Charlie Beaucham will join the Darlington Community this fall as a Middle School English teacher and football coach. He will teach grades 7 and 8, replacing Michelle Major.
“As an English teacher, I want to use literature to get my kids to think critically and compassionately about themselves, others and society,” Beaucham said. “I consider a lesson or assignment successful if it actually makes my students intellectually grapple with complex and worthwhile ideas. My job is to help them develop their own insights about literature and teach them how to effectively express their insights with clarity.”
Beaucham holds a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Berry College and an M.A.T. in English Education from Georgia State University. He has also published a piece of literature titled “Lilith and Mysticism" and holds the T-5 Georgia Public School Teaching Certificate in English grades 6-12. Beaucham has eight years of experience teaching and tutoring students at the middle school, high school, undergraduate and graduate levels in the United States, Korea and Austria.
“After graduating from Berry College, I was awarded a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Austria. My job was to teach English in Austrian public schools," he said. "My primary reason for accepting the Assistantship was to have the opportunity to live for a year in Europe and improve my German language skills, but I also wanted to test out teaching as a potential career path.
“Over the course of the year, I discovered how enjoyable and rewarding teaching could be,” he continued. “I felt a sense of satisfaction when the lesson plans that I created the night before actually seemed to work and facilitate learning in class the next day. I also enjoyed the opportunity I had each day to share my interests with my students. Teenagers and pre-teens are sometimes frustrating to deal with, but they are also hilarious (sometimes intentionally and sometimes not). For all of these reasons, I decided to pursue a career in teaching when I returned to the United States.”
During his free time, Beaucham enjoys reading at coffee shops; talking about books with his wife, Sarah (who is also an English teacher at Darlington); and hiking at Berry College.
"I look forward to working with my wife," he said, "and to meeting all of the bright, funny, awkward students I've heard about in her stories from this past year."
Charlie and Sarah Beaucham
