Interview with New Math Teacher - Mr. Garvin

By: Isi Gibson

When asked if teaching was something he wanted to do after college, Miles Garvin, a new math teacher at GM, responded with slight hesitation. Although he originally went to college for Computational Genetics, a field that analyzes genetics in animals and humans using computers, and planned a future career in that field, Miles also comes from a large family of educators. This inspired his eventual pursuit of teaching at Green Mountain. If you didn't already know, Miles actually has a few family members in the building: Allan Garvin, a high school science teacher, Allyson Oswald, a guidance counselor for the high school, and, of course, the best of the bunch, Louis, GM’s official therapy dog. 

Contrary to what he expected as a recent graduate, Miles is enjoying teaching at Green Mountain greatly; he's loving the community and the students, and having fun in the current classes he's teaching, while also looking forward to the new semester. And, although he didn't necessarily want to return to the same high school he graduated from only three years earlier, he’s happy he's had the chance to come back and make a new impact as a teacher. 

And that impact has been nothing but positive on the GM community, even considering his little time teaching so far. Miles stated that his teaching style focuses on collaboration and strikes a strong balance between standard practice and fun-based learning, and that the qualities of an excellent teacher reside in their ability to be accepting, knowledgeable, fun, “cool, and awesome.” Miles has upheld these qualities, and students taking his classes are clearly feeling that in their learning. One student I interviewed for this article stated that Miles is “relatable to the youth more so than many teachers I’ve had before.” Another said that Miles’ “accepting energy made it way more fun to be in class learning.” As many of us know, math can be a hard subject, but many students also mentioned that Miles’ organized and clear way of teaching made the generally difficult subject much easier to understand and also enjoy. 

Miles’ interests and hobbies contribute to the well-rounded and outgoing personality that's been evident in his everyday interactions while teaching. Miles enjoys rock climbing and happens to be a new coach for the team as well. In his free time, when he isn't teaching or coaching, you'll find him enjoying the outdoors, gaming, or hanging out with his two awesome cats, Finnek and Artemis. 

Miles’ future goals start with getting his full teaching license, and from there, hopefully becoming either a full-time high school teacher or college professor so that he can pursue his interest in education while still having fun with the sciences he originally studied for.

The future is bright for Miles Garvin, at GM and beyond!