ECU College of Education Graduate Named
2005-06 North Carolina Teacher of the Year
Greenville, NC – Wendy Miller, a recent MAEd graduate from the College of Education, was named the 2005-06 North Carolina Teacher of the Year. Miller is a K-2 elementary teacher at James W. Smith Elementary School in Craven County. State Superintendent Tricia Willoughby made the announcement at a formal banquet, hosted by North Carolina Auto Dealers Association, on May 3rd in Cary, NC. Miller was thrilled to be selected saying while it is an honor is it also a great responsibility. “It is important to be a good ambassador… it is also a big responsibility because I will be the voice of all teachers and students I work with.”
Miller was selected as a local, and then regional Teacher of the Year before moving on to the state level. Eight regional candidates went through a selection process including class observations, interviews and the submission of their portfolio. Final interviews were conducted prior to the formal banquet. Miller was awarded a car of her choice with keys served on a silver platter and personalized “Teacher 1” license plate. Miller said she felt like “Cinderella at the ball.”
Miller’s passion for teaching began 18 years ago. She currently teaches all subjects to grades K-2. A step inside Miller’s classroom proves that it is far from average. She is a self described risk taker. She enjoys taking her students back in time by decorating her room with a theme. Her most recent classroom creation involved dinosaurs, an active volcano, lagoon with live fish and a water fall. Miller says “Everyday should be an adventure…Students should be as excited to come to school as they were the first day of kindergarten.” Miller’s out of the box thinking obviously works because she says she has few discipline problems and her kids are doing well. She attributes this to her students “not wanting to miss anything”.
The 2005-06 Teacher of the Year nominees will form a team that will work together throughout the year in development workshops enhancing their skills and learning from one another. Some exciting opportunities Miller will have as Teacher of the Year include attending Space Camp, going white water rafting and even a traveling to Peru. She of course plans to use these experiences as a teaching tool. She will conduct a postcard project appropriately named “Where in the World is Wendy Miller.” Students can follow her travel learning about new places through the postcards she mails them.
Miller says the College of Education played a big role in helping her achieve her goal of earning her MAEd. The College met her needs as a mother of two with a full-time job. She was able to take the courses she needed to fit into her busy schedule. This in turn made her a stronger teacher that is reflective in her practice.
###
For more information, contact Jessica W. Davenport, Director of Communications in the College of Education, 252-328-2179.
