Janell Miller
Position: Seventh & Eighth Grade STEM Teacher
School: Washington Academic Middle School
School District: Sanger Unified School District
City, State: Sanger, CA
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Janell Miller was nominated by her vice principal Michelle Carr.
For the past 15 years, Mrs. Miller has been making a positive difference in the lives of Sanger Unified students. She taught fifth grade for many years and most recently opened her district's first STEM class at Washington Academic Middle School, serving 7th and 8th graders. Every day, she works to inspire students to find their passion. She exposes them to many areas of STEM, from plant science and gardening to programming robots, in hopes that students’ interests will be piqued.
Mrs. Miller also mentors many female students, encouraging them to pursue careers in the STEM field where females are traditionally underrepresented. Every year, she attends the STEM for Girls Conference held by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools. She not only invites students to attend, but teaches one of the sessions as well to share her love of STEM.
In her daily classes, Mrs. Miller challenges her students to explore and complete rigorous tasks. She facilitates instruction while making the students carry the majority of the cognitive load. Even though the rigor is at a high level, the classroom atmosphere is nurturing and supportive, and students are not afraid to ask questions of each other and the teacher.
"Because of her excellent teaching style, I selected Mrs. Miller to mentor a new electives teacher through the BTSA program in order for the new teacher to gain insight into effective planning and execution of rigorous lessons," Carr said.
Not only do students look up to her and return year after year to visit their favorite teacher, but other staff members turn to her for support, as well. She is a wealth of knowledge who is always willing to share, and she does so in a humble way. If she does not know an answer, she works quickly to investigate, as her field is ever-evolving and requires a growth mindset.
"Mrs. Miller holds herself to high moral and ethical standards and takes her job very seriously; following all protocols set forth by the school site," Carr said. "It is not uncommon to see Mrs. Miller reminding students of our PRIDE expectations to help promote a positive school culture in her classroom and around campus at breaks and lunches. She is an all-around gem of a person as a teacher, colleague, and friend."
I had the opportunity to work with Janell Miller in several capacities -colleague and her principal. Janell has always held high standards of both herself and her students. She challenges and encourages each of her students to reach their potential and beyond. Janell establishes relationships with her students which which establishes trusting relationships. She is a true motivator to her students and takes great pride in her students. Students come back to visit her and share their accomplishments, dreams, and goals in life. She is a true example of a Lifechanger!!!
Janell Miller is a worthy candidate for "Lifechanger of the Year." I was Janell's BTSA Support Provider when she was first hired as a 5th grade teacher in Sanger. We continued to work together as grade level colleagues for the next 12 years. During this time, Janell and I formed an outstanding partnership and friendship. She taught all 5th graders science, while I taught them history. We worked closely to meet the needs of all of our students. I valued Janell's willingness to try new teaching practices and strategies, and I saw first-hand the dedication and energy she put into meeting all of our students' academic, emotional, and social needs. I gained a wealth of knowledge from Janell about technology in which she excels. Her patience and willingness to demonstrate Smartboards (multiple times) and tech programs was extremely beneficial. Technology was a huge focus in her classroom, and students were often engaged in creating interesting and creative presentations on iPads. She taught our fifth grade ELA standards through science content. Students would often come back to my class singing or acting out the water cycle or the three states of matter. They loved going to science class, since Janell made learning relevant, engaging, and memorable. Realia and hands-on experiments increased students interest and learning. Writing and class discussion was also a priority in her science instruction. Our PLC was highly functioning, and proved to be very effective at meeting students' needs. As we strived to raise student achievement, Janell took on more and more leadership opportunities. Professional development was of the utmost importance, and she often came back from workshops to enthusiastically share what she had learned. She also seized occasions to lead teacher workshops sharing her knowledge and passion for science. Her enthusiasm for teaching especially in the areas of science and technology is contagious. She advocates for involving more girls in science careers and requested that our librarian purchase more books about women scientists. In addition, she signed our fifth graders up in a partnership with NASA where our students eagerly took part in conversations with NASA scientists as they performed scientific research in Antartica, Guam, Greenland, and the Arctic. Janell constantly strives to improve as a teacher. She looks for opportunities to help kids grow and develop into lifelong learners. I have witnessed the compassion and respect she has for all students even buying pajamas and clothes for foster kids in our class. Under her guidance, students voluntarily gave up their Valentine's party to make 500+ lunches for homeless families in our community. She also inspired students to write thank you letters to our fire-fighters and police officers in our community thanking them for their service. Every year, Janell brings her children to the Cancer Society's Relay For Life to walk with my family and me for this great cause. After Janell transferred from our elementary school to the middle school, she continued to share her passion about science and her middle school experiences. I was invited to see her STEM classroom and school garden. She often sends me You Tube videos or lessons that she has created that are fascinating. Sometimes she will send me a website or other materials that she thinks would be useful or interesting. Recently, Janell sent information and videos to me about a class she taught introducing origami balloons. Currently, her middle school students are building apps. Her students are fortunate to have such a dedicated educator who is truly preparing them for 21st century college and careers. I am so proud and thankful for the many enjoyable, memorable, and productive years Janell and I taught together. Through the years, I have watched her develop into an amazing teacher. She is a highly respected colleague. I also highly value her friendship. Janell has enriched my life and has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of kids in our small community. Janell Miller truly is a Lifechanger!!!
An inspiring and innovative teacher who is deserving of all the accolades.
Janell Miller is an inspiration and encouragement to students and teachers alike. Among a large staff of exceptionally caring professionals, she stands out as a unique and wonderful teacher to whom I'd feel blessed to entrust my own children.
Janell is a great advocate for hands-on student learning. She has engaged students in many different ways. Her students have communicated with NASA astronauts, created a school garden, and made sandwiches for those in need of a meal. Her students are lucky to have Mrs. Miller as a teacher.
I have known Janell Miller for the last ten years as I've worked with her in Sanger Unified School District. I've had the privilege of observing her teach, getting to know her, and see the positive impact she's had on students' lives. She never stops learning and finding new technologies, activities, and lessons that will help her students become more passionate about their education. She tirelessly works to integrate literacy, math, technology, and science into the experiences she helps create for her students. She jumped into her current role without hesitation, creating much of it from scratch. Whether her students are programming their own app, creating movies to showcase their learning, or creating 3D models -- they're engaged and the focus is always on learning.
She is so deserving of this honor.
I've known Janell since she was born. She has always been professional and inspirational in her career and I am sure her students are excited to have her as their instructor. I see on social media the excitement her students have in their competitions. They learn from this young lady.
She is not only an inspirational teacher, but also a fabulous mother of two girls who attend school with our grand daughters. I know she is a life changer who deserves this recognition and hope she is recognized as such by the committee. Thank you committee for considering her and thank you Janell for your role in changing the lives of young students.
Janell is an exceptional person. Always positive.
I had the privilege of supervising Janell when she was in the multiple subject credential program at Fresno State and watching her grow as a teacher over the course of the school year. We kept in touch over the years talking about her work as an elementary and especially as a science teaching in elementary and now middle schools. Janell has been consistently on the cutting edge with her teaching from analyzing standards and curriculum materials, integrating science and ELA standards, writing test questions for the state level science assessment, and using technology effectively.
When I was teaching a science methods course in the Sanger Unified partnership program, Janell came to my class to talk about how she was integrating ELA standards into teaching science. Janell shared examples of projects her students created using PowerPoint to teach science content, which I was able to share with future elementary teachers. One semester, I took my science methods class on a field trip to observe her STEM class at Washington Academic Middle School. Our future teachers benefitted from seeing her classroom, watching her lesson with her students, examining student work that was posted in the classroom, and listening to her experiences and suggestions for teaching science.
Janell is a wonderful teacher and a leader in the field of education. I am so proud of her accomplishments and glad that she is receiving this recognition for her outstanding work!
If anybody is deserving of this award it is Janell Miller. Both of my kids had her as their 5th grade teacher and my daughter also had her for STEM in 6th and 7th. They have learned so much from her and enjoyed every moment in her classroom. She truly cares about her students and encourages them in their education!!
Sanger is a small town. But it's people like Janell that help the students realize there is so much more beyond Sanger-- and through education, the possibilities are endless. I'm a journalist, and I've been fortunate to help share some of the amazing projects she assigns her students. Notably, she has set up relationships with the folks at NASA, that have allowed some of her students to actually communicate with the International Space Station. This is interaction the students desperately need to open their eyes to new opportunities. They are fortunate to have her.
My older children had the pleasure of having Mrs. Miller as a “team teacher” while she taught at Jackson elementary in Sanger. Mrs. Miller was always more than willing to help any student and went above and beyond during any activities at Jackson. She not only taught, but coached many sports, and did many extras like making bagged lunches for needy people in the community. I also had the opportunity to work for a short wine with Mrs. Miller at WAMS. She is a very motivated teacher and had endless amounts of energy with her students. She is always professional and is a huge motivator! Mrs. Miller is a great role model and would be well deserving of an award such as this!
The best of the best. Janell is a gift to all of her students and the staff she works with.
I am proud that she is with us in SUSD, changing lives every single day!
I've worked with Mrs.Miller for many years and she is an exceptional educator and cares deeply for the students she serves. She is an innovative and creative teacher and engages her students in in life changing ways.
Mrs. Miller has been amazing to have as a teacher for both my Jr high daughter's. My oldest has had her for 3 years and now wants a career in the STEM field when she graduates high school. My 6th grade daughter chose STEM with Mrs. Miller over sports and clubs because she saw all the great things her big sister was able to do. She is an inspiration to all the kids in her classes.
Janell gets kids to think differently. She makes our future better by having students think like an engineer!
Janell always gives 120 % for her students !!!!
As her prior principal, I can attest to the fact that Mrs. Miller truly changed the lives of her students. She introduced her fifth graders to scientific activities that other students in our district didn't have access to. Students were engaged in hands on learning and was the only teacher in the district that brought NASA into the classroom. Her students communicated with Operation Icebridge via internet. When she was approached by district to move to the middle school to start the district's first STEM class, she took this challenge on with enthusiasm. Now when I visit her classroom, I see the same enthusiastic and energized students because they have Mrs. Miller as their teacher!
Janell Miller would be very worthy of this Life changer award. I am a teacher in the CUSD area and I often hear of this special Stem teacher and her dedication to her school. I had the privilege to know Janell as a young girl and have loved every minute of her becoming an outstanding dedicated teacher. Janell is an absolute role model for her students and other teachers as well.
We were so grateful for Janell Miller she was very loving without being a pushover and our son did so well in that environment! Since then we found out our son has reactive attachment disorder and to remain in control of situations, you have to be loving but firm, she had no idea at the time but was intuitive enough to know how to handle our son. She also created an atmosphere that brought out creativity in her students, she is what teachers used to be, she is a valuable asset and we are thankful for the time we had her.
Grateful Parent
Stephanie
She is a very passionate educator, who truly cares about her students and teaching STEM.
Mrs. Miller is very dedicated to her students. She uses the real world to work with so that her students can become engaged. Mrs. Miller uses problem based learning to challenge her students in this era.
Janell Miller is my daughter. Three instances stick out in my mind where Janell made a difference in students' lives. The first was when my dental hygienist found out that Mrs. Miller was my daughter. She said that years ago, her daughter was in her class. Before coming into her class, she hated school and was struggling with her grades. After leaving my daughter's class, she loved school and became a straight A student. She was very appreciative of the work Janell did with her daughter. The second instance was how she involved her students in community outreach for multiple years. Each Valentine's Day she would organize a food drive with her students. They would bag hundreds of lunches and work with local churches and the community pantry to pass out the meals. She had students recognized by the local news and mayor. Students left her class with the heartwarming experience of helping others in need. The third unique experience she provided with her students was NASA chats. She had her students speak live with NASA scientists who were studying the Arctic, Antarctic, and Guam. She did this for multiple years. She helped to introduce a love for science and see how it is applied in the real world to her students. She is a role model and life changer for all of her students she has impacted over the past 15 years.
This is my first year as principal of Washington Academic Middle School an I have been amazed by Mrs. Janell Miller. She is a great inspiration to her students and to her fellow colleagues. She has very high standards for herself and her students. She is constantly challenging them to think outside the box. She goes above and beyond her duties to promote the STEM field. She takes students to STEM events to showcase their talents and to learn from those in the industry. Mrs. Miller is an asset to our school and to our community. Her students are lucky to have such a dedicated and hard working teacher. She has truly changed the lives of many of our students who are underrepresented in the STEM Field. They have set goals to become Engineers because of Mrs. Miller. She is very deserving of this recognition.
Janell Miller has not only been a wonderful asset to our staff, and her students in an academic setting, she also cares about issues beyond the class room. Her influence and values are so needed with our young people today. We are very thankful to have Mrs. Miller's example as a role model on every level for our kids.
Mrs. Miller has a passion for teaching that helps spark an interest for her students. She connects to students of all interests and backgrounds and makes complex ideas applicable to their every day lives.
Mrs. Miller goes above and beyond to engage students with her interactive projects. She is a breath of fresh air!
JANELLE Miller is not only a life changer, she is a life saver for many children in our school district!
Janell Miller is one of the most innovative passionate STEM educators in the Sanger Unified School District. She truly connects & inspires 100’s of students each school year.
Janell is an inspiring teacher
