shortly after his birth, the family moved into a larger house in town. riley was "a quiet boy, not talkative, who would often go about with one eye shut as he observed and speculated". his mother taught him to read and write at home before sending him to the local community school in 1852. he found school difficult and was frequently in trouble. often punished, he had nothing kind to say of his teachers in his writings. his poem "the educator" tells of an intelligent but sinister teacher and may have been based on one of his instructors. riley was most fond of his last teacher, lee o. harris. harris noticed riley's interest in poetry and reading and encouraged him to pursue it further.