When people think of classes that are included in a STEM program, English is unlikely to be the first subject that springs to mind.
Angela Beshore has been teaching in Plain Local Schools for the last 19 years. Currently, she teaches English to freshmen in STEM as well as an on-level freshman English class.
As a college student, Beshore initially planned to get a job in the advertising field but quickly discovered that it was not a good fit for her. She switched her major to middle childhood education and eventually 7-12 grade education.
“It was perfect because I can teach English, theater, speech and journalism, [which are] four of my favorite things,” Beshore said.
Beshore has always loved writing and psychology and hoped to find a career where she could apply her passion for both of those things.
“I loved learning about how peoples’ brains work and all those things that tie in with advertising, how do you motivate a person to buy a product. Why do I want to go to your website or visit your store? All of that stuff is very interesting to me,” Beshore said. “I think a lot of that is kind of wrapped up in teaching too. Like, how do you get someone to buy into what you’re trying to sell them? How do I get the kid who has never read a book in his life to care about Romeo and Juliet? And how do I get the girl in the back who just broke up with her boyfriend to feel motivated enough to do her homework or write a paragraph for me? I think I kind of like that side of it. And I also just love reading and writing. I’m very passionate about it.”
When Beshore got a job as an English teacher, she never expected to become a teacher in the STEM community. All of the freshmen in GlenOak’s STEM program take her class at the Honors level.
“When I started teaching STEM, it was a totally out of my comfort zone experience. I used to be a very controlled, rigid teacher like this is the way I’m doing things and this is how long it’s going to take, and this is the way I’m going to grade it,” Beshore said. “And then when I came over to STEM, it kind of forced you to be flexible. And I have to embrace the chaos of collaboration and group work and finding washers in my room and people filing foam solar boats on my carpet and things that I never dealt with before. That was a really eye-opening experience in the best possible way.”
Many of her past and present students expressed their fondness for Beshore’s class.
“Mrs. Beshore really made you feel like you were at home in her classroom and created a supportive and engaging environment that anyone would be glad to be a part of,” former STEM student Shishir Tallada said.
Beshore strives to make every day in her classes interesting and educational. She loves working with her students.
“There’s never a dull moment, and I never come into work like ‘ugh, another day of sitting at a desk and doing office work.’ I’m always doing something. I always have a story to tell,” Beshore said.
With nearly two decades of experience teaching at GlenOak High School, Beshore has undoubtedly made a mark on the community.
