Jake Miller has joined the Darlington Community as a biology teacher at the Upper School.
"I think hands-on learning and interacting with our surrounding environment can be endlessly useful in understanding several aspects of biology," he said. " I am excited to explore the campus and discover what educational opportunities there are for my students in an outdoor setting."
Miller holds a B.S. in Natural Resource Management (Biological Conservation) from Colorado State University. He has worked at Camp Moosilauke in Orford, N.H., for the past seven years and currently serves as waterfront director and head counselor there.
"I first discovered my passion for teaching at Camp Moosilauke," Miller said. "It may sound odd, but teaching children how to canoe was actually my big introduction to education. Canoeing is always assumed to be very simple, while keeping a boat straight in the water really isn't. Campers would come to canoeing class expecting it to be easy and find themselves struggling and going in circles. I found great joy in helping them figure out how to rudder and steer a boat. It was fulfilling to see them revel in their personal accomplishment."
Miller added that as an educator, he feels it is important to stress to hist students that succeeding or failing in a goal isn't as important as the way one responds to their personal result.
"Failing is important to the educational process," he explained. "To really learn how to succeed, one must know not to be defeated by failure but instead challenged to approach the task in a new a way armed with the knowledge bestowed upon them through past attempts."
Miller will be joined at Darlington by his new wife, Marin, who he met at Camp Moosilauke. The couple looks forward to getting to know the faculty and students, and to discovering new adventures at Darlington.
"I love being outdoors and love to spend my free time doing just that," Miller said. "I am very much into trail running, hiking, fishing or just finding a good spot to read a book. I also am a big fan of white water canoeing I am certified to guide and I go as often as possible."
