“A Benjamin School legend”, according to Head of the Upper School Mr. Fletcher Carr, Mr. Ron Ream has returned to the School’s faculty as a mathematics teacher for the second semester, taking over the classes caused by Mrs. Robin Weitz’s shift into the Computer Science classes.

Mr. Ream originally began teaching at Benjamin in 1975. Mr. Marshall Benjamin, one of the co-founders of the School, offered Mr. Ream a job after being introduced by a mutual friend. After originally saying no to the offer due to his desire to return to his home state of Ohio, he was convinced to teach for one year. Then, he never left.

His original retirement came at the end of the 2018 school year, but Middle School Math Department Chair Mrs. Cathy Hansen asked if he could teach for the first few weeks of the 2018-19 school year due to a teacher on maternity leave. However, that teacher never came back, so he taught the whole school year.

He taught in the Middle School at the start of this year, and around Thanksgiving, he received a call from Director of Student Services Dr. Amy Taylor to teach in the second semester after Mr. Weitz took over the Computer Science classes. Through many different circumstances, Mr. Ream has always found his way back to his home away from home.

Head of the Upper School Mr. Fletcher Carr has high praise for Mr. Ream and what he brings to the Benjamin community, calling Mr. Ream an “asset” for the School.

“Coach Ream is one of the finest educators and motivators I have worked with over my career. He is relentlessly positive and he finds a way to connect with every member of the community. His energy is contagious and having had each of my own kids take a class with him, his ability to break down math into its simplest components and get students to see problems differently is often the factor that pushes students here to move into levels of math that they did not think possible upon entering Benjamin,” he said.

Mr. Ream’s stay at the Upper School will not keep him out of retirement for long, as his efforts will be short-lasting. The School has posted the math job opening and will hire a new teacher for the 2022-23 school year.

Sophomore Gianna Demerski has Mr. Ream for Geometry and is happy to welcome him back to the classroom.

“I really enjoy Mr. Ream as a teacher. He is one of those teachers where you can tell he really enjoys what he is doing which I find nice. Im excited to have him for the rest of the year,” she said.

Mr. Ream is extremely appreciative of what Benjamin has been able to do for him over the past four and a half decades.

“The Benjamin School has provided me with a lifetime of good positive experiences. It has been a way of making a living and provided for my family. But I don’t feel like I’ve had to work a day of my life. It has been a pleasure to come here everyday the past 46 years and I truly believe it has been a divine destiny for my life. I am truly a blessed man and hope that the students that I have taught, the kids that I have coached, the administrators that I have worked under, and my colleagues that I have worked alongside, are better people for having known me. I know that I am a better person for having had all of them in my life,” he said.