Whether it’s from retirements, teachers moving schools or new hires, every year, WJ experiences staff turnover. The Learning for Independence program (LFI) is no different and after the departure of the program’s coordinator, Kim Perikles, Matt Miller was hired in her place.
Miller, a former paraeducator and assistant football coach at Churchill High School, has been in the WJ community for the past four years as an assistant coach for the varsity baseball team. However, this is his first year as a teacher in the building.
Some people struggle with finding a career path that suits them. For Miller, a career as a teacher came naturally.
“As I was looking for [special education] programs that I could work in, LFI seemed to be a great fit for me,” Miller said. “I think the kids are awesome. They do have some challenging needs, but at the same time, they’re very loving.”
One of Miller’s students, Emmanuel Marquez-Castro, embodies those loving characteristics that Miller discussed when he talks about both Miller and his favorite activities that the LFI program has done this year.
“He is really easy to talk to,” Marquez-Castro said in reference to Miller. “I love going out into the community. I really love to go to the mall!”
Miller is a great fit to teach in the LFI program because of his ability to be flexible. Many of his students need one-on-one attention in order to learn effectively, which can make teaching in a whole-class setting difficult.
“A typical day is never typical,” Miller said.
Miller’s commitment to both his students and the LFI program as a whole is evident in the goals he has for both himself as an educator and for his students.
“If we can teach them certain life skills like being polite and nice productive people in society, those are huge steps for them to actually have a life after school,” Miller said.
His students have taken a liking to his lessons and they reflect back the goals he has set for them.
“He is really nice and helpful. I really enjoy learning directions,” said Tara Mousavi, one of Miller’s students.
LFI teachers spend around 40 hours a week with their students, showing how vital being responsible is to their jobs.
“While they’re at school, they’re our kids and we have to be the ones to look out for them and care for them,” Miller said.
Miller has high hopes for his students once they’ve graduated. He aspires to see many of them get jobs and express themselves in ways they once were not able to.
Miller has had an overwhelmingly joyous experience so far and feels that the community radiates positivity. He will continue to contribute to this positivity in his own way as he brightens the halls and the LFI program with his unbreakable spirit.
