Golden Apple Award: Jennifer Miles, CSLA
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – A solid background in computer science can set to the tone for a successful career. Jennifer Miles has a gift for teaching that, sometimes difficult, subject to her students at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts. For putting kindness in every keystroke Mrs. Miles earned tonight’s Golden Apple Award.
Dr. Mary Katherine Gatlin is the Principal at CSLA.
She says, ” This is Ms. Miles first year with us. She had been out of Hamilton County for a few years, and we hired her into our budding CTE program as we’re continuing to kind of flesh out our high school. And she just comes in with a lot of passion and excitement for robotics programs and career and technical education, and so much experience. And so we’re just really excited to add her to this growing program.”
When we asked Mrs. Miles to describe herself, she said, “Who is Jennifer Miles? I’m an educator, a mother, and I wanted my girls to do their passion. Uhm and a Christian, and I am also a love for anything bees.”
Noah Kunin is a 10th grader at CSLA.
Noah says, “Ms. Miles is a great teacher. She teaches computer science here at CSLA. She, the first thing that set out to me was her passion for what she was teaching. You could tell it in the way she speaks, in the way she gives out assignments. Everything she does, she’s very passionate. about what she’s teaching. And that is, you know, please enter how she teaches us as students.
Mrs. Miles remembers, “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher when I was working in the industry. I worked at TVA and I also worked at McKee Foods. I decided to go back to school and to further my degree and become a teacher so that I could showcase what I’ve learned and learned and you know, being 52 years old, you get a little bit of wisdom.”
She continues, “I think it’s because I want the kids to express their gratitude for teachers. Find your favorite teacher and let them know how much appreciation you have for them. Always try to make a teacher feel appreciated. Because it is a hard job.”
We asked, “What do you want them to remember most about you? Not only these kids, but your former kids?”
She concluded, ” That they are loved and that this is not where it stops. And that they are going to be a community member. And they are going to have to realize that there are people there, pushing and caring for them. And wanting them to succeed.”
