Royal Oak's Molly Brinker Named Oakland County Elementary School Teacher of the Year

When Prinicpal Jane Flarity-Gram knocked at the door of teacher Molly Brinker's Addam's Elementary School classroom this afternoon, she wasn’t expecting it at all.

In fact, Brinker was preparing her third-grade students for a lesson.

That’s when a flood of people came into her classroom with a handful of balloons and smiling faces to tell her she has been named the Oakland County Outstanding Elementary School Teacher of the Year.

"I am completely surprised," said Brinker. "I am overwhelmingly honored. With all of the teachers that are in our county and with everything that every teacher does to make their students learning the best it can be, the fact that I was chosen is completely beyond anything I ever dreamt."

The top-secret surprise included a $2,000 cash prize from the Oakland Schools Education Foundation and the honor of being selected from a pool of 22 elementary school nominees by a committee of local education and community representatives. 

It was a surprise for Brinker's students, too, who cheered her on and gathered for a group photo with Royal Oak Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin, School Board President Gary Briggs and Oakland Schools Deputy Superintendent Terri Spencer during the announcement.

Brinker's mother, Judy Byington, took a day off work to present her daughter, Royal Oak's first Oakland County Outstanding Elementary School Teacher of the Year, with a bouquet of flowers.

Of the 186 elementary schools in the county, Brinker came out on top in six areas that were evaluated: engaging students, meeting individual needs of students, demonstrating knowledge of subject area, demonstrating classroom management, relating to parents and colleagues, demonstrating citizenship and leadership in the school community and support statements from colleagues, parents and students.

When asked to describe Brinker on the application form, one parent wrote, "Mrs. Brinker challenges her students to do their best and takes time to know each student well enough to assess their potential."

"I think she's a really good teacher and she's really nice," said student Grace Hatfield, 8, as she cheered.

Brinker is from Clarkston and began her teaching career in 1999 at Sherrelwood Elementary in Colorado. She taught at Keller Middle School in Royal Oak from 2002-2007 before coming to Addams in 2007.

Along with the high school and middle school winners, she will be honored at an event at Oakland Schools on May 9.