Bellefonte Area High School math teacher Mrs. Susan Besch uses her passion and humor to make learning as fun as possible. Mrs. Besch currently teaches AP Statistics, Algebra 2, and Probability and Statistics. She has lived in Bellefonte for most of her life, and has great pride for the area. She cares about her students and will help them along their journeys in math. Mrs. Besch has helped and impacted her students through her encouragement and bringing excitement to the classroom. 

“Mrs. Besch has made a positive impact on my life with her encouragement and kind personality,” senior Emalee Neff said. 

Growing up, Mrs. Besch played games, completed puzzles, and went fishing with her father. She kept score of all the games she played with her father and brothers. This experience caused a love of math at an early age.. Her father was also hired as a computer programmer, but tried to get a master’s in mathematics. These factors led Mrs. Besch to develop an interest in mathematics at an early age. 

“I lived with my parents while I was teaching, waiting for our house to be built, and he [my father] would at times ask to see my students’ papers to see if he understood what I was teaching and he would say, ‘Oh I remember that from college,’” Mrs. Besch said. 

Mrs. Besch’s teaching experience started in high school while working at a part-time job. It was at the YMCA with current BASD Athletic Director Ms. Deb Moore. Mrs. Besch taught gymnastics to boys and girls ranging in age from 4 years-old through  middle school age. This made her realize that she liked to see her students achieve success with her helping them. 

“There is nothing better than celebrating a brand new skill with a gymnast. The first time they achieve a new goal is precious. These same skills fit the classroom,” Mrs. Besch said. 

Mrs. Besch also has different hobbies and interests that are not connected with her career.  One of those interests is playing games such as Chinese checkers, however, pinochle is her favorite. She also loves to go to the beach with her family since while they’re there, hey spend time together and eat good food. 

One fun fact about Mrs. Besch is that she has made all the curtains in her house. And finally, Mrs. Besch likes to move through life like the directions in a pattern. 

“Morris and I agree – don’t mess with our schedules – life is full of schedules, rules, patterns and I enjoy them all,” Mrs. Besch said. 

One factor that makes Mrs. Besch a teacher of the month is the care she has for her students. It has been shown that Mrs. Besch takes great pride in seeing her students succeed in her class and in the cycle of life. The classroom and students are Mrs. Besch’s favorite things about BAHS. And what more can someone ask for from a teacher?

“Her teaching demonstrates a love of her subject matter and students. She has high expectations for her students, but also cares deeply about them,” Mr. McDermit said.