Published October 26, 2018 in Summit Magazine
Dean of the School of Education; College Faculty/Professor, Teacher Education—PreK–4th, PK–12, 7—12
Years of Teaching Experience: 34
Education: B.S. from Liberty University; M.Ed. and D.Ed. from The Pennsylvania State University
Hobbies: Reading (mainly historical fiction and children’s literature), antiquing, being a beach bum
Recent Reads: The Bible, “One Crazy Summer” by Rita Williams-Garcia, “Princess Academy” by Shannon Hale, “Swan Sister” edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling and “Wildwood” by Colin Melot
Favorite Class to Teach: “I am fortunate in that all the courses I teach are my favorite. The course which I have a blast teaching is children’s literature. I enjoy teaching the undergraduate courses because I have a part in helping those who want to teach fulfill their calling. I also enjoy graduate courses because I have the chance to expose teachers to new ideas and methodologies.”
Little Known Fact: “My first name is Ritchie. I will forever sound like I am 5 years old. I was named after Richie Ashburn, who played and announced for the Philadelphia Phillies. My father loved playing baseball, and God gave him a son with the hand-eye coordination of a carp. Who says that God does not have a sense of humor?”
Family Influence: “I was blessed in that I was raised in a Christian home. That gave me a strong spiritual foundation. They also instilled in me a very strong work ethic. Because of that work ethic, my family’s support and God’s blessing on my life, I became Dr. Kelley.”
What has teaching taught you? “These past 35 years of teaching have taught me that I will never ‘arrive’ as a teacher. There is always more to learn from the research coming from the field of education. Students change, so teaching does as well.” Why do you teach? “I teach because of the opportunity to make a difference in students’ lives. It is such a joy to make a difference in the education majors’ lives and then to know that they will be going out and making a difference in the lives of many K–12 students.”
-Joanna (Reigle) Wyman (’18) is a Communications-Writing graduate from Phelps, New York
