Meet the JH English teacher

By: Emma Cole

Want to get to know the new junior high English teacher? Read this interview!

1. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

“Hello, my name is Demiya Miller and I am the junior high English teacher at Arlington. It is my first year at Arlington and I am excited to see how the year progresses. I live in Findlay on a small farm, so I have always known about Arlington and visited from time to time before working here. This year my boyfriend and I decided to use our farm buildings and purchase chicks. We have had chickens now for about six months and I have loved watching them grow. I also have a stray cat that I adopted. Since adopting the stray, she has had kittens, so in my free time, I take care of my kittens and chickens. As shown in my classroom, I clearly love the color purple and having fun while learning. Growing up, I attended Liberty-Benton and once I graduated high school, I attended Bowling Green State University. So far, I am really loving Arlington and the small-town feel. “

• What’s your favorite thing about being an English teacher?

“My favorite thing about being an English teacher is having the opportunity to change students’ minds about English. Many students tend to dislike writing and reading, but as an English teacher, I have the ability to share my love of writing and reading with my students. I also absolutely love reading my students’ made-up stories and also getting to know them through their writing”

• What brought you to Arlington?

“After I graduated, I knew I wanted to teach at a smaller school, but somewhere that was close to home. I liked that Arlington wasn’t too far away, yet small enough to get to know everyone easily. Once the position here was open, I checked out all the small restaurants here in town and I really liked the atmosphere”

• Why did you decide to be an English teacher?

“I decided to be an English teacher when I was in 7th grade. I had a reading teacher and an English teacher. I was an absolute book nerd when I was younger, so reading should’ve been my favorite class. Unfortunately, I had a teacher who refused to let me read more than two books in the series I was reading (Harry Potter) and that really upset me. Over time, this teacher made me like reading less and less. On the other hand, my English teacher was great. I loved playing vocabulary games and learning more about spelling and grammar. One teacher inspired me to be the teacher she wasn’t and the other teacher inspired me to be just like her”

• What makes you a good fit for this school?

“I think I am a great fit for this school because I love the small-town feel, I live close by, and I get along well with everyone. My views align well with Arlington and I feel right at home in my classroom and in the town. After going to several football games and other school events, I realized that I love it here and everyone is mostly respectful but knows how to have fun as well.”