From the moment he stepped into his sophomore year debate class, Vincent Beard knew exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
“My mom suggested that I go talk to the debate coach at my high school,” Beard said. “I did and the rest, as they say, is history. By the time I was in the 10th grade I decided this is what I wanted to do professionally. I was going to go get certified to teach, and coach a debate team.”
Before discovering debate, though, Beard was a theater and choir student in middle school. He had a high soprano voice and really liked to perform, until his voice changed and singing was no longer an option. Unsure of what came next, he eventually found his place behind a podium instead of on a stage.
“I was kind of a weird kid, and I didn’t really ‘fit in’ in middle school,” Beard said. “When I got to high school, I saw all of these weirdos in the debate room. They were all so confident and so intelligent, and they kind of wore the fact that they were a little odd like a badge of honor. I guess I came out of my shell and accepted who I was through speech and debate.”
When Beard was younger, he dreamed of attending film school. However, his interest in teaching led him in a different direction.
“There was something about the stability of being a high school teacher,” Beard said. “It seemed like a job where I could look at myself in the mirror every day. That’s kind of why I did it.”
Beard, now the Debate and Professional Communications teacher at Clements High School, has faced his fair share of change. He has switched schools multiple times and shared that the most challenging aspect of moving isn’t the teaching itself but rather the small adjustments that come with each new environment.
“You forget what it’s like walking into a new building,” Beard said. “Taking attendance, using a new grade book, remembering new procedures for things like tardies, duty periods, stuff like that. That’s always the hardest stuff.”
One thing that really struck Beard when he switched schools was his students’ determination and commitment to succeed.
“I get a sense from the student body that they’re motivated by different things,” Beard said. “They seem to very much want to learn. They want to do well by their teachers, by their parents, by their friends, by their coaches and their directors.”
Before the school year started, Beard contacted his students over the summer via email. Junior Vansh Parikh initially felt “skeptical” about what to expect from a new coach, but he said his doubts quickly vanished once he got to know Beard.
“I’ve dealt with Ms. J for the last two years so I was like ‘Who’s the guy that she brings in?’,” Parikh said. “But then I started talking about what his plans were for the program, how he was going to change things, what he was going to keep the same. He started with asking questions, and I was like, ‘Well, this is a good start’. So, I was pretty cool with him.”
Parikh further said that ever since Beard joined the Debate team as coach the team’s performance has grown significantly.
“He kind of changes up things a little bit to make our lives more convenient and more modern to debate style and it shows in the results,” Parikh said. “Me and my partner came third at a tournament the other week. A lot of the other guys have been breaking past prelims a lot more. So, overall, the team’s performance has shot up ever since Mr. Beard got here.”
In addition to the achievements of his students, Beard has garnered significant recognition for his own accomplishments in the field.
“I’m a Hall of Fame member of the Texas Forensic Association,” Beard said. “I was elected a few years back. It’s also kind of a big deal because Ms. Johnson, who was the coach before, was also a Hall of Fame member. I’ve also had the opportunity to be a five-diamond coach in the National Speech and Debate Association [NSDA].”
According to the NSDA, earning a Diamond award signifies both longevity and excellence in the activity. Coaches must gather a significant number of points and complete at five years of experience after reaching the degree of merit to qualify for their first diamond and every consecutive diamond after that. But for many students, it’s not just Beard’s expertise but his kindness that stands out. Junior Trisha Sahu described him as “insanely nice,” adding that he teaches more like a friend rather than a teacher.
“He’ll talk to you one-on-one or even the way he just presents information makes it super understandable,” Sahu said. “I feel like that’s what really makes him shine.”
Senior Khushi Patel, co-president of the Debate Club, emphasized Beard’s enthusiasm for joining the team. She mentioned that he is very helpful and eager to support the growth of Clements Debate.
“He was really excited to get to know all of us and help further Clements Debate and as I’ve gotten to know him in person, that impression has stayed the same,” Patel said. “He’s genuinely passionate. He’s not just taking this job to take the job, but he really does want to further Clements Debate.”
Beard’s enthusiasm for growing the debate team is clear through his goals and aspirations. He aims to increase participation in tournaments, beginning with a small team. Moreover Beard shows a “protective” instinct towards his Debate 1 students, emphasizing his desire to adequately prepare them before they compete.
“That isn’t the way everybody else does,” Beard said. “I have found in my past that when kids are not trained properly, they don’t tend to be as successful. And if they’re not as successful, they don’t like it as much. So if I can do everything to make them successful, then more of them will continue doing debate.”
Beard’s mentorship goes beyond just tournaments, though. Over his 28 years of teaching, he has guided countless students to success, but certain moments stand out more than others.
“I remember I had a student years ago who had struggled for four years in debate,” Beard said. “She went to every tournament and showed up regularly, and ultimately, in her senior year, she managed at the very last tournament of the year to qualify. I was so proud of her and that was the ultimate example of the kind of grit and stick-with-it-ness that I really appreciate.”
Beyond his own students, Beard expressed his deep admiration for the numerous coaches and educators who have played a crucial role in shaping the debate community.
“Ms. Johnson was definitely somebody I looked up to,” Beard said. “I’ve seen how she built this program over the years as I coached in other places. There are other coaches in the Houston area that are still coaching that have been around for a long time. [They] were mentors to me when I was a young man still learning how to be a teacher.”
For Beard, debate is more than just a profession—it’s a part of his personal life as well, so much so that he calls his family the “speech and debate house.”
“I met my wife at a debate tournament,” Beard said. “Originally, she was going to be an elementary school teacher, but she ended up taking a position as a speech and debate teacher at another school. All three of my kids have done speech and debate. It’s something where we talk in speech and debate terms all the time in our house.”
Outside of school, tournaments and debate, Beard has been a Houston Astros fan since 1986. He is also an avid adult Lego builder who spent countless hours during the pandemic building Lego sets with his children. In addition to this, he loves movies and enjoys playing the guitar.
“I play guitar badly, but I do play,” Beard said. “I played when I was younger. My guitar got stolen when I was in college. And so for about 20 years, I didn’t have one. During the pandemic, I ordered an inexpensive electric guitar on Amazon and had it shipped to my house. I started learning how to play guitar again, which has been fun.”
Even after nearly three decades in the classroom, Beard’s love for teaching has not dimmed—if anything, it has only grown stronger. What began with a lost voice has become a lifelong calling, a vocation that Beard considers to be truly rewarding.
“I don’t think teaching debate has been anything less than that for me,” Beard said. “It’s never been like ‘God, I wish I had done something else’. It’s always felt like an honest profession. This job, this is my life’s work and I’m proud of it.”
