Waukee teacher named Iowa Teacher of the Year

A third-grade teacher at a Waukee Community School District elementary school is the 2011 Iowa teacher of the year.

Gov. Chet Culver announced the selection Monday of Molly Boyle, a teacher at Brookview Elementary School.

“Our teachers play a critical role in shaping Iowa's future, and our state is home to some of the very best teachers in the nation,” Culver said. “As a former teacher, I know that the dedication and commitment of Iowa's teachers is an inspiration, and Molly Boyle is a shining example of the very best of her profession. Her work – with her students, her colleagues and her community – has earned her the honor of Iowa's 2011 Teacher of the Year.”

Boyle has taught in the Waukee Community School District since 2001, teaching at Walnut Hills, Prairieview and Brookview schools. During that time she has also been an instructional coach and K-8 literacy strategist for the school district. In addition, Boyle has taught in the Des Moines, Hudson and Osage school districts.

She has a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education and a master of arts degree in reading education from the University of Northern Iowa. She has done additional post-graduate studies at Viterbo University and Drake University, and has been a member of Choice Literacy and the International Reading Association.

Finalists for the 2011 award included Thomas Cuvelier, a science teacher at Senior High School in the Dubuque Community School District; Donna Sue Lawler, an instruction coach at Southeast Elementary School in the Ankeny Community School District; Deborah Ann Masker, a vocal music teacher at Kirn Middle School in the Council Bluffs Community School District; and Laurie Powell, a fourth-grade teacher at Smith Elementary School in the Sioux City Community School District.

Boyle and the finalists will be recognized at an Oc. 22 luncheon in Des Moines. Boyle's tenure as Iowa teacher of the year will run from January to December of 2011.

The Iowa Teacher of the Year Award was established in 1958 and is sponsored Iowa Department of Education through an appropriation from the Iowa legislature. For more information on the Iowa Teacher of the Year program, please visit the Iowa Department of Education website at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/686/664/. The Iowa Teacher of the Year serves as the Iowa Ambassador to Education, acting as liaison to primary and secondary schools, higher education and organizations across the state.