At Ryan, Miller & Coburn, we understand how much of an impact teachers have on the lives of young people. Paul Ryan was raised by two educators who served the Missoula community for over 35 years.
His father, Patrick (Pat) Ryan, began his teaching career as a student teacher at Roosevelt Elementary in Missoula, teaching 7th grade and 8th grade math with Glenn Kozeluh as his supervising teacher in 1963. In 1964 to 1968 he taught 7th and 8th grade math in Conrad, Montana. Pat began teaching 7th and 8th grade math in Missoula in 1968 at Hawthorne Elementary School. He taught math at Hawthorne, coached boys’ basketball, track and flag football for 14 years. In 1982 he moved to C.S. Porter Middle School, continued to teach math, and coach girls’ basketball. After 35 years of teaching math to middle school students, he decided it was time to retire.
Paul’s mother, Marilyn Ryan, began student teaching Government and American History under the supervision of Ed Bazzetti at Hellgate High School in 1971. After, she began teaching 7th and 8th grade Social Studies at Emma Dickinson Elementary in 1972, and transferred to Meadow Hill Middle School in 1979. In 1994 Marilyn served as the first full time release President for Missoula Education Association, leaving the classroom for 4 years. She returned to Meadow Hill in 1998 to teach 7th grade Social Studies and 8th grade American History for one year. In 1999, Marilyn transfer to Hellgate High School and taught Government and American History, from which she retired in 2003, moving to a new career with Montana Education Association. She served as a Montana State Legislator from Missoula from 2017 – 2020 before final retirement from the world of Education and Service.
In honor of these two incredible educators, we have launched the Ryan, Miller & Coburn Teacher of the Year Award. Our first ever recipient of the award is Kila Jarvis, who is retiring this year from Rattlesnake Elementary. Kila has been an educator for over 30 years, she is also a published author known for co-authoring the educational book Owls, Whoo Are They?
Interview with Paul Ryan:
How did growing up with parents who were teachers impact your life?
“Well, education, first of all, was an incredibly important priority in our family all around. You know, we were certainly expected to work hard in school and obey our teachers. If there was ever a question of whether a teacher or us was right or wrong, it was generally decided in favor of the teacher. My parents were both coaches, especially my dad, so we learned a lot about working hard, teamwork, and all that along with the education portion of it.
Why was starting the Ryan, Miller, and Coburn Teacher of the Year Award important to you?
“Well, again, a lot of my family, not just my parents, have been teachers, my aunt, and my cousin, even I teach sometimes at the law school. I think teachers, number one, regardless of whether they’re related to me or not, are fundamental for so many people, they motivate people, they help, and they care a lot. They often are deemed to not make a lot of money, but they sure give a lot of effort to help people just be better, learn, and be creative. They each carry their own unique way of doing it, and I thought, carrying that on, especially with parents who were longtime teachers, would be a really good and positive thing, not only for the teacher, but also for the students. When we gave Ms. Jarvis the first annual award, her students were just as excited as she was to receive that, and that was pretty rewarding as well.”
What qualities/attributes do you think makes a great teacher?
“Wow, that’s a good one. I look back at my own teachers and they all had such different qualities. I think caring about teaching, about having their students learn rather than just throwing the information at them and hoping it sticks. Each have their own ways, some are a little more rigid, and other are nicer about it. But the idea is that they want to teach you, so you understand, and not only just understand their class, but also, I think lots of people can relate to this, the more you learn, the more you want to learn. I think it’s contagious, and once you find the fever for learning, you’ll want to continue that forever. We still learn today, and teachers are just so fundamental when you’re at such a young age, and they become so important in helping us along that path.”
What was the best advice your parents ever gave you?
“I think it all comes down to working hard. You know, if you work hard in anything, no matter what it is, the results will be better. You might make mistakes, you might not be perfect, but working hard is one of those attributes that carries on to anything, whether it be sweeping the floor, mowing the lawn, or studying. If you dedicate yourself to that thing and work hard at it, you’re probably going to be okay at doing it.”