Tucson Values Teachers (TVT) presented the February Teacher Excellence Award to Hennessy Miller, an eighth-grade science teacher at B.L. Lauffer Middle School in Sunnyside Unified School District. Ms. Miller is in her third year of teaching.
“I became a teacher after working as an engineer,” said Ms. Miller. “Teaching is both harder and more rewarding. I love the Lauffer and Sunnyside community and am glad to work in such a supportive school environment.”
Ms. Miller is also the club sponsor for the Trekking Rattlers, a hiking club that explores Tucson on the weekends. She also co-coached the cross-country team in the fall.
Ms. Miller was nominated by fellow educator, Lorinda Pierce. In her nominating statement, Ms. Pierce wrote that Ms. Miller’s “energy and enthusiasm for her subject area seems to be infinite.”
Ms. Pierce went on to write that, “Ms. Miller’s life experiences in the Peace Corps have led her from California to South America; she speaks fluent Spanish and she shares these experiences with her students. She differentiates instruction for students at multiple levels of learning and makes an effort to meet students where they are.”
