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Garner, Miller named MCS teachers of the year
Secondary Teacher of the Year Thomasena Garner, second from left, and Elementary Teacher of the Year Melissa Miller, second from right, receive congratulations from Liberty Principal Nelson Brown, from left, Assistant Superintendent Robby Parker and Mill Creek Principal Carmen Buchanan. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Thomasena Garner has been honored as Secondary Teacher of the Year and Melissa Miler as Elementary Teacher of the Year for the Madison City Schools district.
At Liberty Middle School, Garner teaches seventh-grade life science and “Medical Detectives,” affiliated with Project Lead the Way. Miller is a kindergarten teacher at Mill Creek Elementary School.
During annual Alabama Education Week, Garner and Miller were honored with other teachers of the year from area schools and colleges on Nov. 14.
With 10 years at Liberty, Garner has incorporated new curriculum for students to feel comfortable with writing in all classes. “My goal was to make writing (and reading) in science as natural as in English/language arts or social science,” she said in an earlier interview.
Garner’s students grew more at ease and began to understand writing’s importance in all subjects, especially STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
Garner embraces the challenge of working with middle school youth, who are maturing personally and academically. “The transition from sixth to seventh grade seems the most difficult. It’s important I meet each student where they are and get them past where they need to be for eighth grade,” Garner said.
For seven years, Garner coached Liberty Dance Team, winner of numerous awards and four regional and three national titles.
At Alabama A&M University, Garner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology education. At Middle Tennessee State University, she received an educational specialist’s degree. She soon plans to pursue a doctorate’s degree in science.
Miller “flipped” her classroom at Mill Creek in the past year to gain more instructional time. She was pleased to see even greater benefits.
“I sent weekly videos and practice files to my families and asked they view and practice …,” Miller said. Watching demos yielded at least 30 more minutes of instructional time and modeled strategies for parents to assist their child.
“In kindergarten, the rewards come just about every second. I’m rewarded when students write their first word, then sentence, then paragraph and even more rewarded when they realize they can actually read it back,” she said.
“My students are a gift to me. My colleagues are a gift to me. I’m am truly grateful everyday to be a teacher,” Miller said.
Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in child development and psychology at Maryville College in Tennessee. She taught at Heritage from 1999 to 2009.
