Educator Of The Month: Lara Beccone

Lara Beccone juggles many roles at SPMS, where she’s a seventh-grade social studies teacher, team leader and equity lead.

How does one end up not only teaching middle-schoolers but thriving? Severna Park Middle School (SPMS) teacher Lara Beccone — known as Lara Hodak, until recently — shared how.

Growing up, Beccone was inspired at 5 years old by her kindergarten teacher. She dreamed of following in her beloved teacher’s footsteps — until high school, when she fell in love with history and psychology. That sparked a shift in focus: she wanted to teach that content instead, rather than kindergartners. This led to a bachelor’s degree in history and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Maryland.

“When I entered the interview process with (Anne Arundel County Public Schools), I focused mainly on middle school social studies positions as I felt slightly intimidated at the idea of teaching high-schoolers so early in my teaching career,” Beccone said.

When her middle school alma mater — Old Mill Middle School North — had a position available, it was hard to resist going back to a school she’d grown up in.

“It felt right to return back to where I started,” she said.

After three years, she moved on to SPMS, where she’s now wrapping up her third year as a seventh-grade social studies teacher. She also serves as a team leader for the grade’s Stingrays team and as equity lead.

In her role as an educator, she regularly collaborates with fellow social studies teachers. “We plan how to best teach our world history curriculum,” she explained.

As a seventh-grade team leader, she’s the point of contact for team members and parents when concerns arise. Beccone also advocates for both teachers and students, facilitates parent-teacher conferences, communicates critical information to families, and plans team events and field trips

As an equity lead, she runs four professional developments on unity days each year. She covers how to best support struggling learners and ways to ensure all students at SPMS succeed and grow.

She works with the SPMS leadership team, administration and Principal Dennis Kelly to gain insight into where the biggest gaps are among students and plan professional developments around how they can help staff best support students based on their needs.

“Ms. (Beccone’s) ability to get the most out of her students each and every day is exemplary,” Kelly said. “This, combined with the positive relationships she’s built with our entire faculty and staff, make her a tremendous asset here at SPMS!”

Beccone always seeks to create a safe, inclusive classroom with high expectations, focused on meeting students where they are and supporting their growth. She prioritizes trust and family partnerships, and she recognizes the importance of letting middle-schoolers be kids. She teaches history through multiple perspectives to foster critical thinking.

“This new era of information comes from all different platforms and students need to be able to decipher what is real, what is biased, and what is simply incorrect information,” Beccone said.

When Beccone thinks of her students, her German Shepherd puppy — who’s a little over 1 year old — comes to mind.

“They want to do the right things; they are always full of energy and excitement, are incredibly smart, but still have so much to learn in their adolescent years,” she added.

Her students are resilient. They juggle family responsibilities, friendships, and demanding extracurricular schedules on top of the high expectations of school.

“They are all just trying their best and trying to survive the chaos that comes with being in middle school,” Beccone said.

Luckily, these seventh-graders have a passionate teacher like Beccone in their corner.