Editor’s note: To read profiles of all 2017 Blackboard Awards honorees, click HERE!
Aubrey Miller
Grades Pre-K-5, Physical Education
P.S. 3 – Charrette School
Tell us about some of the special joys and challenges you’ve experienced as
a teacher.
I have taught many different grade levels and subjects over the past 12 years. You have to figure out how to make whatever you are teaching interesting and engaging for each individual and the group as a whole. That is what is most challenging and most joyful. But once you figure out that connection, you can really spark an energy in your students and that energy is what is reflected back to you.
Please share a special project or achievement that you are particularly proud of from this year.
This year my goal was to help students make connections with their bodies in a physical way through exercise and gain a better understanding of their health and mental wellness. I developed and delivered a curriculum that focused on integrating learning about the systems of the body into their physical fitness routine and also taught mindful practices to help calm their minds and bodies. I couldn’t believe how interested they became! Parents were coming to me all the time to tell me that their kids had come home to talk about PE, not just because they were having fun, but because that they were learning so much about their bodies and reporting their learning at home.
Over the course of your career, what do you consider your greatest accomplishments?
I have really loved working with students in a way that is focused on the whole child. I believe that academics are important but watching kids learn to socialize, be kind, and gain confidence are the things that really make my heart soar.
What keeps you motivated and committed to being a dedicated
and hard-working educator?
I have been fond of school since I was a kid. I had some amazing teachers that inspired my love of learning early on. I guess I have found that teaching is just as much learning, as it is instruction. I keep it fresh and interesting by switching grades and subjects so that the content that I teach is often new to me. I think in order to be a good teacher you really need to be drawn in to what you are instructing.
