Teacher of year praised

Published: November 6, 2007 | 6804th good news item since 2003

The best part about being in second-grade teacher Michael B. Flynn’s classroom is learning about air pressure, according to 7-year-old Molli A. Loud.

For Jonathan M. Walker, 7, also a student in Flynn’s class at the William E. Norris School, the best part is that Flynn “teaches a lot.”

And for Katelyn A. Pickunka, 7, of Westhampton, it’s all the exciting activities Flynn does, such as yesterday’s experiment in which he used a bike tire pump to shoot soda bottles across his classroom, illustrating the results of increased air pressure.

The really big excitement yesterday at Norris School was the declaration that it was Michael B. Flynn Day both in Southampton and Northampton where Flynn lives and is a member of the School Committee.

The school community held a party yesterday evening to honor Flynn who is the 2008 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Both the Southampton Board of Selectmen and Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins declared it Michael B. Flynn Day in those communities.

Flynn, 32, the father of four young children and husband of Theresa M. Flynn, was a student teacher at Norris School in 1997 and never left. Yesterday, said he is getting used to the attention that Teacher of the Year has brought to his classroom and enjoying the state-of-the-art technology the school obtained as a result.

“The nature of this job is to focus on the kids. We (teachers) are not looking for any kind of attention. Now, it’s a different feeling,” Flynn said.

Being Teacher of the Year doesn’t mean he’s the best teacher in the state, Flynn said.

“It’s about someone who represents what good teaching is all about. There is great teaching happening all over. I’m happy to shed light on that,” Flynn said.

Principal William E. Collins, who nominated Flynn for Teacher of the Year, said Flynn “is the epitome of what is

Published in Teachers
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