Oxford Elementary first-grade teacher Betty Miller retires

Betty Miller with Tom Schmida. [photo by Karen Rego]

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All great teachers dedicate their lives to teaching, challenging and loving their students. Betty “Oxford” Miller has been a standout in this regard. She is retiring after 40 years as first-grade teacher at Oxford Elementary School.

With undeniable dedication, Miller has tirelessly advocated for both her students and her colleagues in education. She has done everything possible to challenge her students and see them succeed. Miller has helped generations of Oxford children and their families, often working through lunch and after school.

Throughout her time as an educator, Miller has worked hard for teachers’ rights and better working conditions in Heights schools. She has been an advocate of issues and candidates focused on the needs of students. Miller always made efforts to better her skills as a teacher through a variety of continuing education workshops and classes, and she has always been willing to learn and incorporate new techniques and strategies in her teaching.

Above all else, Miller will be remembered for putting her students first. She treated each and every first-grader with respect and love. Her classroom has always been a haven of cooperation and high expectations. She challenged each child, and accepted nothing less than a child’s very best effort.

This May, Miller was honored by her colleagues around the district as the winner of Cleveland Heights Teachers Union’s (CHTU) Tom Schmida Teacher Leader Award. Honoring the legacy of the union’s immediate past president, the award recognizes CHTU members who touch the lives of students every day, as well as advocate for the profession. Miller was honored at the union’s spring social, and also won two baskets in a raffle to support the local’s scholarship for a Heights High senior interested in pursuing a career in education.