The scene is an empty mansion in the backwoods of rural Zellwood, Florida. One of Sue Beechum’s students is explaining the history of the home, the families who had lived there, and the architectural style. It is the kind of project that would make the pages of literature such as Gone With the Wind come alive for Ms. Beechum’s students.
Ms. Beechum believes that great literature speaks to everyone. Her goal is to help students recognize how it speaks to them. Her goal is also to help her students recognize within themselves the ability to speak their own thoughts and ideas.
For the past twenty-two years, Ms. Beechum has shared her love of literature and of writing with her students. In addition to her position on the Florida Virtual School faculty, she also teaches five sections of Advanced Placement English Literature at Apopka High School in Orange County, Florida. It was in 1997 that Apopka High chose Ms. Beechum as its Teacher of the Year. She later went on to become one of the Teacher of the Year finalists for Orange County Public Schools. Ms. Beecham was also chosen by the English-Speaking Union to receive a grant to study at Oxford University.
Ms. Beechum believes that FLVS offers teachers and students the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of education. She enjoys the ability to reach out to students from all around the State of Florida, helping them make personal connections with Shakespeare, Chaucer and Byron.
Ms. Beechum earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of New Hampshire.
