Profile Piece: Bruce Riley
by Jess Currier
Bruce Riley, an instructor at Cape Cod Community College (4Cs), has been working at the college since 2004, in Foundations in Writing (ENL 050), English Composition (ENL 101) and English as a Second Language Advanced (ESL 201) at Cape Cod Community College since 2004, however he has been teaching for even longer before coming to Cape Cod.
Riley, having taught in Tokyo, Guadalajara, and Mexico, finds that his love for travel is linked to his love for teaching. “I kind of stumbled into it at first,” said Riley, “after doing a bunch of backpacking in a lot of countries, I figured teaching English would be a good way to support my travel habit. I moved to Japan and the rest is history. I ended up getting really into teaching and kind of made it a career.”
To Riley, there is no question about his love toward teaching, especially at 4Cs. “There are lots of good things about teaching here: some really great colleagues, feel like I can help a few folks out; plus my commute is like 20 minutes! In Tokyo it was more like 90 minutes - on a PACKED train.” What does he like most about teaching? When asked, he said “I love when it feels like the students and I are on the same side; I'm big on coaching, so when teaching becomes like coaching, I'm happy!”
“He is a real asset to our department,” said Rebecca Griffin, a professor within the Language and Literature Department, “and a wonderful teacher. I've learned a great deal from seeing how he approaches teaching.” To Griffin, that 4Cs’ faculty and students are fortunate to have Riley as a figure within the academic community. As an individual and professor, he is viewed as active and engaging by Griffin and other faculty members.
Rachel Bancroft, another professor within the Language and Literature Department has identical sentiments, having worked alongside Riley for seven years and counting. “Bruce is a great professor to feature- he rarely gets the credit he deserves,” said Bancroft. “Bruce works tirelessly in his roles as a department chair, faculty member, and advisor to make sure students have a positive experience, and he takes the time to ensure they get the support they need.” Bancroft describes Riley as a very humble and welcoming professor.
Beyond the college, Riley has such an appreciation and respect for Asia, so much so that he would like to go back and live there when he retires. Riley sees a future there following retirement. “YES! If I ever get to retire, I'd go somewhere warm and a bit exotic for at least 3-4 of the lousy months, like Feb-May. Thailand is awesome, and I could see being in Malaysia, Vietnam...somewhere in that part of the world with great people and amazing food.”
In Riley’s spare time consists of sports-related activities “Big sports fan - Red Sox, Celtics - even play a little fantasy sports. Love to walk, paddle board, and play with my dog.”
For up and coming undergraduates potentially progressing toward graduate programs, Riley advises students to press on past doubts and setbacks with emotion. “Persistence and professionalism are everything. If you just keep going, don't give up, and do things carefully, you're WAAAAAAY ahead of the game.”
Categories: Professors, People