English teacher Michael Kelley is now the longest-serving teacher still working at WHS and has “never looked back” after arriving here 30 years ago to teach.
Kelley came to WHS after working for three years in Plymouth, MA, and he has since become a teacher students describe as a very kind and positive person, which translates to his work with students in his classes. His teaching style is fun while also being rich in content.
“I think he always makes [class] really engaging,” said sophomore Ethan Zhuang. “Mr. Kelley interacts with the class a lot, and he’s really funny. He’s always in his Scottish accent [while reading “Macbeth”], and he always goes through things with us instead of just telling us [to] figure it out, which I think is really helpful. I’ve already learned a lot from him.”
Students feel supported in Kelley’s classes and see him as a teacher who makes sure every student can succeed and has the tools to succeed.
“I think that overall he was a very accommodating teacher, and that he listened to everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, and he let everyone work on what they needed to,” said senior Reva Vaddi, who had Kelley as a sophomore.
Throughout the years he’s worked at WHS, the school has seen many changes, and Kelley has watched them unfold.
“I think we serve a greater set of student needs than we used to a long time ago,” said Kelley. “We’re much more aware of the ways in which every learner learns differently.”
Kelley also recognizes that students need to be active participants in making their classes work well, and he has advice for students at WHS based on his experiences.
“Take charge. Take control. I think when teachers are always in charge, students are encouraged, probably unintentionally, to play a passive role,” said Kelley. “I do think most, if not all, teachers try to make their classes relevant to students, but sometimes we fail to empower them enough to own the material, and I think that comes at a cost.”
Kelley is now in his final year of teaching and is planning to retire at the end of this school year.
“I will definitely miss the classroom experience,” said Kelley. “There’s a lot of smiling, friendly faces that I think sometimes when teachers retire, the circle of people that they are surrounded by gets a lot smaller. So I probably don’t always appreciate all the people around me as much as I should, and I’m sure that I’ll miss that when I’m gone.”
