By BERNADETTE GIACOMAZZO
This was the second time that Miller, a 35-year veteran of the district, was nominated for the award. This year, thanks in part to her tireless efforts to share her unique brand of teaching with other area school districts, she took home the coveted award, which is presented by the Rockville Centre Teachers Association.
I-ve known Alicia from the time she started out in the district, said Wilson Principal Tom Ricupero. She-s highly enthusiastic and always has the best interests of the students in mind. She more than deserves the award.
Miller, an affable and energetic phys. ed. teacher, focuses on developing a child-s brain by using specialized movements and exercises. It-s all one brain, she explained as she discussed the concept of educational kinesiology. The same brain you use to read, you use to run. The brain that tracks a ball is the same brain that tracks words in a book. Develop one part and that enhances the others. So the notion of the Ôdumb jock- is an erroneous one.
According to Medline, an online compendium of educational papers used by physicians, educational kinesiology uses specific movements to access different parts of the brain to maximize learning potential. It has been recommended for children with learning disabilities, and is widely used in many European countries. An American company, BrainGym, has patented many of the programs used by Miller, though she stresses that she is not affiliated with the company.
My program is called Learning Through Movement, Miller explained. I-ve been invited to showcase it in several districts in the area, which is exciting. Its main goal is to help children with their classroom skills, regardless of their learning ability. It gets them ready to learn when they go into the classroom setting.
Miller detailed the techniques she has used in her clubs at Wilson, Learning Through Movement (which currently has about 60 students) and the Leader-s Club (with some 30 fifth-graders). One of the most effective techniques in the programs is one she calls crossing the midline. Using their navels as center points, students cross their bodies with their left arms to touch their right ankles, and vice versa. This movement, however simple it may seem, is vital to enhancing reading and writing functions, she said.
Miller says that there has been a noticeable, positive difference in children who participate in her programs, regardless of their learning ability. The feedback I-ve gotten from teachers has been amazing, she said.
Parents, too, notice changes. Kathy Sama, the mother of a fifth-grader at Wilson, said that her son was inspired to join the Leader-s Club as a result of working with Miller. He loves her, Sama said. Thanks to working with her, there-s been a marked improvement in his upper body strength and his hand-eye coordination. She-s made him feel very sure of himself.
Dorothy Garone, whose sons Douglas and William have both been taught by Miller, said that it is her continual research that gives her a clear edge over her contemporaries. [She] is constantly updating us on new ideas and research regarding learning and physical education, said Garone. She has helped us to understand that physical education can and does help with learning.
Miller credits her success to her fellow educators, who work with her to ensure the success of all students. I wouldn-t be anywhere today without the support of Mike Heller, the director of the athletic department, and Principal Tom Ricupero, she said. These kids owe a lot to them.
For his part, Ricupero gives much of the credit to Miller. Alicia is highly enthusiastic about the best approaches to help children learn and succeed, he said. She implements these wonderful programs based on extensive research and has developed them to near-perfection.
Garone agrees. To me, leadership in teaching is found in the one who not only teaches, but who acts upon employing the pedagogy that she believes will benefit the children. I can-t think of a more fitting recipient than Ms. Miller, and my husband and I are glad that she has received this award. She truly deserves it.
Comments about this story? BGiacomazzo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
