The Schumann Show

For the last 32 years, Mr. Rolf Schumann has roamed the halls of the CB campus. He has taught teachers like Mr. Brendan Hogan ’95, Mr. Jacob Hunley ’96, and Mr. Dave Desmond ’94. He’s even taught students’ parents, like Emily Mayes’ (‘23) dad. However, he is more than just a math teacher. 

Before he started teaching, he attended Cal Poly and was unsure if he wanted to be a math major.

“Senior year they told me I had to declare a major to go to Cal Poly, and I did not know what I wanted to do, so the counselor asked me what my favorite subject was and I told him math. He then told me to put that as my major and that’s what I did.” 

But Mr. Schumann did not like the complicated problems that came with college math — he prefers the math he did in high school. 

“I’m not the type of person that sits down with these complex math problems,” he says. “I liked high school math and what came with it. I have grown to appreciate math throughout the years.”

He came to CB to teach math in the fall of 1990 during the first year of the school becoming a co-ed environment and remembers the transition being a struggle at first. “It was just a different crowd of people back in the day, and it just took time from going to an all boys school to having girls on campus regularly.”

Nevertheless, he saw the school grow into the community we have today. Both of his children graduated during his career here. Yet, Mr. Schumann did not just teach math — he was coach of the JV football team with Mr. Dale Milton, served as an administrator, and held the title of student activities director. 

Something shocking he mentioned was that he used to get nervous speaking in front of people or making announcements over the intercom. “I would get on the mic and nobody could see you and as I’m reading the announcements  and my hand is shaking — I really did get nervous.”

But during Mr. Schumman’s time at CB, that fear faded and he has no issue talking in front of the class everyday. He even makes jokes and tells us stories from his life in class. Recently he mentioned how his daughter got married last November and how he also became a grandpa!

Mr. Schumann was my Algebra I teacher freshman year, and I now have the blessing of having him a second year for Algebra II. Many of my friends have had him for three years straight, from Algebra I all the way to Pre-Calculus. 

“In Pre-Calc, and even Algebra II, you get kids that like math a little more and it makes it a little more fun because they are more engaged in the subject, which makes it more fun to teach,” Mr. Schumann says.

Many of us in the senior and junior class have had Mr. Schumann during our time at CB, and most of us have experienced CB in person before the pandemic hit. Now the newer classes like the sophomores and freshmen have experienced most of high school with strange obstacles created by the pandemic. Even the new teachers are still learning the way of the CB community. As his 32 years comes to an end this May, so does his career here. He will be retiring after this May to focus on his family and grandson. Mr. Schumann has seen a lot of change with the school, but the one constant is community.

“What always made this place special and what I will always remember about this place is the Brothers,” the math teacher says. “It’s always been a big family with the kids and the teachers, and the community you’re a part of is not just our school, but the schools throughout the world,”. 

“Even though you are from all different parts of the country, instantly there is a connection because you are all a part of a Brothers school.”

It is the community we create as teachers, students, parents, faculty, and staff that makes the school thrive. Our teachers are not there just in the classroom — there is more to their job. Being a teacher at CB is more than working from 8-3

“We are your mentors, and we are your big brothers and sisters, and we view you guys as our younger brothers and sisters that help guide you along and get you to the next place,” Mr. Schumann shares. 

Teachers like himself, Mr. Hogan, Mr. Dave Anderson ‘07, and many more are seen outside of the classroom at sporting events, plays, Open Mic, and other student events. “The biggest thing of teaching is not just about teaching in the classroom, it’s about what you do outside the classroom — that connection is just as important,” Mr. Schumann says. “This is a part of your vocation — you are teaching kids, but you are also getting involved with different aspects of the school.”

Being part of the CB community goes outside the classroom walls thanks to the welcoming environment that’s created through the people like Mr. Schumann. To those that know Mr. Schumann, he’s not just a math teacher: he’s a coach, a supporter, and a mentor. His time here at CB has been long, yet his legacy is longer. He has influenced and taught generations here and has impacted the community forever. As his teaching days come to an end, he will forever be a part of the Christian Brothers community.