2024 APEX Awards | Teacher of the Year | Kevin Clyde

Kevin Clyde says his drive to be in a classroom every day is as intrinsic to him as the beat of his heart or the color of his eyes. “Teaching is not what I do,” says the Alta High mathematics teacher. “It’s who I am.” Perhaps his personal philosophy about his profession is the major reason why so many Alta High students unabashedly declare their love of his classes, even in a subject that is often avoided for its rigor and precision. Clyde, the 2024 Canyons District Teacher of the Year, earns the respect and admiration of students by building connections with gentle praise as he guides students to use their base of knowledge, logic, and intuition to find exact answers to challenging questions. Seen from another perspective, it’s as if he’s dispensing lessons for a successful life with every assignment: Think hard, be resilient, learn from mistakes, and work together to solve problems. Colleagues call Clyde an innovative teacher who eschews traditional lectures with hands-on lessons in small groups or on whiteboards tacked to the classroom walls. He’s also led the Math Modeling Team to national recognition and rankings. “The world we live in is crazy sometimes, but kids don’t know that,” Clyde says. “They need people to love them, I hope fellow teachers never forget that.” It all adds up to this: Through his mathematics instruction, Clyde is making an exponential impact on the lives of students at Alta High. For these reasons, and many more, the Canyons Board of Education and Administration are honored to present the 2024 Apex Award for Teacher of the Year to Kevin Clyde.

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