Interview with Dana Miles, Washington Teacher of the Year
Renca Dunn:
Hello! I’m excited to have you here with me today. Dana Miles, you just won Washington State Teacher of the Year for 2023. Congratulations on that achievement!
Dana Miles:
Thank you!
Renca:
So you teach Work Experience and Applied Bilingual Language Arts and Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, Washington.
Dana:
That’s right.
Renca:
How do you feel having won that award?
Dana:
I feel… All the feelings, a lot of emotions. I’m excited and overwhelmed, it’s been on my mind nonstop. The cool thing about this is that for Washington state, this is the first time a deaf teacher has been selected. My mom was also a teacher here at WSD, so I feel like I’m carrying on her legacy.
Renca:
Absolutely!
Dana:
I also graduated from WSD too, so I feel that close connection. And you, Renca, also from this school too!
Renca:
Yes! WSD is also my alma mater, right!
Dana:
Right! Cool!
Renca:
Now that you’ve won the award on the state level, you’re continuing on to the national level. What is that process like? So you enter at the state level, and now you will enter the running for National Teacher of the Year? Can you tell us what that’s like?
Dana:
It’s a long process. So to enter at the state level, first, you have to win the regional level. In order to be nominated regionally, you must be nominated by staff members. So I was nominated by three staff members here, and I have a funny story about that. I did get an email congratulating me on my nomination for Teacher of the Year, and I deleted it. I get so many emails and I just brushed it off. Then I got a second email about it, and I deleted it again. Oops! I always teach my students that if you see a strange email, just delete it and don’t respond. And that’s what I did. So anyway, our principal Jason Cox came up to me and asked, “Did you get that email?” I went, “Oh! That was real?!” So that’s when I started the process, but I did feel conflicted because we have so many wonderful teachers here and part of me didn’t want that spotlight. My mom, who’s a retired teacher now, said I absolutely should go for it. So I kept with it to honor her. Then they asked to interview me, they had read my essay. After that, they let me know that I was selected for the regional spot. I believe there are eight or nine spots for Washington state. So I got Regional Teacher of the Year for ESD 112. Then I had to do more! I had to provide a keynote presentation in which I chose to discuss language deprivation and how that impacts employment in the deaf workforce. So I did that, then I did an interview, and then a mock press conference. After I completed those three steps, I attended a retreat with the other regional winners. Then I gave another presentation and some other things.
Renca:
Wow!
Dana:
And that’s when they announced their selection! And wow, it floored me. Just wow. So moving forward with the state level, I really want to focus on driver’s education. Right now in Washington state, I personally don't know of a driver’s ed school that will provide an interpreter. It’s really small and they’re not required by law to provide an interpreter so that in itself is a barrier to employment. That means a deaf person can’t find a job using a car, which limits their job outlook based on the limited bus schedule. That’s a huge barrier so I really want to figure that out. We don’t just need to provide accessibility, we need to provide accommodation. And what that ends up looking like will depend. Maybe it’s tutoring, maybe it’s direct access to communication in ASL. I also want to focus on training. We need better access to training programs. Right now, training programs require a specific reading and writing comprehension level, which isn’t fair and isn’t accessible for those who may be at an eighth-grade level for example.
Renca:
Yes, true.
Dana:
It needs to be more accessible for those students, beyond just bringing in an interpreter. It’s about providing more support and 1-on-1 tutoring, that’s when we will see change. My third focus is the evaluation process. I really want to see change with that. So you can get certifications for specific fields, let’s say plumbing for example. You need to score high with the reading and writing components, that’s not fair. There’s nothing wrong with switching an evaluation to something more performance-based. You could show that you can satisfy a specific skill set for, let’s say replacing car brakes. If you can show yourself successfully doing that three times, why not do that instead? So that’s the kind of thing I want to reframe with the evaluation process. Don’t focus on the language as much as their capabilities. It’s why I always say when it comes to disabilities, don’t look at what we can’t do. Look at what we can do.
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Renca:
Yes! So you’ve been teaching for 10 years now, which means you’re now going into your 11th year. Of course, your mom taught there for many years and had a wealth of teaching experience. I’m curious, for those out there who might be watching right now who also teach deaf and hard of hearing students, do you have any final words of wisdom to share?
Dana:
First of all, for those out there who are currently teaching: Please, if you can, STAY. Stay at the job! It can be so tough, I know, but deaf children need you. Yes, it’s a hard job, and it’s very tiring. But it’s one of the most important jobs. There’s an interesting saying about the teaching profession, some outsiders think they can do better. That’s what makes teaching stressful, but I can tell you right now, those of you who have been teaching, you know best. So stick with it. Another thing I want to emphasize is that those of you who are teaching a school for the deaf, I’ll just say it again. You’re in a great place. It’s honestly the best place for deaf children. It’s like Hogwarts, you know? It’s a magical place. It’s one of the only places where students can feel free to be themselves. That in itself is magical. So those of you working at a deaf school, consider yourself very fortunate. It’s a privileged opportunity to do this kind of thing with your students.
Renca:
Yes.
Dana:
Those are my thoughts.
Renca:
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your stories today. Thank you! I wish you the best as you move onto the national level. We’ll see how things go but congratulations on 2023 Washington State Teacher of the Year!