Photo by Toffy Prakittiphoom ’24/The Choate News
Third-form Dean and English teacher Mrs. Nancy Miller began her Choate career in 1987 as a secretary in the Summer Programs Office. A few years later, she was promoted to serve as the Associate Director of Summer Programs; however, she had her heart set on becoming a faculty member in the English department. With her degree in English from Mount Holyoke College, Choate eventually allowed her to teach one section of third-form English. “I was struggling to find what my career path would be. The minute I got into the classroom, I knew this was it,” Mrs. Miller recalled.
In 2006, she became a dean and has served as one ever since. “I can’t believe someone actually pays me to do this job,” she said.
Following her years in the English Department, Mrs. Miller determined she wanted to be more involved outside the classroom by assuming the role of a dean in 2006. Mrs. Miller expressed a love for the Choate community, her job as a dean, and all the young people she has gotten to know over the years. “I don’t think an 80-year-old woman is supposed to have this much fun with teenagers,” she joked. “I love this school. The school has been kind to me, and the School has been my refuge in times of trouble.”
Mrs. Miller’s love for her work parallels her dedication as an influential role in many students’ Choate careers. Ellie Vatel ’22, a student in Mrs. Miller’s Classical Tradition class, discussed the ways in which Mrs. Miller inspired her to live her life to the fullest. “She talks a lot about when she was in her 20’s when she lived in California and then made a spur of the moment decision to move back to Connecticut, so I learned from her to embrace those spur of the moment decisions because they make your life more interesting.”
Candace Beverly ’25 added that Mrs. Miller has prepared her for success at Choate and beyond with her wisdom to work smart rather than just hard. “She taught me to think strategically and to make smart, ambitious decisions.”
Mrs. Miller’s deanees described her as spunky, approachable, genuine, caring, and filled with quintessential wisdom. “I was having a rough time adjusting to Choate, and Mrs. Miller really saved me,” said Beverly. When Beverly went on to win Student Council President of the freshmen class, Mrs. Miller sent her an email with the caption, “‘YAHOO,’ and a million exclamation points.” Another one of Mrs. Miller’s deanees, Beibhinn Geaney ’25 added that Mrs. Miller is the polar opposite of a stereotypical, scary prep school dean. Geaney said, “She is very inviting and never makes you feel small. She’s always willing to listen, and it’s clear that she genuinely cares.”
Vatel expressed her appreciation for all of the contemporary topics and pop culture woven into the material. “It’s such a layered class, and she’s just such a down-to-Earth teacher,” she said.
English teacher Ms. Ellen Devine also admired Mrs. Miller’s teaching method, incorporating her experiences as a young woman in the 1960s. In class, Mrs. Miller often touches upon a variety of elements of social justice work as well as general significant cultural changes in areas like music and politics. “She was a hippie out in Berkeley, California living this incredible life, and she makes that meaningful and relevant for students who come from obviously a different moment in history and lots of different cultural backgrounds and contexts,” Ms. Devine remarked. Thanks to her passion for reading, Mrs. Miller’s presence in the English department has been critical to students and faculty. “She’s been an incredible resource for bringing in new contemporary books and has been a great resource and tool for other people to diversify what they teach.”
As the Associate Dean of Students who oversaw Mrs. Miller’s work as a dean for around 12 years, Ms. Amy Salot, an English and history teacher, said, “She has provided the Deans’ Office with institutional memory, which means she has really provided us with a long history of Choate, so she helps us to be consistent with past policies.”
When asked about his favorite memory of Mrs. Miller, Mr. John Connelly mentioned Mrs. Miller’s creativity and thoughtfulness in her speeches at the previous Garden Parties, in which she created a short poem for each girl in her form. “I thought it showed that she really did know each girl in her form in a very personal and not just in an academic sense, but in a very close personal way.”
Ms. Emily Osterhout, who has collaborated with Mrs. Miller as third-form deans since the fall of 2019, accredits Mrs. Miller as the reason for her motivation in joining the Deans’ Office. “I knew she was getting close to retirement, and I had the opportunity to work with her and learn from her, and that’s really why I got into this job in the first place,” Ms. Osterhout said.
She further elaborated on her rewarding experience working with Mrs. Miller, “She was always so encouraging, and whenever I doubted myself, she would build my confidence back up and always knew the right thing to say.”
As Mrs. Miller says her farewells and moves into the next chapter in her life, the Choate community wishes her all the best for her retirement. Ms. Devine reflected, “The School will be lesser for not having her with us, and she has informed and enriched the school in more ways than many of us know. The School is better for having had her, and it’s hard to imagine this place without her.”
