After 29 years, GA alum and long time teacher Robynne Graffam ‘86 will retire at the end of this school year. As the longest tenured English teacher at GA, she has led many English classes, countless advisories, the Writing Center, and much more. In addition, Ms. Graffam has had an accomplished career outside of GA, working as a playwright and writer.
First and foremost, what Ms. Graffam has in many ways pioneered is the creative writing aspect of GA’s English curriculum. Poems and short stories of all kinds shape the foundations of 10th grade English, stretching the brain-muscles of eager learners who appreciate the contrast to the prose that is more common in high school English classrooms.
“Creative writing, writing in general really, but creative writing has been one of her passions and her niche within the English Department” Upper School English teacher Dr. Michael Torrey said.
This flexibility to create change and push the boundaries of stock education is one of the things that Ms. Graffam enjoys the most about GA.
“Being able to design seminar classes is a great opportunity, because it lets me pull together courses that are focused on things we really care about or are excited to teach,” Ms. Graffam said. “There are not a lot of places in high schools where we get to do that kind of thing. So that’s really special for us, and also for the students. I like the way it lets us interact with students in a much more human and individual way than some places.”
This style of finding relevant material speaks to and engages the students that she teaches. In Ms. Graffam’s classes, you will find pieces of writing that make the class think introspectively and find different ways of looking at literature.
“One aspect I really enjoy about Ms. Graffam is that she clearly explains why we are doing what we do in class,” Aidan Gor ‘25, a current student of Ms. Graffam’s “Madmen and Geniuses” Honors English Seminar, said. “I feel like that engages students more and better motivates them because they realize why what they are doing matters and how it will help them be better English students.”
The impact that Ms. Graffam has left on her family, students, and colleagues is undeniable.
Many members of the GA community were jumping at the opportunity to praise and celebrate Ms. Graffam – a testament to her skill at teaching as well.
“Ms. Graffam always brings out the best in students,” Matt Schaffer ‘25, a past and current student in Ms. Graffam’s Honors English Seminars, said. “Through engaging curricula and very thought-provoking class discussions, along with difficult assessments, I have learned a lot in her classes.”
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But the material in her classes is just the tip of the iceberg.
Passion is one of the first words that comes to mind when you think of Ms. Graffam. Passion for teaching in class, passion for working on individual projects; everything is done with full attention to detail.
“Ms. Graffam’s passion for writing and teaching finds its way into every aspect of her class,” Alex Swartz ’25, a past and current student in Ms. Graffam’s Honors English Seminars, said. “Whether it is through her love for the literature she has chosen or her openness to continue discussions from class outside of the classroom, it’s clear how much she cares about her students.”
It’s the desire and willingness to bring out the best in people that sets Ms. Graffam apart from the rest. It’s her academic curiosity and intelligence mixed with her care and compassion for the people around her that drives people to want to stand out and get better at whatever they are doing.
“My favorite thing about my mom is how much she genuinely cares about everything,” Ms. Graffam’s son Austin Graffam ’25 said. “Teaching, writing, theatre, or raising me.”
But passion and creative writing is just the start. Master was another word that came up multiple times from her colleagues to describe Ms. Graffam’s teaching prowess.
“She’s an absolute master teacher,” Chair of the Upper School English Department Mr. Michael Ferrier said. “I mean, it’s one of those things where she is so skilled at what she does and so captivating at the same time. If I had a teacher like her when I was in high school, she would have transformed my life.”
Others echoed Mr. Ferrier’s high praise, similarly citing the elegance that Ms. Graffam brings to the classroom on a daily basis.
“I love the way that she teaches – everyone is always dialed in,” Dean of Faculty and Upper School English Teacher Ms. Rebecca Burnett said. “I’m always blown away by how she has created the perfect environment to allow the students to fly with their words and it’s never her talking, its always structured, I will absolutely miss that. I know if I walk into her classroom I’m going to see extraordinary teaching.”
Make no mistake, teaching is just one of the many capes that Ms. Graffam wears. Author, playwright, actress, the list could go on. Her juggling of these facets of her identity is remarkable, executing each with her trademark grace and eloquence.
Aside from her out of school quests, many of her colleagues admire her for her intelligent swagger and her willingness to descend into the occasional academic debate.
“I would say she is a connoisseur of refined and genteel snark,” Dr. Torrey said. “She doesn’t suffer fools. So if you know she disagrees with something or doesn’t like it she will almost certainly let you know, but in a very straightforward and polite way.”
“She is the queen of snark in the best possible way,” Ms. Burnett said.
Ms. Graffam has certainly turned into a pillar that holds the foundations of GA academics together. An icon not just for her contributions to the English Department but also to the school more greatly, it is clear just how much her students and peers will miss her next year when she is off to new challenges.
“I mean she has really good common sense and is also really, really smart,” Mr. Ferrier said. Whenever there is a tough issue with the department or with a student, I almost always go to Ms. Graffam to get her feedback on it, because she just always helps me think through things in a really helpful way. She’s someone who I can trust implicitly.”
As Ms. Graffam’s career as a teacher winds down, she reflects that now is the time to stop and smell the roses, and how instead of committing to one thing or the other it’s time to take a pause and figure out what’s next.
“I just want to take some time to take a breath and look around and see what else is out there,” Ms. Graffam said. “I think there are lots of things that could be very interesting. Certainly I will spend more time doing some writing. I think, with more committed time, I can think a little more clearly about what my goals are, and really what I want to accomplish.
It seems clear, however, that the thing that Ms. Graffam will miss the most about GA are the people that she got to work with and the memories that were made with them.
“The good company is what I will miss most,” Ms. Graffam said. “Because I think one of the things that’s really fun is just walking down a hallway and saying hi to people in the morning. Those relationships are really meaningful, and that’s a lot more fun than just being at a computer by myself.”
If there wasn’t a word limit on this article, there would have been pages upon pages of blocks of quotes from her peers and colleagues, everyone wanting to give their thanks or share a fun memory. The mark that Ms. Graffam ingrained into the memories of her students and colleagues will be a difficult one to forget.