It was a typical day in history teacher Beverly Smith’s AP European History class. The students were taking notes as usual on Wednesday, March 22, when the door opened and in entered principal Gavan Goodrich, superintendent Ted Moore, Assistant Superintendent for Operations Dennis Womack, and a half a dozen television reporters, coming to present Ms. Smith with a $1,000 check and the honor of being a finalist in the lifetime achievement segment of H-E-B’s Excellence in Education Awards.

Smith had no idea she was one of five finalists with the opportunity to win $25,000 for themselves and another $25,000 for their school district.

“When I saw everyone walk in I thought “Oh my gosh, I’ve won money, I’ve done something!” Smith said. “And then when she [the H-E-B representative] explained that I was a finalist I thought ‘What, that means I am up for the big award?’ I started thinking about that and I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t expect the money at all.”

Smith was nominated by the school district alongside math teacher Keith Christian for the award at the beginning of the school year.

“H-E-B sent me a packet with a whole bunch of questions and documentation and you had to turn it in by a certain date in order to qualify,” Smith said.

That was months ago, leaving Smith barely remembering filling out the application in the middle of last semester.

“Honestly when I came in here yesterday I had completely forgotten,” Smith said. “I knew I had done it, but it was turned in back in November and I didn’t know when they were going to tell people, I just thought if it happens, it happens and I went along my way. Yesterday was really a total shock.”

To qualify for the Lifetime Achievement section, a candidate must have at least 25 years of teaching experience. Smith has been teaching for 27 years, 21 in the Plano ISD and the last six in Lovejoy, and she sees no end in sight to her teaching career.

“When you have passion about something, you don’t mind doing it every day,” she said. “I have taught for 27 years and the gentleman asked me yesterday if I had ever thought about retirement and I said never, not once. I am just grateful that I am in the job I want be in, because not a lot of people can say that. We have teachers who don’t stay in the profession past five years and it just breaks my heart. And it is tough, you have to really want to be a teacher to do this, but it is worth it.”

Smith’s students were glad to see her selected as a finalist.

“I thought it was really cool,” junior Laura Pitkin said. “She is a really good teacher and she deserves it. We are all really happy for her.”

Smith was humbled by being selected as a finalist.

“I feel overwhelmed, first of all, and very honored. Truly, there are a lot of people out there who do this job really well every day, and over 800 people were nominated for this award and I couldn’t believe that out of that many people they had whittled it down and I was a finalist,” she said.

Smith travels to Houston with the other finalists May 4-6. She will be interviewed by a panel of judges before the winner is decided.

While Smith hopes she will win the award, she maintains shorter term goals as well: the same goals she has had for 27 years.

“If I can go to work every day and change the life of a child or do my job to the very best of my ability, I think that’s pretty good,” Smith said. “Education gets a lot of negative press, but if I come to school every day ready to do my job and send these kids into the future equipped to face whatever they need to, I have done my work.”