One of two new members of the social studies department, Mr. Graham Wik looks forward to welcoming students to his economics classes.

Mr. Wik, a former resident of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, heads to Palm Beach Gardens from Cheonan, South Korea, where he had spent several years at the Global Leader Program at Bugil Academy. 

Mr. Wik described the Academy as being, “a small program for South Korean students that wish to study at an American or other English-speaking university.” 

Having began his teaching career at Massachusetts’ Cushing Academy, Mr. Wik has spent the last 20 years as a teacher of economics and history. .

“After a decade or so in business and following the dot.com crash and 9/11, I re-evaluated my values and gave independent school teaching a go. After my first weekend on campus, I was hooked and have not looked back since. Although I was a math/science-focused student in high school and studied engineering in college, I felt that teaching economics and history was more relevant to my experiences when I made the switch to education,” explained Mr. Wik.

Paralleling Mr. Wik’s switch from business to education is his switch from Bugil Academy to Benjamin. He explained that he is excited to join the Benjamin team for a multitude of reasons. 

“I was impressed by the students I met during my mock class and have greatly enjoyed each and every other teacher and administrator that I met during the interview process. They were warm and welcoming while also demonstrating a professional approach driven by sincere care for Benjamin students. Additionally, it will be good to return to the U.S. after so many years away. My father lives not too far away and my mother looks forward to visiting often. My three-year-old son is a strong draw.”  

While Mr. Wik decided to choose Benjamin for these reasons, Benjamin chose to hire Mr. Wik because he has “has a fantastic record of student success in the classroom and on the AP exam.  He has a warm, student-centered approach to learning, and we are excited to bring a teacher of his caliber and experience to Benjamin,” Social Studies Department Chair Ms. Sara Misselhorn commented.

Outside of his job, Mr. Wik loves sports. While he is obviously more in support of Boston teams, he explained that he appreciates competition. Additionally, traveling has played a big role in his life in the past fifteen years, and looks forward to an increase in this hobby in the summers since summer breaks in South Korea were very short. He also mentioned that he used to golf and is excited to pick it up again. 

While teachers mainly focus on their expertise in concentrated subjects, it’s important to know that many are multi-dimensional. For example, a fun fact about Mr. Wik is that he loves musicals, “despite no drama training personally and no ability to carry a tune”. 

Despite this lack of singing ability, the School welcomes a wonderful, theater-loving addition to the community; break a leg, Mr. Wik!