Amber Mills

Q: What is your favorite thing about working at Delaware Tech?

"My favorite thing about working at Delaware Tech is that I have the pleasure to work with so many other people with whom I share the same desire to push themselves forward in their education and skills. I take a lot of pride in my job at the CDC and I love working with people who make each other feel like family and who want the best for each other at all times."

Q: Why was it important for you to work at Delaware Tech?

"It is important for me to work at Delaware Tech because not only do I have the security of a state job, but I am also fortunate enough to be able to bring my child to work with me and know that she is being cared for by a spectacular team of teachers who love her and mold her educational development in a way that I am proud of every day."

Q: Describe your first day at Delaware Tech. What was that experience like?

"My first day at Delaware Tech, I just remember thinking, "I'm going to love working here." I started in the Infant Room at the CDC with a group of ladies that were all so different but loved each child in that room like they were their own. They welcomed me into their classroom as a lab student and soon recommended me for a job, because in their words, 'I was a natural.' I learned so much from those ladies, and years later when I became a mother for the first time, I often thought back to techniques or strategies they had taught me when caring for an infant. As any new parent knows, having even the slightest feeling of being a step ahead is the best feeling in the world; I have always felt lucky that I have gotten to better my parenting skills by learning from others at my job at the CDC."

Q: What changes have you seen in yourself since you started working here?

"Over the years, I have noticed many changes within myself. I have learned that just merely 'liking kids' is not enough to be a successful teacher. I've learned that I have to make it my mission every day to put my best foot forward and to be aware of my words and behavior at all times, because the saying is true, 'children are sponges'; they soak in every…single…thing they see or hear. I have also learned that being a teacher isn't just about my students. It's about being part of a team that needs each other in order to be successful. It's about staying late and coming in early to volunteer your time to better the classroom because you know the children will benefit from the extra thought you put into what and how they will learn. Most importantly, the biggest change I have seen in myself since I started at Delaware Tech is that I am not the parent I always thought I would be; I am so much better! Each day is a literal parenting class that I get paid to take and I truly cherish each moment; not only being able to constantly take in information, but knowing that I am blessed enough to be surrounded by children that teach me something new every day."

Q: Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Delaware Tech thus far?

"One of my favorite memories is actually a time that my teaching was proven to be insufficient. Each year when we talk about gardening, the children have the opportunity to plant grass seed. They help water it and make sure it gets enough sunlight, and we (the teachers) show them pictures and videos and even actual examples of what grass looks like when it gets the sunlight and water it needs, compared to grass that is in a shaded and/or dry area. The children love learning about this and even more so being able to grow their own grass. It was 2-3 years ago, when the CDC had their HVAC revamped, resulting in a giant heating/cooling unit being placed just a few feet outside our classroom window. To the teachers, it was an eyesore that was the cause of many distracted students as workers came to build, fix, and adjust the unit. However, one day, I noticed a child sitting on the windowsill looking out along the bottom of the A/C unit. I came over and asked the child if everything was ok. The child simply pointed to some grass that was sticking out from the cement floor under the unit, and said, "That grass isn't getting any sunlight." I went from being a concerned adult, to an amazed student, and this child was my teacher. The child told me how the grass must be getting water because it is growing, but that it was 'brown and wrinkly just like in the pictures' of the grass exposed to water but no sunlight. After some truly genuine praise and a high five, I suggested that the child show the other children what he saw. This process took the rest of free-play time and needless to say, the children were just as amazed as I was. This child had taken in the information given in my lesson, but learned more from his environment than I ever could have taught him. To me, this was a prime example about why I love about my job, working at the CDC, and our freedom in using a 'creative curriculum,' in which we are not only allowed, but encouraged to use the environment around us to teach our students."

Q: What's something people may not know about you?

"Something people may not know about me is that I run a cake business out of my home called 'A+ Cakes.' I take great pride in creating cakes that are not only beautiful, but that are the best cakes you've ever tasted! Some other details about me that people may not know: I love Croc shoes so much that I got married in high-heeled Crocs (cute ones I swear!), I am allergic to metal, which makes it almost impossible to wear jewelry that isn't plastic, and since I technically have three jobs, I never get enough sleep, so I enjoy sleep almost as much as I love oxygen."