Be the Change: Keith Burrough

Be the Change: Keith Burrough

“We like to think of him as Stellar’s guardian angel,” says Patti Furnari, former director of Stellar K-12 Charter School in Redding, CA. Patti is talking about Keith Burrough, who has taught ceramics at Stellar School for the last nine years.

A Mentor to the Core

On one level, being a “guardian angel” has involved rescuing students and staff from insects and arachnids – and even the occasional snake! But on a deeper level, Keith’s reputation at Stellar comes from his tendency to take at-risk students under his wing. Heidi Schueller, the school’s current director, says Keith “is often that one special adult who has taken the time to listen and connect with a student.” In Patti’s words, “if some of the students feel a little lost, Keith is definitely the one who directs them down a positive path and helps them see their potential in their artistic ability.”

Perhaps Keith’s ability to help students uncover their inner artist comes from his own journey of discovering ceramics. He started out as a woodcarver, following in the footsteps of one of his brothers. One day, when picking up some clay to help with a bust he was carving, he noticed a sign for wheel pottery classes. Working with the clay for the bust piqued his curiosity, so he signed up for a night class. After ten weeks of working with clay, his artistic passions had completely changed course. “Now,” Keith says, “I work with wood once in a while, but I work with clay all the time.”

His Heart is in the Arts

Aside from the wheel pottery instruction, all Keith’s artistic skills are self-taught. He loves equipping students with techniques he has developed over the years and delights in seeing his students succeed in county-wide art competitions. This year, for example, one student won best in show for her strawberry-shaped teapot. Helping bring out the best in his students motivates and inspires him. “Not everyone is strong in math or science,” Keith says, “but everyone has something that makes them grow as people,”

Sometimes, art becomes the passion that completely changes the trajectory of a student’s life. Keith loves to “see kids’ faces when they make things by hand that they don’t think they can. The students teach me a lot with their natural ability. It’s a good thing to have students, not only to teach but to learn from.”

A Lifelong Learner

Keith’s willingness to learn from his students expresses an overarching attitude of humility that wordlessly builds others up and strengthens the school community. Heidi describes Keith as “always willing to share and drop anything to help a colleague out when needed.” Patti agrees: “He’s always willing to go above and beyond for the greater good of the Stellar organization, regardless of the task. He embraces that he’s part of a team, and he’s going to do whatever he can to make it the best.”

At the end of the 2017-2018 school year, Keith will retire from Stellar School, much to the sorrow of his colleagues and the students in the 17 classes he teaches. One mother told Keith that her third-grade daughter had thanked God for her ceramics class and prayed Mr. Burrough “wouldn’t have to leave” the school.

In retirement, Keith will have more time to spend with his five grandkids – three of whom live next door – and two sons. He will also have more time to devote to some of his favorite pastimes – cooking delicious meals from scratch, building an outdoor kitchen, and, of course, ceramics. Keith describes himself and Patricia Anne, his wife of 43 years, as “hands-on art people,” and says their inspiration often comes from the outdoors. The couple enjoys fishing and camping in the North State, travelling from Lake Almanor, to Mt. Shasta, to the coastal area of Trinidad. “I’m inspired by the mountains and forests we visit,” says Keith. “Right now, that is coming out in paintings I’m doing on ceramic plates I make on the wheel.”

An excellent teacher, Keith has a unique gift for not only creating beautiful art, but for drawing out the best in those around him. Whether helping his students unveil their inner artist or creating art himself, Keith makes the North State a little more beautiful.

The mission of our be the change column is to feature community members from the north state who are actively making a difference in community life. If you would like  to nominate someone who is making a difference, please write  to pn@northstateparent.com.