current interests include learning about how technology can help pupils reach a state of flow, the place where learning happens. In other words make it easy for pupils to cut out the time it takes to get organized and start learning. This is a key component of the ‘flipped classroom’ approach which Adam has embraced in his teaching.
In his free time Adam enjoys spending his time actively by playing sports, riding his bike, or traveling. On long weekends he enjoys going hiking and unplugging for a bit to recharge his batteries. He is also interested in video production, design, TED, and reading non-fiction books, especially Ryszard Kapuściński.
In Adam’s own words;
“My mission is to make the place where I live the best place it can be. One way I am aiming to achieve this is by helping people, my pupils in particular, to become the best versions of themselves. To help illustrate this I often refer to the writings of Martin Heidegger who states that we are born, or rather ‘thrown’ into a particular time and space of history. I believe we are all born into a specific social milieu with a unique mix of characteristics and talents that are filtered through the environment and culture which we inhabit. I hope to help pupils recognize this and in the process become confident individuals that are self-aware and understand the world and their role in it. I believe the humanities and social sciences are central in helping us understand this. I hope to teach pupils not only the topics that come with the subject matter, but also self-awareness and personal development skills which they may apply to whatever challenges life may throw at them in the future.
I look forward to working with all of you and building a better school for the local and international community.”