Every year at Marriotts Ridge, slips of paper are passed among students to vote for Teacher of the Year, a title meant to celebrate the various efforts of teachers that left the most impact on their students. The winning teacher not only receives the title but is then given the opportunity to give a speech on graduation day. Now, having left a valuable and memorable impression on many students throughout his career, English teacher Mr. Miller wins 2025 Teacher of the Year.
Perhaps the most valuable contribution to a comfortable environment for students to work in is the behavior of one’s teacher; many students find that a good teacher is the main reason why they get good grades or why they tend to perform better in general, as having an enjoyable working environment is vital in improving productivity and motivation.
“It matters a lot. If you don’t like your teacher, it’s gonna imprint on the subject. [Having a good teacher] could actually make you like the subject more,” senior Jana Borahay expressed.
However, ‘good teacher’ is a broad term. For some, it could mean grading or deadline leniency; for others, it could mean the quality of the lessons or even the type of relationships some teachers try to build with their students.
In describing the kind of teacher he prefers, junior Jacob Askin expressed that he favored “[Teachers who] make jokes, and are generally very passionate.”
Having passion for their job is perhaps the most valuable trait of many influential teachers; their willingness to teach and love for their subject not only ends at their performance conducting a lesson, but it extends to the student as well, creating a comfortable environment where students can not only learn properly, but where they can bond with their teachers.
“I always want to have an environment where students feel comfortable; one of my goals is to try and make students laugh once a day. That’s really important to me.” Mr. Miller expressed, speaking on the value of healthy teacher-student environments, “I feel like people learn better when the environment is good.”
Through enjoyable lessons, a comfortable learning environment and countless memorable moments amongst his classes, Mr. Miller’s career in teaching left an undeniable impact on the students he taught.
“He’s really engaging, and helped with things even outside of school like our college essays.” senior Natalie Shin expressed.
After a long, fulfilling journey as a teacher, Mr. Miller reflects on what led him to teaching in the first place as he faces retirement at the end of the year.
“[Teaching] was a change of career for me. I was in sales, and it wasn’t totally fulfilling to me; I thought that I could make a difference.”
Still, even after years of being in the field, this likely won’t be the end of Mr. Miller’s teaching journey, as he still desires to “still do some things associated with education.”
Driven by his affection for education, he wishes to continue volunteering or tutoring in the field to keep it going and to continue impacting students positively even outside of MRHS. Mr. Miller’s impact on the students he taught is undeniable, and his title as 2025 Teacher of the Year rightfully celebrates his success–success not just for this year but for his career as a whole.