Educators that Excel: Freddie Benschine

Current School: North Springs Charter High School
Years in Education: 7
Hometown: Duluth, Georgia
Favorite neighborhood stops: You can often find Benschine perusing the Ham Bar at Art Smith’s Southern Art restaurant or enjoying Sandy Springs’ authentic El Taco Veloz.

University of Georgia graduate Freddie Benschine is an avid runner who enjoys cooking and getting in shape, but his first love is teaching. The 33-year-old Advanced Placement World History and Economics teacher also coaches North Springs Charter High School’s cross-country team. He feels that encouraging his runners allows him to see students grow on a different level than what they achieve in the classroom.

“On the flip side, in my classroom, I love having the opportunity to introduce students to new cultural understandings of their surroundings,” he says. “We spend a lot of time in class studying the civilizations and religions of the world. In many cases, students come to class with prejudgments, or biases of their environment and I like having the opportunity to shed more light on these misconceptions.”

In addition to his classroom and trail-running dedication, Benschine has organized and chaperoned trips abroad with his students to England, France, Spain and Japan. “These experiences have helped to meld classroom and life experiences,” Benschine explains.

As a college student, Benschine didn’t plan to pursue a teaching career. After receiving an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Georgia, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and worked at the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as their operations and personnel director. He quickly realized his college job as a swim instructor and after-school counselor was more aligned with his passion so he moved back to Georgia to earn his master’s in education at Georgia State University. Now, the 33-year-old says he couldn’t imagine any career but teaching.

His secret? “It helps to vary lesson plans and provide both personal and class incentives. Whether it’s an extra credit assignment or offering class outings, students and teachers alike need encouragement to remain focused throughout the year,” Benschine says.

His commitment doesn’t go unnoticed. “He dedicates himself to giving his students a dynamic experience,” says Assistant Principal Eric Jones. “He organizes a dinner outing to an Indian restaurant with students and parents to help them better understand the different cultures they will be studying. I’ve seen the results of hours of prep time the night before, preparing different ‘mystery’ foods for the students to experience in class to help them understand the effects of the Columbian Exchange.”

Benschine’s cross-country team also participated in the State Championship last year, a great accomplishment and a proud moment for the coach.

“I love seeing them compete and make strides—pun intended—in terms of their athletic abilities,” says Benschine.

As for his personal running goals, Benschine has competed in numerous half marathons and completed the Callaway Gardens Marathon.