Eric Miller
Maybe you have watched him juggle in the Agora at Lakehead University's Thunder Bay's campus or at the Outdoor Carnival as part of the Orientation festivities at Lakehead -- or met him while he was juggling at any of the street festivals, Summer in the Parks sessions or special events around town?
Eric Miller graduated with his degrees in Mathematics and Education from Lakehead University in 2009 and has been playing with fire ever since. Actually, not just fire torches -- “hackysacks, rings, clubs, knives, chainsaw and pretty much anything that I can lift, toss, and put a spin on, I can juggle”.
How did he learn to juggle? Eric said that it’s a talent that he has learned over the years. First, let’s learn about a different kind of juggling in his life: work and play.
Eric Miller went to Hammarsjkold Highschool and was inspired by many of his teachers in math and English; they influenced him to consider teaching as a career. His experiences in the education program at Lakehead University “helped me with my networking skills, working with different types of people, different viewpoints and different learning styles. It also gave me new ideas on how to make learning fun in the classroom”.
Lakehead’s Education Department brings together very different personalities and Eric’s ability to get along with just about anyone, was one of the skills he honed in his university years.
It is not surprising that Eric’s favourite places to go were the library and the math room to study. He also spent time hanging out at The Study, The Outpost, and the Argus office.
At Lakehead, Eric connected most with his math Professor, Razvan Anisca. “He is very easy going and had a sense of humor that I identified well with”.
These are also qualities that Eric possesses and displays when he is performing as a teacher or juggler. However, in some ways, being “Eric The Juggler” is very different from being Mr. Miller in the classroom.
When Eric graduated, he was recruited by a teaching agency and embarked on a trip to England for this reason. The teaching placement in England did not work out but he learned a lot about himself and faced some of the difficulties being a teacher in an unfamiliar setting. He returned to Thunder Bay, just in time to juggle for Definitely Superior Art Gallery’s massive Halloween event, The Hunger Cabaret.
Upon returning to Northwestern Ontario, he applied to different jobs and was offered a few courses to teach in Sioux Lookout in the winter months. Eric began supply teaching elementary and high-school, commuting between Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay.
Since graduation, he has been charting a road trip. While his experience in England presented challenges, it also pushed him to try new things and be open to change and uncertainty.
Despite being offered a full-time teaching position in Sioux Lookout, Eric is making a choice to take the road untraveled this October. He will begin his journey in Thunder Bay and drive to Montreal and tour other cities in Canada. He has been converting his van into a space fit for this adventure and building an impressive repertoire -- performing throughout Northwestern Ontario, teaching juggling workshops and more.
How did he learn to juggle? He learned from his sister and has been teaching countless others using the exact same methods, (albeit, a little more refined), and has been juggling ever since.
If you need a juggler, visit www.ericthejuggler.net for more information.
