Lori Miller has spent the last 31 years at Gifford Grade School turning her students into lifelong readers.
The Rantoul native still lives in her home community and teaches at nearby Gifford Grade School, where she now teaches first grade, and she’s found an important balance in her classroom.
“Simply put, it is fun being in Mrs. Miller’s class, but she also expects a lot out of her students,” Principal Heather Lindenmeyer said. “She works tirelessly to ensure that her students grasp important foundational concepts and knows each individual student’s needs so well. She is truly a model educator.”
I find my work important because ... I am teaching first-graders how to read and do math. The reading is especially important because the foundational skills they learn in first determines the reader they will be in the future. I want to get the kids to become lifelong readers!
I became a teacher because ... I always enjoyed school as a child, and I wanted to work at something I love.
My favorite or most unique lesson that I teach is ... we incubate and hatch chicks in the spring. The kids really love the whole process of setting the eggs, watching them hatch and journaling about them. We even write letters to the chicks before they hatch to tell them what to expect in first grade! :)
My most fulfilling moments on the job are when ... my first-graders learn to read! It is so exciting to see them grow in their skills each day. I love seeing the “light bulb” go off and their enthusiasm for learning! They are excited to go to the library each week and try out new books that they can read!
I keep students engaged by ... I do a lot of songs, rhymes and raps to help the students remember our content and/or transitions. A sense of humor helps, too.
Something else I’m passionate about is ... God, family and music!
My favorite teacher and subject to study in school was ... Mrs. Raver, my homeroom and social-studies teacher in eighth grade at Eater Junior High in Rantoul. She was warm, always smiling and made me feel special. My favorite subject in school was reading/language arts.
If I weren’t a teacher, I would be ... a children’s librarian. It would combine two things I love — children and books!
— Anthony Zilis