Henrico's Top Teachers – Dan Brinkman

As an elementary school student in Maryland, Dan Brinkman had a very practical reason for wanting to become a teacher one day.

"I thought it meant I could pull the fire alarm anytime I wanted without getting in trouble," he recalled.

But it would take a more personal experience to start him on that path for good. A difficult year as a third-grader convinced him that school wasn't someplace he wanted to be. Then he stepped into Tom Brady's fourth-grade classroom (no, not THAT Tom Brady).

"He changed my philosophy completely," Brinkman recalled. "I couldn't wait to be there because somehow or other, Mr. Brady had this ability to make me feel like I was the most important student in his class, or that my problems or successes were his problems or successes."

Today, in his 15th year as a fourth-grade teacher at Rivers Edge Elementary – one adorned, perhaps to the chagrin of that other Tom Brady, with Denver Broncos posters and blankets – Brinkman's own teaching style has elicited similar praise from former students and parents.

He makes learning fun for his students by sprinkling humor throughout the day, often poking fun at himself. He once wrote more than 20 songs about Virginia social studies to better reach a class that was having trouble grasping the information in a traditional way. He created a weekly writing club to help young writers foster their love for story-telling, creativity and poems.

"Mr. Brinkman is one of those rare, special teachers who significantly changes the developmental course of his students," one parent wrote in a nomination. "He actively seeks to identify, nurture and celebrate students’ strengths and hidden talents. He uses his unparalleled ability to connect with students, his adept sense of humor, and a high level of positive energy, to reach and motivate students to grow in all areas of life."

Brinkman takes great care to connect with each of his students individually. He asks parents to e-mail him before school in the morning if there's something he should know – good or bad – that has happened in a child's life. He waits at the doorway to greet each student, using those few seconds to gauge their moods and learn what approach he might need to best reach them on that day.

"The key is knowing the children," he said. "If I have 27 students who walk through my room, a successful day was approaching something 27 slightly different ways."

Sometimes, he said, that means that lesson plans take a backseat to life.

"I happen to teach in an area where there's less tragedy than in other parts of county, but that doesn’t mean [my students] don't deal with tragedies or difficult hardships," he said.

As another way to connect with students, Brinkman has them write essays once each marking period called "What's on my Mind."

"It reminds me who this child is as a person, what his or her joys are – just like Mr. Brady did with us," he said.

When Brinkman's own teaching career was beginning in Maryland, he had the chance to cross paths with Brady again during staff development workshops.

"I shared that he was the reason I was there," Brinkman recalled.

Brinkman has remained at Rivers Edge since it opened because of his connection to the school community and his desire to help mold the minds of nine- and 10-year-olds who are on the brink of becoming young adults. (He and his wife, Jaime, a district literacy coach for Henrico County Public Schools, now have a nine-year-old daughter of their own, as well.)

It's working.

"Solely because of Mr. Brinkman, our daughter now spends much of her free time writing for fun," a nominator wrote. "He recognized a passion and skill in creative writing that we did not know existed, and rapidly fostered its growth.

"He is clearly committed to these students as people, not just as scores in his gradebook."