Faculty Profile: Bob Keeley

THE INSIDE TRACK 

WHY HE LOVES TEACHING AT CALVIN: 

“I get to be a teacher, I get to be a scholar, I get to be a mentor, I get to play my guitar, I get to hang out with students—it’s all of my favorite things wrapped up into one job.”

HOW HE CONNECTS WITH STUDENTS:

Taking an entire class session to talk about each person’s personal and faith background and inviting students to be his Facebook friends (don’t worry, he won’t be offended if you ignore his request). “I like seeing [students] for who they are as people—that connection is really important to me and part of that is actually going to schools and sitting with students as they work with a supervising teacher. That’s really fun because you get to do one-on-one individual instruction.”

WHERE YOU’LL FIND HIM MOST FRIDAY MORNINGS:

At Calvin’s weekly chapel hymn sing, which he leads with a group of students at least once each semester. “To be part of Friday morning when chapel is packed and students are completely surrounding us is pretty exciting.”

RESEARCH INTERESTS: 

How children develop in faith. Check out his recent book, Helping Our Children Grow in Faith: How the Church Can Nurture the Spiritual Development of Kids.

HIS DREAM FOR TEACHER ED STUDENTS: 

That they become the kind of teachers students point to as a person who made a difference in their lives, that they say, “I’m a better person, I know more, I’m able to do the things I want to do with my life because this teacher spent time with me and got to know me as a person.”

OFF THE CLOCK:

He and his wife are in charge of children’s ministry at their church; he plays the guitar (he used to have his own band) and writes a blog about music.

THREE REASONS TO CHOOSE CALVIN’S TEACHER ED PROGRAM: 

1. You can try it out in your first year without making a commitment—and if you decide teaching isn’t for you, the classes count as core credit. 
2. Social justice is a huge part of the curriculum: “We think that there are some things in schools that aren’t the way they ought to be. We want our students to be prepared to make changes, to be agents of renewal in schools.”
3. You won’t go alone into the classroom. “I think they feel really supported and cared for because we take such an interest in how they’re doing out in the field.”