Waterford — Earlier this spring, Linda Brailey brought her class of second-graders to the Great Neck Elementary School auditorium for what she had thought was a regular school assembly. To her surprise, the assembly was all about her.

Brailey, a 23-year veteran of the school, had been named the elementary school teacher of the year by the Connecticut Parent-Teacher Association.

Just a few weeks later, her husband David, a professor in Mitchell College’s education department, was also named teacher of the year, this time as voted by the student body.

In an interview at their Waterford home, both said they were surprised to receive their respective awards. While it’s nice to be acknowledged, they both said they teach because they love it, and their reward is seeing their students succeed, whether it’s going into third grade or the work force.

"I don't teach to get awards," said David, who has been recognized several times by Mitchell and previous institutions, including the University of New Haven. "For me, my biggest award is graduation day, to watch students who came in as freshmen walk across that stage. It's heartwarming."

Linda said she originally went to school for business but started teaching after her children were born. After a few years teaching kindergarten, she switched to second grade and fell in love with it.

"Second grade just was the perfect age for me," she said, adding that she taught third grade for two years and went back to second grade. "They still are excited about being at school, they love to learn."

She said David has tried to get her teaching middle school, but she said she likes the “wow factor” the kids get when they learn new things; she also teaches church confirmation classes for grades 7 and 8 twice a week and said they’re a tougher crowd than her second-graders.

David, on the other hand, said he enjoys working with college students because they’re starting to make their own decisions and he enjoys seeing their transformation from teens into productive adults. Sometimes his students are students Linda also had at Great Neck.

He sees his fair share of little kids, too, though. He works with student teachers in the early childhood education certification program at Mitchell and previously taught at Connecticut College and the University of New Haven. Linda said that during one class visit, one of the preschool students climbed right in his lap to sit with him during the lesson.

David said he’s proud of Linda for her award, especially because the recognition came from the state PTA.

"She should take a lot of pride in it because it not only talks about her ability working in the classroom but also her ability to work with the community and to work with parents and families," he said.

He said he teaches his education students the importance of the interplay between families and teachers in supporting student development, and they often host his students for dinners at the house to build those relationships.

Even after the fact, Linda said she’s still overwhelmed and humbled by the support her school gave her — her coworkers at Great Neck nominated her for the award in secret — and in reading their recommendations, she realized how much work she does for the kids that she hadn’t thought about, since she just loves doing it.

a.hutchinson@theday.com