Brief Biography:

‍Ben was born and raised in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. After being introduced to Hillsdale by a high school economics teacher, Ben was drawn to Hillsdale for its broad core curriculum and its strong, supportive, and intentional student community. He graduated from Hillsdale in 2021 with a degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Classical Education. After his first stint at Hillsdale, Ben married his wife, Emma, and moved to Texas, where he taught upper school science classes for four years at Valor South Austin, a classical charter school. While at Valor, Ben also coached track and cross-country, advised senior capstone projects, and served for two years as a Dean of Students. He is excited to be back in his home state and to have the opportunity to grow in his ability to bring up students in a faithful, intellectual, active, and moral good life. He currently resides in Hillsdale with Emma and their two children.

Extracurricular Activities:

‍Playing with my children, singing in church choir, and running.

What brought you to Hillsdale?

‍After teaching for four years and getting a taste of school leadership, I came away feeling that I was wanting prudential wisdom that I did not have. I came to the MACE Program to take the time to intentionally cultivate my character and wisdom while meditating on the nature of education and how it can be done to the glory of God and the flourishing of our communities. The program’s focus on the tradition of education in the West emphasizes that action and structure profit educators little without a transcendental target at which to aim them; I came to the program to deepen my understanding of the target and to learn how to align the means and matter of my teaching with it.

What is distinctive about Hillsdale’s Graduate School of Classical Education?

‍The cohort model of the MACE Program means all first-year students take all the same classes together, which makes our community incredibly close and underscores the program’s focus on the very personal aspect of growing as a teacher. Education is the transmission of a way of life, and the cohort model allows us to live and work together and practice the kind of life we want to pass on to our students. The MACE Program is unique because it cares about making excellent men and women who have the moral and intellectual virtues which will make us effective guides who can cultivate the same virtues in our students.

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