Name: Susanne Huber
School: Hamilton High School
Department, Grade: Math Department, Honors Algebra 2 - Sophomores, Geometry - Sophomores/Juniors
Hometown: Boiling Springs, South Carolina
Favorite book: I don’t think I have a specific favorite book, but I love reading friends’ recommendations on fiction and suspense books… I read a lot!
Favorite season: Summer
Favorite hobby(ies): Keeping up with my three and six-year old kids, golfing, hiking, camping, hanging out with friends, and traveling.
Favorite emoji: 😂
Susanne Huber has been teaching for 13 years, eight of which have been with Hamilton City Schools at the High School – Main Campus. When asked what (or who) inspired Susanne to begin teaching, she recalled her experience as a student in second grade.
"My second-grade teacher, Mrs. Poteat, loved math so much. I felt like her positive attitude and love for math were contagious. I wanted to be just like her. Her ultimate goal was to help us all to learn how to love math too. She was my teacher again in the seventh grade when I was just starting to begin a more advanced level of course.”
But it wasn’t only the math lessons that resonated with Susanne. “She [Mrs. Poteat] helped me to develop strong skills in math while also teaching me core values of being perseverant, being a problem-solver, how to not give up on solving any problem, and how to work my way through tough problems until I could find a result that could be backed up with logical mathematical sense.”
Susanne’s teaching style today was likely inspired by her time with Mrs. Poteat. Although she admits she has high expectations for her students, and keeps them busy “from bell to bell,” the work she assigns is meant to instill a work ethic that extends beyond the classroom. But at the end of the day, the teacher-student relationship is more give-and-take.
“My favorite thing about teaching is developing relationships with my students through support and encouragement. I try to be active in showing up for them when I find out they are involved in things,” Susanne said. “When I find time to share parts of my life with them, they open up and seem to be interested. I enjoy it when my students get to know me, and it allows me to get to know them in return. I feel that once a connection is established, they are more likely to follow my lead during the lessons in class and we can work hard to get things done in class.”
When asked if she had an exciting project or goal she was working on, Susanne gave an overview of a team-based project that will give students real-world experience.
“I have been working with a team of teachers in the building to develop lesson plans for a Pre-Apprenticeship program coming to Hamilton High School next year,” Susanne stated. “Developing the meaningful lessons for Algebra 1 and Geometry courses, after the End of Course Exams take place, has been exciting and inspiring. Teaching students real-world applications of mathematics will be rewarding, once we get everything rolling.”
Susanne has two pieces of advice to ensure a successful school year:
- For students: "Find the teachers and peers to surround yourself with. Our staff forms meaningful relationships with students, and finding the teachers who will advocate for students, and for their futures, is extremely important to be successful."
- For new teachers: “Count on your fellow employees to help guide you. New teachers should work on finding dependable co-workers to help navigate some of the difficulties of being a teacher. My husband and I both work at the high school, and our coworkers have become our best friends. Having this network of friends and reliable coworkers makes coming to work more enjoyable every day. “