An Oakland County educator known for connecting with her students in a “professional, kind, and caring way” has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Lindsay Rubin, is a high school Marketing teacher at Lakeland High School. The school is part of the Huron Valley School District.

The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence In Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.

Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Rubin will air this evening.

Rubin says her father inspired her to become an educator.

“My father was a teacher and taught for more than 30 years. When I was growing up, he told me I would make a great teacher, and he was right. I learned so much from him over the years. When I was in high school, I took a Marketing class, and fell in love with the topic. I was planning on majoring in Marketing, but one day I realized my true calling was to be a teacher.”

Rubin says teaching her students using hands-on activities is one of her favorite parts of being an educator.

“I enjoy having students learn with hands on activities. Students can take the skills they learned in class and apply them within the school store. I enjoy taking students on field trips, where they see material that was learned in class in action. I also run the DECA club, so students get to network and learn a variety of business skills while competing.”

Rubin was nominated for the award by her father.

“Lindsay is starting her 20th year at Lakeland High School. When she started, there was a tiny business program. Her commitment has led to the growth of the business program to a strong vital program with many staff members. She has been most instrumental in starting a chapter of DECA. This organization gives business students real life experiences in the business world. She has taken students to regional, state, and national competitions. She oversees one of the strongest DECA chapters in the state. She has also served on committees at the state and district levels to improve business education. She has been recognized by the Board of Education for her commitment to Huron Valley students. In addition to exceptional teaching, she has served as the senior class sponsor and school store teacher. Her greatest strength, however, is her ability to connect with students in a professional, kind, caring way. She has had students keep in touch well after graduation. She is truly an exceptional and dedicated teacher.”

Rubin earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University. She has been an educator for 20 years, all of them in her current position.

Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
• Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
• Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
• Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
• Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.