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- Beverly Cannon, a math teacher at Utah County Academy of Sciences in Orem, has been named a finalist in Kleenex's national "Heroes of the Classroom" contest.
- Nominated by a colleague, Cannon was selected from hundreds of entries to be among the Top 10 finalists based on her dedication to students.
- Public voting will determine the winner.
OREM — A math teacher at a public charter school in Orem is being recognized as a "hero in the classroom" in a national teacher contest.
Beverly Cannon teaches at Utah County Academy of Sciences and is a finalist in Kleenex's Heroes of the Classroom competition.
Cannon was nominated by a fellow teacher and then went through a vetting process in which the sponsors picked a Top 10 out of hundreds of entries. Now, it's up to a public online vote to choose the winner who will receive $5,000 for themselves, $5,000 for their school and a yearlong supply of Kleenex brand tissues for the school.
"It's exciting. There's just 10 finalists, and it's from all over the U.S. I'm the only one from Utah, and it's kind of fun to represent," she said.
Cannon started her 23-year-long teaching career in the math departments at Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. Nine years ago, she switched to high school math at the Utah County Academy of Sciences, an early college high school that helps students graduate with college credit, experience, and for many, an associate's degree.
"I have found it's really not about the math at all — it's actually about the students, and I really love my students," she said. "In all the teaching, really it's just about the students and watching their growth, and it's just truly amazing."
She said she has been grateful to work for a school that supports a focused environment of learning while also emphasizing service. It's been a "beautiful thing" to watch the kids flourish intellectually and emotionally while doing community projects, she added.
"It's sweet because I feel like Utah County Academy of Sciences is such a wonderful place to teach, and it's nice to have the school get recognition," Cannon said.
Principal Jennilyn Derbidge said she believes Cannon was chosen as a finalist because she is the best at nurturing students.
"She truly nurtures and cares for our students in a way that is emotional and loving, and our students walk out of her class knowing, 'My teacher knows who I am and cares what I'm doing more than just in a classroom. She cares about me as a person,'" Derbidge said.
Even when Cannon faces difficult personal things in her life, she still walks into school each day with a smile, "ready to help kids and show them that she loves them," Derbidge said.
Derbidge said former students always talk very highly of Cannon and love to come back to visit her and update her on their lives.
"They know that when she is here, that is her focus — she is here for them. I have never seen anyone with as much resilience as what Bev brings every day to the classroom," Derbidge said.
Every year, Cannon redesigns her curriculum. While it is a lot of work, she said it has been necessary to help students who fell behind in certain topics during the pandemic.
"I really have had to redesign everything I do to fill in those gaps and those holes. It really is amazing, in doing that, watching how the students do. Some kids were below average on their testing, and by the time we run them through our program, they are testing easily grade-level or above," she said.
Cannon tries to get to know her students as quickly as possible so she can identify their strengths and weaknesses and help them become more comfortable with math.
One of the sweetest compliments she received from a student was when he said her class taught him that it was OK to try, she said.
"When students come into a math classroom, a lot of them are afraid they will fail or that they can't do this. They're afraid to try even," she said. "My biggest accomplishment through all of this is when students come in and they're not afraid to try anymore."
She loves running into former students when she's out in public and hearing what they are up to.
"I really do love teaching and I love, love these kids," she said. "My job is to help their life be better through math. Everything they deal with, if they understand math and have that confidence to say 'I'm not afraid to try,' that is huge moving forward."
Voting for the contest ends on Oct. 11.
