Benjamin Bruch
B.A. cum laude in English and American Literature and Language, Harvard University, 1997.
M.A. in Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University, 2002.
Ph.D. in Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University, 2005.
Ben comes to Scattergood from Germany, where he held the position of Lecturer in Celtic Languages at the University of Bonn. He has also taught college courses at Harvard University and at the University of Vienna, where he was a visiting professor in the department of Indo-European and Celtic Studies in 2008-2009. From 2005 to 2008 he worked at the Waldorf School of Baltimore as a music teacher for grades 1-8 and a class teacher for grades 3, 4, and 5.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Ben has maintained close ties to the Midwest through the years and is excited to be moving back to the area with his husband Rüdiger Ruckmann (Scattergood's Director of Development) and their daughter Ellen. Ben and Rüdiger both feel that Scattergood's rural setting, cultural diversity, and commitment to Quaker values make the school an ideal place to raise a family.
Ben is fluent in six languages (English, German, French, Cornish, Welsh, and Breton) and has studied Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Esperanto among others. He has published a number of academic articles on Celtic literature and linguistics, and is an internationally recognized authority on Cornish, the traditional language of Cornwall, Great Britain. His other interests include Celtic music, calligraphy, and card games.