When students would stream by her in the Santa Maria Middle School library, Lory Banuelos would tell them, in her bright-as-day way, “Have a beautiful day.”
It wouldn’t be long before they would chirp back to her, “Ms. Banuelos, have a beautiful day!”
“I thought, oh my God, they’re picking up on these things that I’m telling them. I’m influencing them, hopefully in a positive way, which really made me want to just dive first into teaching,” said Banuelos on Tuesday in Grand Canyon University’s Sunset Auditorium.
The Phoenix educator was one of the teachers receiving the Teacher of the Year award from their school districts through Westside IMPACT, a consortium that focuses on celebrating the accomplishments of teachers in the West Valley. Banuelos went from the library to the classroom as one of the first students in GCU’s Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach program, an alternative route to help those with a bachelor’s degree become a certified teacher.
Eleven years ago, Banuelos worked in the school library as a media clerk, thanks to her mom, a paraprofessional in the same district, Fowler Elementary School District. Her mom told her, “There’s an opening. Come try it out.”
She never thought it would lead her to where she is now.
At her school, Banuelos met representatives from GCU.
“I was kind of going to school for a couple of years, just kind of aimlessly taking classes.”
A GCU counselor told her, "Hey, send me your transcript. We’ll see where you are, where you need to be,” and that led to Banuelos’ bachelor’s degree in psychology.
When her school district found out she was working on her bachelor’s, she was asked, "Do you want a job? We’ll get you emergency certified.”
After a year working in the classroom with that emergency certification, she heard about Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach.
The initiative launched during the pandemic, after university President Brian Mueller, months before COVID-19 hit, issued a challenge to the College of Education and Canyon Professional Development, a branch of K12 Educational Development. He wanted them to address the teacher shortage by finding a path to teacher certification.
Speaking to the Arizona House Education Committee in March 2024, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said the largest and most urgent problem facing the state is a dire shortage of teachers, calling it a “potential catastrophe” requiring immediate attention.
He said, “Currently, we have 60,000 teachers in our classrooms – 8,000 of them are leaving each year. Our educator preparation programs produce 1,900 per year that actually show up in our classrooms, and 2,815 teachers also return to the classrooms. That’s a net loss of about 2,300 per year.
“If that trend were to continue, it would eventually lead to zero teachers.”
Many of the vacancies in school districts are filled by teachers who lack standard requirements and hold subject matter, intern or short-term emergency certificates, like Banuelos did.
The accelerated Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach program – it stands for Local Education Agency Pathway – combines online courses with weekend boot camps helmed by Canyon Professional Development. GCU’s College of Education instructors provide direct supervision, and partnering school districts provide vital support to get teachers certified in as little as 10 months.
The first Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach cohort started in December 2020. Banuelos would begin her journey a few cohorts after that.
“I loved how I was able to teach – I loved the pace of it. It was just really helpful being in the classroom while also earning my degree,” said Banuelos, who said she made it through the program with the help of Dr. Carol Lippert, assistant vice president for Grand Canyon Education’s K12 Outreach and Education Program Development.
“I felt like she held my hand throughout the whole program. I don’t think I would have been able to make it through the whole program if not for her support,” Banuelos said. “Even afterward, just messaging her, ‘Hey, Dr. Lippert, I know I already graduated, but this is going on on my campus. Can I get your advice?’ She never said, ‘You graduated, you’re not mine anymore.’ She was always willing to reply, and even now, I honestly can’t believe she remembers me.”
Lippert said, “I was thrilled – but not surprised – to hear that Lory, one of our first (Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach) participants, was nominated for Teacher of the Year. During the program, Lory was motivated, intentional and deeply dedicated.
“I had the pleasure of watching her teach and was so impressed by the strong connections she built with her students. It has been a fantastic program for helping adults become certified teachers,” Lippert said.
Banuelos teaches sixth-grade language arts and received her Teacher of the Year award at the Westside IMPACT celebration the same day her principal, Emilia Sanchez, was named Principal of the Year in their school district. They both started out as support staff and worked their way up to becoming certified staff, what Banuelos called “a beautiful progression and inspiration.”
Senior Vice President of K12 Educational Development Dr. Tacy Ashby said, “Especially with the large needs in developing and growing the teacher pipeline, it is especially significant to recognize an award-winning teacher who was trained through GCU’s Lopes L.E.A.P. to Teach alternative pathway program.”
Banuelos wanted to become a teacher in part because of the educators who influenced her.
She still remembers her kindergarten through third grade teacher.
“As many years as it’s been – it’s 20-plus years – I still have her name in my head, and I still think about her and how she positively impacted me. It’s crazy to think that I might be that person for another student.
“I love seeing kids reach their potential – that it’s not always me. It has to be them, as well, and when they realize that and put in their effort, that’s what I love seeing the most.”
Manager of Internal Communication Lana Sweeten-Shults can be reached at lana.sweetenshults@gcu.edu or at 602-639-7901.
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