By Derrick Smith

There are a lot of great things that come with being a teacher. Not only are you impacting the next generation, you also are able to pass along knowledge that you have learned over the years, some of which may have nothing to do with the subject that you teach.

Cheryl Miller says that being a teacher has allowed her to enjoy so many memorable moments with her students. 

“I think building relationships with students and parents is the most important thing about being a teacher,” she said. “What I really enjoy is being able to celebrate the small successes. My students often work on the same goals for long periods of time, so when it finally clicks the celebration is huge.”

Miller teaches Special Education at Stillwater High School. She says that she realized early on exactly what she wanted to teach.

“I was working as a preschool teacher during college and quickly found that I was drawn to children with challenging behavior,” she said. “I really enjoyed creating strategies that allowed children to develop skills and be successful while learning.”

Before coming to Stillwater, Cheryl held a number of other jobs that related to her current teaching position. 

“Before taking the job at Stillwater, I served as the Director of Education at the Little Light House in Tulsa,” she stated. “For the twelve years prior, I was a Behavior and Autism Specialist for the Hill County Shared Services Arrangement in Hillsboro, Texas. “I also previously taught special education in Georgetown, Frisco and Lewisville, Texas. I started my career in 1990 in Bixby, Texas.”

As she looks back at her days as a student, Cheryl says that there were a lot of teachers that helped guide her to where she is today.

‘I always loved school and learning new things,” she said. “I think my first-grade teacher, Carol Harrison, opened that door for me when I learned to read. She was fun, encouraging and took a personal interest in each of us.”