Meet Ben Rein
Late one Friday afternoon this past July, Ben Rein hung up the telephone after hiring a long-term substitute teacher.
Now, all that stood between Collegiate’s new Upper School head and the weekend was to formalize the terms of employment.
There was a slight problem, though.
Where, he thought as he rooted around his office, is the letterhead?
And when I find it, how do I load it into the printer?
And where are the envelopes?
Hey, in my old school, this was easy!
For the record, Rein eventually located everything he needed and put the missive in the mail, even if he did have to write the address by hand.
The experience, which he relates with a smile, is just another example of life as the new guy on the block.
You see, since he came on board July 12, he’s hardly had time to catch his breath, but thankfully the skills and insights he gained over the years as a student, teacher, coach, and administrator have prepared him well for the challenges and breakneck pace of his new adventure.
Now, all that stood between Collegiate’s new Upper School head and the weekend was to formalize the terms of employment.
There was a slight problem, though.
Where, he thought as he rooted around his office, is the letterhead?
And when I find it, how do I load it into the printer?
And where are the envelopes?
Hey, in my old school, this was easy!
For the record, Rein eventually located everything he needed and put the missive in the mail, even if he did have to write the address by hand.
The experience, which he relates with a smile, is just another example of life as the new guy on the block.
You see, since he came on board July 12, he’s hardly had time to catch his breath, but thankfully the skills and insights he gained over the years as a student, teacher, coach, and administrator have prepared him well for the challenges and breakneck pace of his new adventure.
Rein is a native of Chevy Chase, MD, and graduated from St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. He earned a B.A. in American Studies from Amherst College (where he was a 6-5 "3-man" on the basketball team) and an M.S. in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
He worked first as an intern at Culver Military Academy in Indiana, then spent two years at Saddle River (NJ) Day School, then in 1996 moved to the Haverford School near Philadelphia.
In 1998, he assumed the role of dean of students and from 2002 until he ventured south served as assistant Upper School head.
During a relatively calm interlude recently, we sat in his office and discussed the journey that brought him to Collegiate.
Did you know at an early age that you wanted to teach and coach?
No. Absolutely not. I think I was very “boy” if that makes sense. I worked hard. If you put something in front of me, I did it, but I hadn’t put a huge amount of thought into what I wanted to do in life.
At St. Alban’s I developed an enormous appreciation for how special an independent school experience was, but to be fair, when I graduated college, the only thing that was clear in my mind was that I wasn’t yet ready to be in an office building.
I was lucky enough to find an internship that gave me the out in my mind of "oh, it’s just a one-year job." That’s really where my interest got piqued.
What was it about teaching and coaching that you enjoyed most?
Recognizing the impact you can have on a young person. Having an appreciation for what you can contribute to somebody’s life and the way you can shape a person to be a productive member of society.
It’s such an unbelievable gift to have a job where you can support kids and work with them through this crazy, transitional adolescent period and hopefully inspire them and give them the confidence to succeed.
It’s addictive in a way, actually very hard to describe.
And administration?
I love bringing people together, supporting people to get things done, working with kids on a broad level, trying to do your best, helping your colleagues, your school, and the students ultimately benefit from a program and a curriculum that will allow them to succeed.
You were entrenched at Haverford. You were popular and well-respected. What convinced you to move?
I was feeling a sense of wanting new challenges. It wasn’t for lack of respect or appreciation for the community. I had the luxury of being in a wonderful place I didn’t need to leave and wasn’t encouraged to leave. It's very exciting but very challenging to pack up your family (his wife Claudia and their sons Jackson, 5, and Max, 2) and move them. It takes something very special. I took three years to find the exact right place.
Why was Collegiate the right place?
In my experience interviewing and knowing independent schools, I found that Collegiate is a great school that has fantastic students, a talented and diverse faculty, wonderful resources, cutting edge educational thinking, unwavering commitment to care, honor, and integrity, and a level of warmth, sincerity, and humility that would be hard to replicate.
How would you describe your first weeks on the job?
In some ways, this place is exactly as I thought it would be.
On the other side, there’re details, acronyms galore, and overlaps I haven’t figured out. The complexity of running an Upper School with 82 faculty and 14 thousand programs in addition to classes will take some time to get on top of.
What’s amazing is that it’s actually exciting because people have gone out of their way to welcome me and my family and do everything they can to make life easier and help me succeed.
Any surprises so far?
I’ve said this over and over. I honestly didn’t expect people to be this nice. This place is genuinely caring.
What have you missed about Haverford?
The friends and colleagues, of course. After 14 years, the convenience of knowing where things were. The dumb little things like where do I get a mop? You know which closets house the quirky little nuts and bolts. It’s the stuff you take for granted that you miss.
Glad you made the move?
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. On every level. Personally, for the opportunities for my family. Professionally, for the opportunity to join a school like Collegiate. I want to be here a long time.
-- Weldon Bradshaw
Back
He worked first as an intern at Culver Military Academy in Indiana, then spent two years at Saddle River (NJ) Day School, then in 1996 moved to the Haverford School near Philadelphia.
In 1998, he assumed the role of dean of students and from 2002 until he ventured south served as assistant Upper School head.
During a relatively calm interlude recently, we sat in his office and discussed the journey that brought him to Collegiate.
Did you know at an early age that you wanted to teach and coach?
No. Absolutely not. I think I was very “boy” if that makes sense. I worked hard. If you put something in front of me, I did it, but I hadn’t put a huge amount of thought into what I wanted to do in life.
At St. Alban’s I developed an enormous appreciation for how special an independent school experience was, but to be fair, when I graduated college, the only thing that was clear in my mind was that I wasn’t yet ready to be in an office building.
I was lucky enough to find an internship that gave me the out in my mind of "oh, it’s just a one-year job." That’s really where my interest got piqued.
What was it about teaching and coaching that you enjoyed most?
Recognizing the impact you can have on a young person. Having an appreciation for what you can contribute to somebody’s life and the way you can shape a person to be a productive member of society.
It’s such an unbelievable gift to have a job where you can support kids and work with them through this crazy, transitional adolescent period and hopefully inspire them and give them the confidence to succeed.
It’s addictive in a way, actually very hard to describe.
And administration?
I love bringing people together, supporting people to get things done, working with kids on a broad level, trying to do your best, helping your colleagues, your school, and the students ultimately benefit from a program and a curriculum that will allow them to succeed.
You were entrenched at Haverford. You were popular and well-respected. What convinced you to move?
I was feeling a sense of wanting new challenges. It wasn’t for lack of respect or appreciation for the community. I had the luxury of being in a wonderful place I didn’t need to leave and wasn’t encouraged to leave. It's very exciting but very challenging to pack up your family (his wife Claudia and their sons Jackson, 5, and Max, 2) and move them. It takes something very special. I took three years to find the exact right place.
Why was Collegiate the right place?
In my experience interviewing and knowing independent schools, I found that Collegiate is a great school that has fantastic students, a talented and diverse faculty, wonderful resources, cutting edge educational thinking, unwavering commitment to care, honor, and integrity, and a level of warmth, sincerity, and humility that would be hard to replicate.
How would you describe your first weeks on the job?
In some ways, this place is exactly as I thought it would be.
On the other side, there’re details, acronyms galore, and overlaps I haven’t figured out. The complexity of running an Upper School with 82 faculty and 14 thousand programs in addition to classes will take some time to get on top of.
What’s amazing is that it’s actually exciting because people have gone out of their way to welcome me and my family and do everything they can to make life easier and help me succeed.
Any surprises so far?
I’ve said this over and over. I honestly didn’t expect people to be this nice. This place is genuinely caring.
What have you missed about Haverford?
The friends and colleagues, of course. After 14 years, the convenience of knowing where things were. The dumb little things like where do I get a mop? You know which closets house the quirky little nuts and bolts. It’s the stuff you take for granted that you miss.
Glad you made the move?
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. On every level. Personally, for the opportunities for my family. Professionally, for the opportunity to join a school like Collegiate. I want to be here a long time.
-- Weldon Bradshaw
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