SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2023: Sullivan – Anne Miller

Anne Miller is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at SUNY Sullivan Community College teaching Public Speaking and Composition. She has been teaching and presenting on issues related to developmental education since 1995. Returning to school in 1998, she earned her BA in English and Linguistics at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo in 2002 and her MA in Linguistics from Stony Brook University in 2005. During grad school, she taught, as adjunct faculty, graduate level courses in Language Acquisition and Literacy Development, and sociolinguistics; and face-to-face and online undergraduate courses in first year composition, ESL, and literacy development, and was involved in the Even Start Family Literacy program on Long Island, NY. At Hawai‘i Community College and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo from 2005 – 2018 and at SUNY Sullivan since 2017, she has taught ESL Reading, Writing, and Listening/Speaking; face-to-face and online courses in English Writing (Developmental – 200 Levels); Professional Communication; Public Speaking, and Linguistics. Anne is passionate about student success, engagement, and empowerment.

I believe all students deserve not only access to and support for success in higher education, but also the realization that they are as deserving of this path as anyone. For too many students, the obstacles to higher education can seem too numerous to overcome; this includes access to distance education. Some must choose this access, but need additional support to be successful in the online environment. As an online educator, I strive to meet students where they’re at and to remove as many barriers as I can with my students; I feel that connection—in real time, as often as possible—is the most powerful tool we have to achieve success. Thus, I offer countless opportunities for this: Duo, Skype, FaceTime, Google Meet, or Zoom meetings before and during the course, one-on-one and small groups, and encourage texting to stay connected.

It is also important to use this connection to build safe and respectful spaces for dialogue and expression, reminding myself and my students to remain open to other perspectives and seeing all experiences and the viewpoints that come from them as valid and valuable.

My greatest strength is guiding students to a place where they become comfortable expressing themselves, confident that their thoughts and feelings have value and are worth sharing and fighting for. I have been fortunate to see many students experience this kind of growth in and out of my classes and programs, and each time it renews my passion for teaching and mentoring. I am grateful and humbled to have been witness to their empowerment.