By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

 Ben Raymond, voted the South Portland Cape Elizabeth Sentry’s “Great Person” by his neighbors last month, said he thought his students were joking with him when he was nominated by his wife. 

“I thought ‘Oh, great, they’re just giving me a hard time,” he said. 

Raymond, a special education teacher and coach for Cape Elizabeth’s swimming, lacrosse and soccer teams, said parents often joke that he spends more time with their kids than they do. 

“And they’re probably right,” he said with a chuckle.

Raymond’s desire to coach dates back to his adolescent years, which he spent playing all three sports he now coaches. Raymond said he also participated in the summer outdoor recreation program he has helped direct since graduating from Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. with a degree in outdoor recreation and education in 1992.

“It’s a lot of outdoor activity, whether field sports or just group activities,” he said. 

While Raymond admits he wasn’t “really thinking about” what he wanted to do after college during his undergraduate years, he said starting out as a substitute teacher in the Cape Elizabeth school system and coaching the junior varsity lacrosse team at the same time “just made sense.”

“My dad used to teach and my mom worked at the school, I just always wanted to coach,” he said. “It’s all the same whether you’re on the playing field or in the classroom. Teaching is teaching, dealing with kids is still dealing with kids.”

When he wasn’t on the playing field or at the head of the classroom in Cape Elizabeth, Raymond said he began taking education courses at the University of Southern Maine and considered getting his masters degree.

“When you’re young, you don’t have many bills, it’s a good time to explore,” he said. “I had my special education certification and a lady working here in Cape Elizabeth retired, so I took the job. It felt really good, I wanted to be back here.”

Returning to the Cape Elizabeth school system was a rewarding but sobering experience for Raymond, who said he received “a lot of support from the community” to meet high educational standards as a new teacher. 

“The kids are great, the staff is great and they expect a lot from their teachers,” he said. “I know if I’m not doing my job.”

Over time, Raymond said he has learned to streamline preparation for his classes, but he still spends about a third of each day helping athletes on all three teams. Each sport has it’s own demands, he said. 

“Soccer pretty much everything is done in practice, you can’t do a lot during games, it’s pretty much the same with swimming,” he said. “Lacrosse is a little different, we can take a lot of time-outs and run a lot of plays.”  

Raymond, who now works with students with special needs, said most of his time in the classroom is figuring out how to communicate. 

“It’s just finding out the right way to say things. I can tell them something a thousand times, but until I say it just right, they won’t get it,” he said. “It’s rewarding when they finally make the connection.”

Several Cape Elizabeth students see Raymond as both a teacher and a coach, he said.

“It’s great for both of us, I’ve had several students who have really excelled on the playing field,” he said. “It’s important for them to have a place where they’re doing well and it makes for that much more of a strong connection between us.”

If effective communication is the key to effective teaching, Raymond’s facial hair may be the secret behind the success of his athletes. He said he starts each season “with a clean slate,” and refuses to shave or trim his beard and mustache until each team is finished with their season.

“It’s something that gets me into it,” he said. “Some of the girls on the swim team say ‘Oh, God, can you walk in after us?’”

Appearances aside, Caroline Raymond said many of her husband’s students admire him enough to continue seeking his advice after they’ve gone on to college. Ben Raymond said he always encourages his students to keep their options open during their undergraduate years. 

“I tell everyone that goes onto college to get a teaching degree while they’re there,” he said. “We’re always going to need good teachers and it’s a great experience.”