Educator Of The Month: Marissa Miller-Vasquez

Marissa Miller-Vasquez

At Ruth Parker Eason School in Millerville, students range in age from 3 to 21. Instead of a diploma, they receive a certificate of completion.

For seven years, Marissa Miller-Vasquez has taught at Ruther Parker Eason, helping students with moderate to severe disabilities gain independence.

“We have medically fragile kids to the tippy top of the autism spectrum, and each kid brings their own personality,” she said. “Specialized education is more than accommodations and lesson plans. It’s creating a safe learning environment for kids and that requires a lot of resilience to help them figure out goals and encourage self-advocacy.”

Miller-Vasquez works in the high school department and is on the school’s leadership team. A big part of her job is collaborating with colleagues to ensure students have individualized support.

Her previous job as a teacher’s aide, or paraeducator, at Sheppard Pratt, laid the groundwork for her career as a special educator.

“I learned a lot about empathy and how behavior is a form of communication,” she said. “(That experience) shaped me as a person and as an educator.”

Her students focus on reading, math, written expression, science and social studies — as most public-school students do — but activities are modified to ensure their success. Miller-Vasquez tries to make education fun. While each student has his or her own unique way of learning, Miller-Vasquez has found that tactile exploration, or engaging in the sense of touch, has been especially helpful.

“For a number sense routine, we use foam numbers,” she said to name one example. “Severe and profound students touch these as we’re counting and use switches to turn pages in stories. I am always looking for ways to enhance their learning. I am also learning too.”

During her seven years at Ruth Parker Eason School, she has witnessed “a lot of wins.”

“We had students who were younger and learning how to walk in the building,” she said, citing one example.

Miller-Vasquez and her fellow staff members have fostered an environment that brings out the best among students and teachers.

“It’s definitely family oriented here,” she said. “I have a good relationship with my principal and assistant principal … I am very grateful for my coworkers, who are some of my best friends.

“You’re an angel on Earth,” she said of special education teachers. “I also say the same thing about nurses, even though they also deal with bodily fluids. I couldn’t be a nurse, and I appreciate what they do.”

Ruth Parker Eason School Principal Amy Guerke noted that Miller-Vasquez’s passion for her work is evident in her daily interactions with students, colleagues and families.

“She is a joyful presence, always putting the needs of others ahead of herself,” Guerke said. “Mrs. Miller-Vasquez is a dedicated instructional leader, delivering creative and engaging instruction each day. Her classroom is the perfect balance of high expectations, compassion, and creativity!”

As part of an annual tradition, each public school nominates one person as Teacher of the Year. Ruth Parker Eason’s nominee this school year was Miller-Vasquez. She did not need to be named a finalist to feel appreciated and honored, although she will be recognized alongside other nominees during the 40th annual Excellence in Education Awards this April.

“That was probably my most defining moment,” Miller-Vasquez said of the recognition. “I see people being nominated after 30 years of teaching, so just being nominated means so much.”

That joy can be rivaled by few things. One equally satisfying moment? Seeing her students thrive.

“A lot of times when we take kids out in the community, we get a lot of stares, but I wish people would see that the kids are talented, they’re capable and they’re full of potential,” Miller-Vasquez said. “They’re deserving of opportunities.”