Dr. Gloria E. Miller has been a professor at DU for almost 30 years. She has had many diverse and amazing experiences over her career, and as she prepares to “rewire” (not retire!) this summer, we hope to send her off on her next adventure with a tribute to her service.

Dr. Miller completed graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and began her higher ed career in Columbia, South Carolina where she was promoted to professor after ten years. She came to Colorado on sabbatical with a newly adopted daughter when her husband decided to test out a new consulting job in Telluride. After a year they had to decide – to stay in Colorado or return to South Carolina? Through the power of networking, she reconnected with a former mentor professor, who mentioned there was a faculty position opening in school psychology at DU. Coincidentally, the director of the program was a former graduate student colleague. She applied, interviewed, and accepted the job. Multiple decades later, Dr. Miller is still here in Colorado!

Dr. Miller says she found her way to school psychology almost by accident, although she feels many paths were trying to lead her here. As a psychology major in college with a minor in education, she specialized in reading and reading development. Her first teaching jobs after college were focused on helping children with learning disabilities. But after three years of K-8 teaching, she decided she needed more education and ended up going back to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin to study Educational Psychology, earning an MS in Development and Learning and an MA in Reading. While there, many of her classes overlapped with those of students who were studying school psychology. Her interest was piqued, and she ended up entering the doctoral school psychology program.

It was interesting how I found school psychology because I thought I was going to focus on the special ed side, doing more basic work in cognitive development. But then I realized I really wanted to be in an applied field where we touch people and not necessarily just do lab studies.

After earning her doctorate in school psychology, Dr. Miller accepted a position as a faculty member and school psychologist in Columbia, South Carolina. The University of South Carolina had a reciprocal relationship with the school districts and it was routine for professors to also provide school psychological services to students in the greater Columbia area. During her time there, Dr. Miller learned the importance of seeing families as valuable collaborators in the process of helping students succeed.

I went to one of my first IEP meetings in South Carolina (a reevaluation for a 6th grader) and experienced what I call “groupthink”. Everyone was already saying the parent (a single mom with four children below the age of 15) would not be at the meeting: “Oh, she never comes to any of the meetings. We might as well just get to it.” So, I innocently asked if anyone had contacted her and was promptly told she never answers her phone. So, I then asked if anyone had tried to make a home visit. “Oh, no – she works.” So, I said, okay, I'll try to see if she can come for an IEP meeting next week.

I went out to her home between her work at two jobs (back then this was an acceptable practice for contacting parents). She explained she had no car and that it was tough to come to school because it required three different buses and missing a half day of work. So, I offered to come to pick her up. We pushed the meeting to a different time and when I brought her to the meeting, people were like, “Oh my gosh, she’s here.” It was a logistics issue, not indifference. That incident has stuck in my mind and heart all these years.

Dr. Miller shared that she learned so much from her time working in South Carolina, often serving families very different from her own. It was there that she began her focus on early prevention serving young children who others described as “problems”. With a colleague in clinical psychology, she began a program working directly with parents of young boys with significant challenging behaviors at home and school. These families often were juggling a myriad of stressors and had difficulty with consistency in their own lives. She realized that one of the most important things she could offer was to listen, empathize, and promote parents’ efficacy in supporting their child. Part of the program focused on teaching and coaching effective behavioral strategies as well as approaches for navigating complex school systems so that they could become advocates for their children’s needs. A major goal was to assure parents that there were people out there who truly believed in their child.

Dr. Miller has priceless experiences and is full of stories to share. When asked what words of wisdom she wished she had to begin her career, she said … to not sweat the small things, to learn from mistakes, to be grateful for other’s contributions, and to view all experiences through a learning framework. She also stressed the importance of not giving up on any families and viewing all students as “at-potential” instead of “at-risk.” Dr. Miller wants to remind us in the words of Mr. Fred Rodgers*, that … “each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world – something no one else has or ever will have -- and it is our job to encourage the discovery of that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.” (2003, p. 137).

So, what’s next in this chapter of rewiring? Dr. Miller hopes to stay involved with DU as an Emeritus faculty member, perhaps guiding cultural navigation projects to connect DU students with refugee families navigating our school systems, starting a scholarship fund for future newcomer graduate students, or helping to restart the international program that provided an opportunity to complete a 6-week practicum experience in China or Vietnam. In any event, it will likely be a tribute to all of Dr. Miller’s passions.

I wanted to leave with a quote that I love from Muhammad Ali - “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” I think that's what I hope is my legacy in some small way - that my time at DU has provided support to students who have made a commitment to a profession that embodies service to others.

*Rodgers, F. (2003). The world according to Mister Rodgers: Important things to remember. Hachette Books.

What Coachella and Lollapalooza are to music lovers, NASP is to school psychologists. It is the biggest conference for school psychologists in Northern America, where students and professionals representing all levels within the field, from first year graduate students to world renowned scholar and doctorates, come to together to learn, share, and teach about a diverse array of topics and experiences related to the world of school psychology. I myself had the pleasure of partaking in this weeklong event this past February, at the 2022 NASP Annual Convention, which was held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. First walking into the Hynes Convention Center was a spectacle in itself, seeing a sea of school psychologists representing schools, states, and even countries all across the world. From the posters and information booths lined across the convention center, to the practitioner conversations, workshops, and networking, it was truly amazing being able to be apart. Being able to listen to and learn from a diverse array of professionals, from fellow colleagues to practicing practitioners, and see their passion for so many unique and critical subjects related to the field was incredible. With topics ranging from promoting equitable practices through partnering with law enforcement to facilitating friendships among students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, NASP was an endless supply of new and valuable information from some of the brightest minds in this field.

Speaking of bright minds, NASP gave me the opportunity to attend this national conference with some of our own fellow colleagues and support them, as they all did a fabulous job cultivating awareness around the critical issues in school psychology they care deeply about and proudly representing our program in the process. I too, had the pleasure of presenting on my topic and passion around helping reduce inequities in schools around providing mental health supports to students with intellectual disabilities, to a room full of fellow colleagues and strangers (sweats nervously). Overall, the NASP convention itself is a great opportunity and experience for any student or professional in this field to gather new perspectives and insight, collaboratively teach and learn from some great minds, and grow within this field. As spectacular as the NASP convention itself was, undoubtedly another benefit of attending was exploring a new city. Not only did NASP give me a good excuse to explore all of Boston and take in everything this beautiful city had to offer, from its rich history to its mouthwatering lobster rolls, but I had the pleasure of doing so with my fellow colleagues and faculty. As a graduate student, NASP is not only an amazing experience because it allows you to see your fellow colleagues professionally represent this program on a national level but it also allows you the chance learn about, bond with, and enjoy a new city (responsibly, of course) with your fellow peers. Given that much of our interactions with classmates today are through tiny zoom squares, it is an experience we could all use. Overall, NASP is a great learning and memorable experience I would recommend to any student who has the opportunity to attend.

Colorado Inspires

MODEL

INSPiRE is striving to create a program built to meet the specific needs and challenges of the school. We meet with school leaders to identify the most pressing needs and develop a program implementation model to address their challenges.

CHANGE AGENTS

Each school is provided a cohort of INSPiRE Change Agents. These are high school seniors who we train to support the program in each school. They attend a summer institute before they start their senior year and will have three school year trainings.

DREAM DIRECTOR

INSPiRE also provide an INSPiRE Dream Director to support the school one day a week in their respective buildings at the high school level. Our Dream Director is responsible for supporting school leaders and counselors to meet the needs of our schools.

Immplentation (coloradoinspires.org)

Brewability

Tiffany Fixter, a special education teacher, developed the idea for the lab after meeting a home brewer. The bar is designed to be accessible for both employees and customers. The menu is color-coded to match the handles on the taps so customers can order by size and then by color. The tap handles also have braille for those with visual impairments. Employees use pictures and checklists for dishwashing, cleaning and other tasks. Customers can utilize a braille menu and use sign language with their bartenders. Brewability Lab also keeps sensory items for customers and employees who need something tactile.

Brewability Lab hires people with developmental disabilities and is accessible for both their employees and customers. At Brewability Lab you will experience quality and flavor in all of beers. Hand brewed in small batches and tasted throughout the entire process to ensure a quality product for customers.

Brewability Lab originally opened in 2016 and was located in north Denver. A new Brewability Lab opened in October, 2019 at 3445 South Broadway, Englewood. This location serves more than beer. In December 2018, Pizzability opened in North Cherry Creek and due to the limited number of tables and how fast Pizzabilillty was growing, the decision was made to move to the NEW Brewability location. Brewability Lab is kid friendly as well as, dog friendly - both inside and on our outdoor patio area.

Brewability Lab - Inclusive Brewery in Englewood, Colorado (brew-ability.com)

Local Resources for Substance Related Mental Health Support

Twelve Talks To Have With Teens

In early 2017, Jefferson County Communities That Care held focus groups with over 65 diverse youth from Jefferson County, Colorado, to find out what was behind youth substance misuse, violence, hopelessness and anxiety. They found youth need more support from trusted adults in their lives, especially parents and guardians.

Many of the Twelve Talks advisors are parents and know that parents love their children more than anything. They also know that sometimes finding the right words-- and the right resources-- can be frustrating, confusing and overwhelming. Their hope is that Twelve Talks to Have With Teens will be a resource for parents and guardians to "be that adult for a teen in your life."

Jefferson County Communities That Care offers a brief summary about one of the Twelve Talks to Have With Teens each month, along with Facebook and Twitter posts. We disseminate these to parents and caregivers through partner newsletters, email blasts, blogs, Facebook and other media.

Obviously, Twelve Talks to Have With Teens does not encompass every topic parents and trusted adults need to discuss with youth. However, an extensive data collection project completed by Jefferson County Communities That Care in 2017 and 2018 indicates that these particular conversation topics are talks that teens wish more adults would discuss with them and topics in which adults in Jefferson County could use tools when discussing with their youth. to start the conversation and information to answer questions accurately.

Twelve Talks | Jefferson County, Colorado