Transitions: Charles Plummer

May 18, 2017

Physics teacher Charles Plummer celebrates his retirement after 33 years on the Mesa.

On Friday, May 12 the community celebrated the career of physics teacher Charlie Plummer. Plummer will be retiring this year. Head of School Ben Williams along with faculty and students spoke about Plummer’s contributions to School during his 33 years on the Mesa. Science teacher Paul Denison, who was hired the same year as Plummer says, “Charlie is one of the best teachers I’ve ever seen, and he has years and years of student testimonials as evidence of that fact… I watched the enthusiasm he brought to his classroom, the rapport he had with his students, the bar he set for his expectations, and the amount of fun his kids had while they worked with him.”

Students shared their thoughts and thanks with several short speeches, a video tribute, and a demonstration by Connor Pan ’18 and Teddy Wecker ’18. The two seniors brought a robot on stage designed to solve one of Plummer’s regular difficulties – misplacing his coffee cup. Senior Musa Hakim recalled the struggles he faced in Plummer’s freshman physics class – struggles he disregarded when he enrolled in Plummer’s Advanced Physics class. He says, “I wanted to have one more year with Mr. Plummer before we both ‘graduated’.”

Head of School Ben Williams offered his thoughts on Plummer’s tenure:

“Even more amazing, this man who loves order and organization and believes in the dependability of systems chose to share his life with teenagers, the very creatures that resist all that Mr. Plummer cherishes. But that may be just another clue that Mr. Plummer is not always what he seems, and that behind that occasional scowl or furrowed brow is a sincere appreciation for those young people who somehow make life delightfully unpredictable. I’m not sure there is much that Mr. Plummer will miss about the craft of teaching in the years ahead, but he will surely miss his students.”