Ms. Beuk grew up in Irmo, South Carolina, a suburb of Columbia, which is why it should surprise no one that she attended the University of South Carolina. Initially, Ms. Beuk wanted to pursue teaching as a career, but she was dissuaded by the combined efforts of her parents and the formidably low wages and instead settled on a career in business. After graduation she moved to Atlanta where she worked in business for a number of years. She decided to put her professional career on halt and take up full time stay at home mom-ing when her children were born. When her children began attending school,  Ms. Beuk found herself longing to rejoin the commercial marketplace and decided to do so, but this time in an area of passion; teaching. Her grandmother was an English teacher so it was only natural, which makes it seem genetic.  She entered the education field as a middle school business teacher, side note: sounds like a really fun class actually, definitely preferable to AP Gov and Econ. After a few years teaching business she decided to complete a Computer Science education and shift her subject expertise. The radical shift in content was attributed primarily to her eldest son’s budding interest in programming which rubbed off on her, but the background influence of her mother, a professional computer programmer, cannot be discounted. Fun Fact: I was actually in her very first computer science class at Laing Middle School, Ms. Beuk’s place of employment before Academic Magnet High School.

Ms. Beuk really enjoys the environment of Academic Magnet, especially the school spirit. The students are markedly well behaved, and a lot taller, compared to those of Laing Middle School. She’s found them more responsive and engaged, just genuinely more interested in the class. Her favorite grade is the sophomores, but that seemed like a politically motivated answer because she teaches them; we all know the real answer is the class of 2022. 

In her free time Ms. Beuk enjoys the great outdoors with her family, walking beachside with  her dog, reading, and cooking. Relatable, Ms. Beuk doesn’t usually read books, settling for short articles and online browsing. Her cooking is the stuff of legend; her kids actually get mad if she doesn’t cook. Her astrology sign is Leo. The five main personality traits of a Leo according to CoStar are  “Exudes warmth and creativity, A little bit vain, Really big personality, Wants to stand out, Interested in luxury,” which she thinks fits her “somewhat.” However, she says her twin brother is the stereotypical Leo, maybe he stole her cosmic properties in the womb? 

Overall Ms. Beuk is a fantastic teacher and our current and upcoming Raptors should be thrilled to enjoy the presence of Ms. Beuk in the computer labs and occasional football games.