Work done by Mr. Miller’s students.

The journey to becoming a teacher is long, but for a senior at Western Connecticut State University, the journey has been second nature. Donovan Miller is a current student teacher at Danbury High School and shares how his love for athletics and his father’s influence have inspired him to pursue a career in teaching health and physical education. 

While student teaching can often be challenging and overwhelming, Miller says that even though he “has never done anything like this before, so far it has been a great experience,” although it has kept him quite busy with lesson planning, grading, and maintaining his work from his WCSU classes. Given his age and current academic status, he finds an advantage in connecting with

the students he teaches. Claiming it “helps [him] relate to [the students] easier,” Miller said it allows him to connect with them through “clothing, memes, college advice, and sports,” as he is also a student-athlete and loves to give his students advice and tips. This allows him to build a more positive and trustworthy classroom environment.

Miller has found a love for teaching high school students because he is able to connect with his high school students, which allows for more open and honest communication. However, if he was working with students at an elementary or middle school level, he would not get this level of connection with his students. As his student teaching is sadly coming to an end, he is very certain that he still wants to continue teaching, and that “it is [his] passion.” As he also has a passion for football and working out, Miller has chosen to work to become a physical education and health teacher. He wants to inspire and teach his students how to care for their bodies, both mentally/emotionally and physically.

Even though Miller is not from Danbury, during his time at WCSU, he has met many former DHS students, which allowed him to become more familiar with the school, and he has “really grown to like it” here as it has “become a second home” to him

. The staff and students have been very welcoming to him, which in return made his transition a lot easier. With his time coming to an end in May, Miller is grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow at DHS, leading him to want to continue teaching. Miller’s journey at DHS has not only shaped his teaching career but also reaffirmed his decision to inspire future generations. DHS students and staff wish the best of luck to Miller with his career and hope to see him back at DHS in the future.