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Lyman Gilmore eighth-grade language arts teacher Scotts Mills was named Nevada County Teacher of the Year this week. Mills, who attended Lyman Gilmore in his youth, has worked for the school and the Grass Valley School District for 15 years.
Scott Mills walks with confidence. You can see it in his instant smile that radiates his positive nature.
That smile might have gotten a bit wider this week with news that Mills has been named Nevada County's Teacher of the Year.
The eighth-grade language arts teacher at Lyman Gilmore Middle School in Grass Valley will be honored tonight at an administrators' dinner. He was selected over seven other teachers — a distinction he was hesitant to accept.
“First of all, you feel really honored, but right in the same exact moment, you feel really unworthy,” said Mills, during one of his few break periods Wednesday. “Every teacher I know works really, really hard. How can you really say, you are the teacher of the year? I actually had to take some time and had to decide whether I really wanted to accept that. I talked to my family and we couldn't find a really valid reason to reject it.”
Mills, 38, is a Grass Valley native. He attended Bell Hill, Hennessy, Lyman Gilmore and Nevada Union, before attending Sierra College. He completed his degree at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego before immediately returning to take a job at Lyman Gilmore, where he's been 15 years and counting.
“That's one of the things that makes this award special,” Mills said. “I'm kind of a product of this school system. It was kind of neat, when I came to work here a lot of my old teachers were still here.”
His principal feels strongly about him and what he brings to the school.
“I think he's very dedicated to the profession and to young people,” said Lyman Gilmore Principal Brian Buckley. “His entire life is essentially teaching. In addition to being a teacher, he's a coordinator for the Campus Life program, he coaches — on top of his regular teaching duties — and he just spends a huge percentage of his time devoted to mentoring.”
Buckley gave Mills a rousing recommendation for the honor, which he shared with The Union.
“Whether the students are engaged in a Socratic seminar, giving speeches, researching topics in the computer lab, or wrestling with a problem in groups, I can always count on witnessing a respectful exchange of ideas, observing a roomful of fully engaged students, and encountering a rigorous curriculum,” Buckley wrote.
But the best barometer of Mills may be the long-lasting effect he has on his students.
“It's funny, one of the things that I think is a really cool aspect at Lyman Gilmore is the kids are always coming back (to visit),” Buckley said. “All teachers get a lot of visitors, but the teacher I see most kids wanting to check back with is Scott Mills.
They're anxious to see him when they're off at NU. I get more kids interested in visiting Mr. Mills than anyone else, including my own daughter.”
Mills points to his faith as a big reason he is a teacher. He wrote in an essay published in The Union that he believes God put him on Earth to teach.
“I do feel like my faith in God is what drives me to do it,” Mills said. “I see every young person as a child of God created in his image. I think that just helps me to have compassion with every kid no matter what kind of pain in the butt, knucklehead they are.”
That smile might have gotten a bit wider this week with news that Mills has been named Nevada County's Teacher of the Year.
The eighth-grade language arts teacher at Lyman Gilmore Middle School in Grass Valley will be honored tonight at an administrators' dinner. He was selected over seven other teachers — a distinction he was hesitant to accept.
“First of all, you feel really honored, but right in the same exact moment, you feel really unworthy,” said Mills, during one of his few break periods Wednesday. “Every teacher I know works really, really hard. How can you really say, you are the teacher of the year? I actually had to take some time and had to decide whether I really wanted to accept that. I talked to my family and we couldn't find a really valid reason to reject it.”
Mills, 38, is a Grass Valley native. He attended Bell Hill, Hennessy, Lyman Gilmore and Nevada Union, before attending Sierra College. He completed his degree at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego before immediately returning to take a job at Lyman Gilmore, where he's been 15 years and counting.
“That's one of the things that makes this award special,” Mills said. “I'm kind of a product of this school system. It was kind of neat, when I came to work here a lot of my old teachers were still here.”
His principal feels strongly about him and what he brings to the school.
“I think he's very dedicated to the profession and to young people,” said Lyman Gilmore Principal Brian Buckley. “His entire life is essentially teaching. In addition to being a teacher, he's a coordinator for the Campus Life program, he coaches — on top of his regular teaching duties — and he just spends a huge percentage of his time devoted to mentoring.”
Buckley gave Mills a rousing recommendation for the honor, which he shared with The Union.
“Whether the students are engaged in a Socratic seminar, giving speeches, researching topics in the computer lab, or wrestling with a problem in groups, I can always count on witnessing a respectful exchange of ideas, observing a roomful of fully engaged students, and encountering a rigorous curriculum,” Buckley wrote.
But the best barometer of Mills may be the long-lasting effect he has on his students.
“It's funny, one of the things that I think is a really cool aspect at Lyman Gilmore is the kids are always coming back (to visit),” Buckley said. “All teachers get a lot of visitors, but the teacher I see most kids wanting to check back with is Scott Mills.
They're anxious to see him when they're off at NU. I get more kids interested in visiting Mr. Mills than anyone else, including my own daughter.”
Mills points to his faith as a big reason he is a teacher. He wrote in an essay published in The Union that he believes God put him on Earth to teach.
“I do feel like my faith in God is what drives me to do it,” Mills said. “I see every young person as a child of God created in his image. I think that just helps me to have compassion with every kid no matter what kind of pain in the butt, knucklehead they are.”
Editor's note: Read Scott Mills' essay on being considered for the county and state teacher of the year recognition here.
