Beacon Charter Names District Teacher Of The Year

From Beacon Charter Schools: Each year, the faculty and staff of Beacon Charter Schools nominates a teacher to take on the role of District Teacher of the Year. This teacher can then apply to be considered for Rhode Island’s State Teacher of the Year, a title that two Beacon teachers have been honored with in the schools’ short existence. In the fall, the Rhode Island Department of Education will host their annual Educator Excellence WaterFire event to honor all District Teachers of the Year and other distinguished educators.

Beacon Charter Schools nominated Ms. Jamie Miller as District Teacher of the Year for 2019. Ms. Miller teaches 7th and 8th grade English at Beacon’s middle school, Founders Academy. She has been teaching since 2015 and joined Founders’ first team of 7th grade teachers in 2016. She recently completed her Masters in Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning, and is looking forward to her upcoming graduate school graduation.

Ms. Miller’s colleagues, who nominated her, noted that she’s “a hard working, dedicated teacher that shows true passion and empathy for students.” They praised her for “going above and beyond the call of teacherly duties, taking on any responsibility with ease.” Her nominators also recognized that “there is not a second that goes by each day that Ms. Miller doesn’t put the students first.”

The impact that she has made on the students of Founders Academy can be credited to the structure of her classroom, “I truly believe in forging a connection and bond with my students. I am honest with them with the expectation that they are honest with me, and we build a sense of trust by having open conversations and discussing units and assignments - even something as detailed as how we spend our day - I like to give students a voice in their learning. So if they need more time to complete an assignment or are struggling with a concept and need more help, I expect honesty and communication from them. The teachers who meant the most to me while I was in school were the ones who always seemed the most ‘human’ with us - and so that is always what I try to emulate.”

In addition to creating an open and honest classroom culture, Ms. Miller makes a valiant effort to develop a positive and respectful rapport with her students: “In addition to the dialogue within my classroom, I make a huge effort to know who my students are and continue learning about them and from them even after our first introductions at the beginning of the year. Their life experiences might look completely different from mine, and it is unfair for me to base my units solely on what I enjoy teaching or what I find interesting. These kids have so much to offer and so much to teach me. I truly try to reflect their interests in their learning experiences - it opens up wonderful discussions, helps us connect as a class, and really makes their learning more meaningful.”

Ms. Miller’s classroom is representative of Beacon’s culture of acceptance and diversity. She exemplifies that these qualities are key in creating an environment that is safe for students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. The entire Beacon community is proud and privileged to have such a passionate and enthusiastic educator represent their schools as Beacon’s District Teacher of the Year.

Image Via Beacon Charter Schools