Micheal Beall has worked in education for 31 years, spending 22 as a math teacher at Kennedy. Thousands of students have passed through Beall’s class, but after the 2021-2022 school year, he will retire.

Beall began his career at Moulton-Udell High School in Moulton, Iowa, where he taught for two years. He later spent 10 years at Anamosa High School before being hired at Kennedy in 2001.

“I was originally a student at Kennedy, so coming back to teach has been exciting,” Beall said. “It’s been great. There are great kids here, great facilities, great people to work with. I just love Kennedy.”

Beall has a passion for helping kids understand. Teaching math allows him to communicate with his students and help them learn in different ways. One of Beall’s favorite times in his classroom is when students collectively have an “ah-ha” moment.

“My favorite parts of teaching are those wild moments when you see a kid just get it,” Beall said. “It’s exciting, especially when you know they’ve been struggling with a concept. I’ll really miss working with the kids and working with my colleagues. This job has definitely been a positive thing for me.”

Beall was the district’s mathematics curriculum facilitator, taking on a leadership role within the school district. He organized math teachers throughout the district and planned meetings to help educators develop their teaching skills.

“Mr. Beall has been recognized by his colleagues and people at the district office as just an outstanding math teacher,” Principal Jason Kline said. “He loves teaching. I’m so impressed with how much he just loves seeing kids learn math. He just loves it.”

Making people feel comfortable in the classroom is one of Beall’s specialties. He consistently goes out of his way to make kids feel that they can do math, even if they may not understand a concept.

“He really believes every kid can learn math and wants them to learn it as best as they can,” Kline said. “He shows kids that math is very doable, it’s very possible. He teaches for all levels of understanding and he makes all kids feel like they can do math.”