Every teacher is busy. Between grading assignments, planning lessons, and setting time aside for students, most teachers already barely have enough time for their personal lives. However, no teacher has less free time than Kimberly Kelley, an indispensable support of the Neshaminy community.
Kelley is the chairperson of the Neshaminy High School (NHS) English Department, advisor of the National Honor Society, and treasurer for the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers.
In recognition of her unending dedication to her roles and her students, the Playwickian recognizes Mrs. Kelley as Teacher of the Month for June.
The workaholic finds a way to keep herself busy at all times. Whether she’s going for her daily jog, helping out her kids, or doing work for one of her seemingly endless array of positions, she’s found a way to keep herself occupied at all times.
When asked why, Kelley had a wide list of reasons to justify her work-centered lifestyle. Above all else, though, she was quick to point to a quote she lives by: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”
With the way she keeps her schedule, it’s clear the quote’s message spoke to her. However, that’s not her only reason to keep busy.
“You’ve got to keep life interesting, and if you feel like you’re not interested anymore, you’ve got to do something else. Because what else is the purpose of life? If you’re bored and miserable all the time, are you just waiting to die?” Kelley admitted.
Though it may sound grim to some, the fact that she wakes up every day with purpose is what propels her through a day that others may find stressful. To Kelley, juggling a dozen plates at once isn’t a chore, it’s a gift.
Kelley then went on to explain her unique views on teaching and how, unlike many of her fellow teachers, her number one priority isn’t students’ grades, but rather their health.
She argued that her class isn’t the “be all and end all” of a student’s high school career, nor is it indicative of the rest of their lives. So, if a student’s struggling, the empathetic teacher is quick to find ways to help in any way she can, whether that be excusing assignments or just being there to listen.
“I will happily excuse you from an entire marking period if that means you’re mentally okay… I feel like a lot of times as teachers, we put too much emphasis on academics and not enough on real life and [mental health],” Kelley emphasized.
While others might find her outlook on teaching unusual, it’s not far-fetched given her background as a social worker, with the English teacher admitting she’s always wanted to “save the world.”
However, the way she hoped to accomplish that mission changed from social work to the classroom during her time at Temple.
When Kelley found out she was having a child, her professor pulled her aside and revealed the sad truth that, as a social worker, he doubted that Kelley would make enough to support her family.
Now, Kelley was at a crossroads and had to decide whether to change her major; if so, she had to choose what to change it to. Then, as she thought back to an old teacher of hers, everything clicked.
“I failed English in my junior year of high school… and a lot of [teachers] will say… it’s not the teacher’s fault, it’s the student’s fault… I can emphatically tell you that that is not true,” Kelley elucidated. “This teacher, nothing I did could make her happy. So, [I decided] I’ll be an English teacher because I’ll be everything she wasn’t.”
Ever since she made the change, her new path has clicked with Kelley, and she continues to dedicate herself to her career as an English teacher every day, even though it wasn’t always the plan.
And Kelley truly loves her job, with her packed schedule making every day an opportunity for her to make a difference. She may not be “saving the world” in a traditional sense, but the unique perspective she brings to each and every one of her roles, especially as an English teacher, can’t be understated, and she believes every student deserves a teacher who feels the same way.
“If at any time in your career you wake up in the morning and you don’t want to go to work, you need to stop teaching,” Kelley asserted. “You’re doing a huge disservice… to the kids.”
