Christine Miller Named Danbury Public Schools' Teacher of the Year

DANBURY, CT — Christine Miller has been named Danbury Public Schools’ 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Miller is the social skills teacher at Broadview Middle School, where she works with students who have specific goals in their Individualized Education Plans to increase their ability to interact in formal and informal settings.

The award ceremony, held on April 25, was the culmination of a three-month process that involved nominations from colleagues, interview panels at the school level, and a District-wide Interview Committee to select a single standout teacher from more than 700 teachers across the district.

A 20-plus year veteran of Danbury Public Schools, Miller began her career as an intern at the Alternative Center for Excellence and then taught for six years at Even Start Family Literacy Program and Adult Education. She began working at the middle school level through the support of a one-year grant. Her program, Kids Involved In Doing Service (K.I.D.S.), was designed to teach social and other soft skills to special education students through service learning. By the end of her first year of teaching, Miller’s special education students had won a statewide award for community service and were invited to the State Capitol.

David Kimball, principal of Broadview Middle School, said “Christine is an educator with a deep understanding of the power of compassion. Her approach with students ensures that they acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be successful adults and that they are cared for in the process. She makes sure that every student who crosses her path knows they have a trusted adult that will help them navigate anything that the world throws their way.”

Miller believes that teaching is not one-directional, but rather a dialogue in which "we all help each other," with both parties benefitting and learning from an experience, "oftentimes with the presumed teacher learning as much - if not more - than the student," according to a news release.

Miller’s social skills curriculum focuses on communication for academic, personal, social and career development. Many of the learning activities serve the school and community to help the students develop transferable vocational skills.

“I’ve always been inspired by the Dr. Martin Luther King quote that ‘Everybody can be great because everybody can serve,’” Miller said.

Miller oversees and advises the Broadview Boutique and Food Pantry, where her students organize donations, stock shelves, check expiration dates, and assist students who come to shop. The students also maintain a Kindness Cart that they take around the school to provide treats to teachers and other adults that also helps the students practice their social skills and interactions with adults in a less conventional manner.

During the weekly meetings of the school-wide Student Leadership Council, which she developed, Miller facilitates discussions on issues students want to address, or introduces topics of social justice. One recent kindness and inclusion project saw the council organize a space for Muslim students who wanted a place to spend their lunch period while fasting for Ramadan.

Miller also implements the school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program and provides training in the violence prevention programs of the Sandy Hook Promise - Say Something and Start With Hello – empowering students to take part in creating safer schools.

Superintendent Kevin Walston said that “Christine plays such a critical role in helping students realize their potential. Meeting students’ social-emotional needs is such an important part of teaching today and Christine is really the embodiment of this effort. She is truly an exceptional educator and teaches us all how just one person can transform the lives of thousands of children.”