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Graves County Teacher Earns National Certification

Graves County Teacher Earns National Certification
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By Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools
Jan. 21, 2018 | GRAVES COUNTY, KY
By Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools Jan. 21, 2018 | 04:40 PM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY
Graves County High School math teacher Jarrod McMillin recently earned the status of National Board Certified Teacher from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. More than 40 teachers in the Graves County Schools have earned that certification during the past two decades.

"It's a path you can take to earn Rank I Certification," McMillin explained. "Kentucky teachers are required to earn Rank II Certification through a master's degree. A lot of teachers then get a second master's degree, often in administration, but this is another route to Rank I. I don't see myself wanting to work outside the classroom. So, I thought this would help me grow as a teacher. You have to observe video of yourself teaching, write up a lot of material, and examine more about what is involved in your teaching."

Back in the day, as a student, McMillin was elected president of the Graves High Class of 2004, was graduated with honors, and went on to marry his classmate and high school sweetheart, Deidra Carlisle. Now in their early 30s, the McMillins have three children: a 6-year-old son, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-and-a-half-year-old son. 

"I had thought about teaching earlier," Jarrod McMillin reminisced. "When I was in high school, they had a dual-credit course here, Education 101, through Murray State. I did that and thought, 'No, I don't have the patience for that.' And so, I chose something else. I really didn't know what 'OSH' (occupational safety and health) was; I just knew that Murray State had a good program and it was an up-and-coming field with good pay, so I thought I'd do that major. After graduation, I moved to Houston, Texas, and worked at El Paso (oil and gas) Exploration and Production Company.

"I could not believe how much money I was making right out of college," he continued, "but money is not everything. So, I did the program of alternative certification for teachers through Murray State, starting in 2009, while being thrown right into teaching.

"My expectation was totally different than reality. My first year, I didn't know if I could do it. I thought coming into teaching, I would just be with my people," McMillin said with a laugh, "but I think I grew up without realizing it. My high school experience had been a very emotional roller coaster, with a lot of soul-searching, from my physical appearance that changed drastically. I was just trying to find my place – my spiritual identity, my emotional identity. My friends changed from year to year. It was very hectic and I think those experiences help me to relate to my students more.

"I want them to know they're not alone, that they can trust me," he said. "Math is just my favorite subject. That's not what made me want to teach. I want to teach to make an impact on their lives. They need a positive male role model who can share in that. The thing about teaching is that you don't get to see the fruits of your labor until years down the road, when you run into that kid who says, 'if it weren't for you...' I'm in my ninth year of teaching. so, I'm starting to see some of that now. I've had students say they'd never really had a dad and they could talk to me like I was a dad to them."

McMillin concluded, "When I changed careers, I took a 50 percent pay cut to teach, but I also got a huge life boost!" 

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