Lucinda Miftahittin is the Multi-Age Positive Supports (MAPS) Teacher here at Ashland Middle School. After 16 years working similar positions in the Central Point School District, Lucinda joined the AMS staff 4 years ago. “I live in Ashland and raised my kids here, and I always wanted to work with kids in my own community. In Central Point, I liked working with 4th and 5th graders best and thought teaching middle school would be really fun. And it is! I’m really happy I made the move.”
Born and raised in the Willamette Valley near McMinnville, Lucinda first came to Ashland in 1981 when she began college at Southern Oregon State College. She didn’t finish her degree in English for many years, however, as she and her husband moved to Japan and then Guam where they lived for 9 years. It was in Guam that their two kids, Roxanne and Trevor, were born. Eventually, Lucinda made her way back to Ashland to finish her degree. Roxanne, who is now 34, and Trevor, who is 31, went through the Ashland school system, going to Briscoe and AMS before graduating from AHS.
While visiting her sister and mom and playing with her nephew, Lucinda’s mom remarked that Lucinda had missed her calling and that she would have been a great teacher. That comment sparked the idea of going back to school and getting a teaching credential, so when she got back home Lucinda applied to the program at SOU and never looked back. “I love teaching life skills and I love seeing my students make progress. One of the things I really like about the MAPS program is that we get to spend so much time together there is a real family feeling in the program. This year on Teacher Appreciation Day, I got a colored picture from a student who wasn’t able to hold a pencil in January. Those markers of progress are really special.”