With this year being Mr. Miller’s 25th year of teaching French and Italian at OLSH, I sat down with him to reflect on his time here so far.

Q- What do you remember about your first “day” at OLSH?

A- “I was at home and I was talking to my mom. And my mom was like ‘Who was that?’ (referring to a phone call he had just gotten from Sr. Francine, even though he hadn’t applied to teach at OLSH.) I said ‘I don’t know- some Sr. Francine?’ And my mom starts crying. I said, ‘Mom, what is wrong with you? I’m going in for an interview tomorrow!’, and she starts crying even more. She had just finished saying a rosary, and prayed the very next call I got would be from the school I was supposed to be at. At that point I didn’t know OLSH was my future, because it was just part-time, and I was part-time somewhere else.The next year there were some changes to the department, and Sr. Francine asked, ‘Mr. Miller would you like to come in full-time?’ Even then I didn’t think I was going to stay here, so my mother praying the rosary that the NEXT call I got (is his first memory).”

Q- What is your favorite memory so far teaching at OLSH?

A- “ I can’t say it’s one particular memory, it’s a feeling I get. I really feel like OLSH is my home. There’s many different positive memories, funny memories,weird memories, but it’s the feeling I get. I think I always kind of remember that this place feels like my home.”

Q- I read an article OLSH published about you in 2021 that you went to Carlynton and were inspired by your French teacher. What are some things your French teacher did in the classroom you also do and what are some things you two do differently?

A- “Things I do the same are introduce cultural topics to the kids and introduce kids to new foods. Just having fun. I always enjoyed coming to her class and I want my students to enjoy coming to mine. She introduced me to Nutella- and that was before Nutella was everywhere. I was like, ‘What is this and why is it like a little piece of heaven?’ You could only find it in Europe or specialty shops. After that day my life was changed. Something she did a lot more of was dialogue things. She did skits. I do those every once in a while, but she would do them on a regular basis.”

Q- What are some surprising things people might not know about you?

A- “I like listening to International music- even Spanish music! I’m also not a morning person. Another thing is that I did try out for Jeopardy twice. A teen tournament and a college tournament. If I wasn’t a teacher I could see myself as a gameshow host. I love trivia. I always participate in OLSH’s Academic Challenge. Only two times have the teachers lost- one time I wasn’t there and the other time I think someone tampered with my buzzer. I still remember the names of the kids who beat us- Peter Wojtechko, Annie Kayser, Rebecca Bosetti, and Anthony Smith. But I’m not petty. ”

Q- Why OLSH?

 A- “I think I stayed here for so long because I feel like I have a good reputation, good relationships with students and their families, and great colleagues. I feel like I can be supported here. It’s a place where I can share my faith. I feel accepted.”

Q- Do you get emotional watching students graduate? Why or why not?

A- “I do. Kids know I get sappy because for me I’m one of the only teachers here if not the only one who teaches kids for four years. On one hand I don’t get to know everybody in the school, but I feel like I get really close with a small group of students. So when they leave I get emotional, but it’s a happy emotion. It’s like, ‘Ok, I did my job and now you do you’re job graduating and come back to tell me how good things are!’”

Q- What is your favorite thing to do in class?

A- “I love review games. That’s the game show host in me. I like to do the challenges that get the kids’ hearts pumping. Outside of class, I like to do things like Penny Wars and the door decorating contest. I like competing and I like winning.”

Q- What is the funniest thing to happen in the classroom?

A- “I don’t know how funny it is, but I had someone who took a hall pass and then left school. Forever. That happened in my class. She quit school with my hall pass. Her sister brought it back though. It’s not really a funny moment, but a strange moment.”

Q- What is the best and worst part of your job?”

A- “The best is interacting with students everyday and seeing them grow and achieve. That’s my favorite part of the day, when they get it. The worst is when there are discipline issues and I have to get the parents involved or when the kids take it to that last level. Or when kids don’t even try.”

Q- How do you think you’ve changed as a teacher since your first few years at OLSH?

A- “I think I have more confidence with what I’m doing because the more years I’ve been a teacher the more years kids have come back to me and told me they were happy they learned from me. It gives me more hope that things work out for students. You don’t know how things will turn out and many times it seems like, ‘Yea, you put them on the right path here.’”

Q- What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a teacher?

A- “You have to love what you teach, and you have to be a people person. You have to not take yourself so seriously, and you have to be able to have fun.”

Q- What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

A- “Probably the same advice I’m giving you right now. Be yourself, and love what you do. If you don’t love what you do, it won’t all fall in place.”

Q- What do you do on your summers off?

A- “ I love going to the pool and taking walks in the summer. If I could, I would be at the beach everyday.”

After this, we had a speed round.

Favorite color?

“Blue.”

Favorite song?

“Depends on the mood.”

Favorite place?

“Italy.”

Favorite movie?

“Again, it depends on the mood. But if I had to say, Finding Nemo.”

Favorite TV show?

“I like Mama’s Family, Golden Girls, Cheers, Laverne and Shirley, and Seinfeld, to name a few.”

Favorite animal?

“Dog.”

Favorite food? (Nutella doesn’t count.)

“Pizza.”

Weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?

“Rabbit.”

Favorite sport?

“Football.”

Favorite restaurant?

“There was an Italian restaurant called ‘The Oasis’, but it closed.”

Favorite student?

“Anyone but Eve Amendola.”

I think his last answer was a lie 🙂

Thank you for reading Teacher Talk Volume One! Stay tuned and make sure to read the next one! Thank you to Mr. Miller for letting me interview him and for being a great first interview for Teacher Talk!