Susan Wertheimer Epstein, Class of 1975, has always adored Long Beach and believes it is the greatest place to grow up. When she reflects on her childhood, fond memories of the boardwalk with all of its amusements, bowling alley, movie theaters, Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor, Beach Burger, the beach, and the mini golf course flood her mind. Susan also participated in the Long Beach Theater Guild. Her love of theater enhanced her high school experience as well. She performed in the musicals and dramas, and had the lead roles in Room Service and The Front Page.
Susan was admitted into New York University through their Early Admissions program. She entered NYU during, what would have been, her senior year in high school. At NYU, she majored in Speech and Educational Theatre and won the Actress of the Year Award in 1975.
After taking a year off from college to pursue acting, she attended and graduated from Baruch College in 1980.She has a degree in Psychology, Special Education (K-12), and Elementary Education (N-6). She received her Literacy Masters from Queens College in the early 1990's and completed the Administrative Certification Program from The College of New Rochelle.
Three years ago, Susan retired from Long Beach Middle School as an 8th grade special education teacher. Her former principal and current Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Paul Romanelli, describes Sue as "a wonderful educator and an all-around great person. She refused to accept that a student could not learn a concept and used every tool in her teaching repertoire until meeting with success. She held her students to high expectations and supported them throughout their learning. Sue was also an amazing middle level educator because of her focus on educating the whole child. She built strong connections with her students and their families and placed particular importance on social and emotional learning in addition to academics. Personally, I was so lucky to work with her and our students were so lucky to have her as a teacher!"
Susan is married to Bob Epstein, a retired LBHS English teacher. They have two daughters and four grandchildren. Their daughters, Lauren (Class of '98) and Brooke (Class of '01) are both educators as well. Susan enjoys photography, painting, writing, traveling and walking on the boardwalk with Bob. She is a certified life coach and MBTI Personality Types Consultant. Her blog posts can be found on her website susanepsteinlifecoach.com.
When asked to give young alumni advice, Susan explains, "Life is made up of a multitude of minuscule moments which weave the quilt of our existence while time floats on, creating changes that we barely notice… we must be cognizant of these moments that are our lives and appreciate this journey, this ride of consciousness."
