It would be hard to find two teachers in more different classroom environments than Michelle Nelson and Mariah Miyler.

Michelle teaches seventh-grade math, navigating the stormy brilliance of middle schoolers who are just beginning to understand the world and their place in it. Mariah teaches first grade, guiding the wobbly handwriting and wide-eyed curiosity of students just starting their academic journey.

And yet, they are entirely aligned.

Because for both of them, teaching isn’t just about content—it’s about shaping people.

“I tell people all the time, middle school is my place,” Michelle says. “People think I’m nuts, but I love this age. They’re witty, quick, sarcastic—they can keep up with me.”

She would know. Michelle is in her 17th year of teaching, and she’s as passionate now as she was when she started. A Knoxville graduate herself, she once walked the same elementary halls she now supports from a leadership role. “I’m all in on the Blue Bullets,” she laughs. “It’s home.”

Mariah didn’t grow up in Knoxville, but you’d never know it. Originally from Galva, she moved to Galesburg and got her foot in the door by nannying for a Knoxville teacher. That connection led her to student teach here, then return full time. Now in her third year teaching first grade, she’s found the school where she wants to raise her family—and her career.

“It feels like home,” Mariah says. “Even though I didn’t grow up here, I knew I wanted my kids to go here. There’s something about Knoxville that just feels right.”

The two educators, though in different seasons of life—Michelle with older kids and coaching schedules, Mariah balancing a young family and graduate work—find common ground in their commitment to something bigger: Portrait of a Graduate.

It’s an initiative Knoxville Schools is rolling out across the district in the coming year. At its core, it’s a vision statement about what kind of people Knoxville hopes to shape—not just students who pass tests, but humans who lead with empathy, adapt to change, solve problems, communicate well, take responsibility, and live with integrity.

“This is about starting with the end in mind,” Michelle says. “But not in a way that puts kids in boxes. It’s about helping them build the skills they’ll need no matter where they go.”

Mariah agrees—and sees her first graders as part of that journey from the very beginning. “We talk about empathy all the time,” she says. “Responsibility, communication, those soft skills—it’s never too early to start.”

Both teachers are involved in the steering committee that will guide Portrait of a Graduate forward. It’s a collaborative group—administrators, staff, and educators from every level—unified around a central idea: if we want students to become a certain kind of graduate, we have to start building those attributes now.

“It’s not just a one-year rollout,” Michelle explains. “It’s going to evolve, deepen, and expand. It’s a framework we’ll build into everything we do.”

That includes academic work, social-emotional development, classroom culture, and even community engagement. “We’re not just teaching content,” Mariah says. “We’re helping kids become citizens, neighbors, leaders.”

Their investment is deeply personal. Michelle’s kids are students in the district. Mariah’s young children will grow up in these schools. “We’re not just educators here,” Michelle says. “We’re parents. We’re stakeholders.”

Both women have earned advanced degrees while raising families—Mariah just completed her Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction, and Michelle is licensed to be a principal. But for now, both are exactly where they want to be.

“I love math. I love middle school. And I love being part of something bigger than just my classroom,” Michelle says.

Mariah echoes that. “This work means something. It’s not always easy. But it’s right.”

Knoxville isn’t just planning for graduation day.

It’s building a district-wide culture of becoming—starting with teachers like Michelle and Mariah, who know that even the smallest classroom moment is a step toward something much larger.