Pants on Fire

Chemistry teacher Charley Keifenheim did not always see himself as a teacher. In fact, before his 32-year teaching career, teaching was the last thing on his mind.

“Originally I wanted to be a computer programmer or a DNR officer,” said Keifenheim. “Honestly I wanted to be anything but a teacher.”

Even though teaching was not in his original plans, students are glad that Keifenheim decided to teach chemistry.

“Keif made chemistry [a difficult and sometimes boring class] fun,” said senior Austin Brandes. “Chemistry would have been tough to get through without him.”

Keifenheim likes to keep his students’ attention by performing demos, where exploding objects and fire occur.

“Performing chemistry demos is a great way to show how chemical reactions work and the students seem to like it,” said Keifenheim. “Of course I did set myself on fire once, which the students found hilarious.”

While Keifenheim likes students to enjoy his class, he also understands that students will struggle with certain subjects. He enjoys seeing the hard work of students pay off and he also enjoys seeing his students succeed.

“Seeing that ‘aha moment’ when a student understands something they had been struggling with is my favorite part of teaching,” said Keifenheim. ” That moment when a subject finally clicks in a kid’s head is really cool.”