Oxford Area Community Schools has announced that this year’s nominations for the Oakland County Outstanding Teachers of the Year program are Lakeville Elementary’s Cheryl Matas, middle school instrumental music teacher Pat Parrish and high school language arts teacher Molly Darnell.
Cheryl Matas, who says she’s “40ish,” began her teaching career with Milwaukee Public Schools in 1985. While there, she taught seventh grade middle school social studies and later transferred to a math/science specialty school where she originally taught first grade and then became the science-technology resource teacher.
Matas began working with Oxford Community Schools five years ago. She started her career here by teaching fourth grade at Clear Lake Elementary and then transferred to Lakeville where she has taught third and fourth.
Matas received a bachelor’s in science in curriculum and instruction for elementary education from the University of Michigan, and a master’s in curriculum and instruction for science and technology from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
“My first reaction was ‘Oh no, I hope nobody finds out what it’s really like in my classroom,'” jokes Matas. “I was just so shocked, because you do what you do. You come into work and you do your job the possible.”
As a teacher, Matas said the hardest part is all the paperwork, while the best part are the students.
“I like to see the look on the kids’ faces when the light bulb comes on in their eyes,” she said.
Molly Darnell, 27, is originally from the Livonia area. She received her teaching degree from Central Michigan University and her master’s degree in educational administration from Michigan State University.
“Being a teacher was just the one thing that I always knew I wanted to do,” she said.
Darnell spent the first two years of her career teaching middle school boys and then high school for a semester at Crossroad for Youth. The past three years she has taught language arts to both freshman and upper classmen at the high school.
In addition to her teaching duties, Darnell is also student council advisor, adventure club sponsor, a member of the North Central Accreditation Target Committee, a mentor teacher and a member of the Executive Board Advisory for the Flint Metro League Student Council.
“This is a really nice compliment,” she said. “It’s just not something you expect to happen. You come in and you do your job everyday.”
Darnell has contact with around 150 students a day and has a very simple teaching philosophy.
“I always ask myself ‘What’s in the best interest of your students,'” she explained. “Even with snap decisions, that’s the most important.”
Patrick Parrish, 36, is in his 13th year of teaching music for the district.
“I remember when I first came here I was the only music person for the middle school and high school,” he said, “now there are three of us.”
Parrish began his teaching career in the Ashley School District and came to Oxford in 1990. He graduated from Central Michigan University with k-12 certification and received his master’s in music education from the Vander Cook College in Chicago.
“Actually, I thought at one time I’d be an attorney,” laughed Parrish, “but I have no regrets. This is for sure what I want to be doing. I love it.”
Parrish has contact with around 300 kids on a day to day basis. He said his favorite part about teaching is working with the students – especially since music is an elective course, which means the kids really want to be there.
“I especially like teaching the younger kids because they love learning music,” he said.
However, Parrish added that the paperwork involved in keeping up with a large music program can be difficult.
“I want to see this program grow and expand even more,” he said. “I strongly believe there will be a string program in the district’s future.”
A committee of representatives will screen all nominations for the award and select three teachers from across the county.
A recognition ceremony is scheduled for April 30, 2003 to honor the three winners.