From preschool classmates to teachers

For elementary teachers Arial Kossie and Nila Miller, their lifelong friendship and shared legacy in Dallas ISD, began in preschool and now continues at two district elementary schools.  

Kossie and Miller met in their preschool class at Jimmie Tyler Brashear Learning Center, the school’s name at the time. After spending their elementary and middle school years apart, they reconnected at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. There, as members of the Class of 2007, they developed a love for the performing arts that would later shape their paths as educators.  

Miller’s early experiences at Brashear laid the foundation for her lifelong love of learning.  

“Legacy brings me back to my elementary school,” Miller said. “I loved preschool. I remember the teachers and our location at Encino Plaza at the time. I remember the way Brashear smelled and the way it looked. I remember my teacher, Miss Giles. I remember these young, beautiful, intelligent teachers I wanted to be like, and I always knew I would be a teacher one day.”  

Today, Miller is a fifth-grade English language arts and reading teacher at H.S. Thompson STEAM Academy, where she shares her love for reading with her students. 

“I love books. I love children’s authors. I love understanding and reading comprehension,” she said. “That foundation started when I was three years old at J.T. Brashear.” 

Kossie’s memories of preschool have come full circle, and she is now a music teacher at Brashear.  

“I’ve been teaching for 13 years now, and these past two years at Brashear have been the best that I’ve experienced,” Kossie said. “It’s interesting, because I didn’t like preschool. I was a young child who had difficulty adjusting to new rules and new people. But now that I’ve returned to Brashear as a teacher, it has been such a rewarding experience. The school atmosphere is incredible.” 

The walls of her music classroom at Brashear are covered in music theory posters and her room is decorated with student pianos, red guitars, an upright piano and stacks of piano books—a creative space for students to develop an early love for music.  

As a student, Kossie also attended Adelle Turner Elementary School and what was formerly Atwell Middle School, now known as Judge Lewis A. Bedford Law Academy. Miller also attended several Dallas ISD schools, including R.L. Thornton Elementary School and W. E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy. 

From their early years as students to becoming educators, both teachers now give back with a deep appreciation for the communities that shaped them. 

“Our gifts as educators and musicians made room for us to make a difference,” Miller said. “When you’re passionate about what you do, it makes the hard work easier. We are still here, and we are building a legacy.” 

This year, both Miller and Kossie were selected as Teacher of the Year for their campuses. For Miller, it is her second nomination and her 12th year teaching.  

Kossie received her bachelor’s degree in music education from Howard University, where she also minored in classical piano.  

Her passion for music began at an early age, when she started playing piano and studying music theory. This foundation continued at Booker T., where she and Miller reconnected.

At the arts magnet, Kossie studied piano and explored multiple disciplines. She sang in the choir and studied West African dance.  

Music has remained an integral part of Kossie’s life, and now she carries that passion into her classroom at Brashear, creating new memories for her students while honoring her own. 

Miller, also studied music at Booker T., focusing on classical voice, and said those experiences helped shape her into the educator she is today.  

“I studied music and voice in high school,” she said. “Theater prepared me for teaching because we are often like actors in the classroom. That is our stage, and our students are our audience.” 

After high school, Miller earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas and a master’s degree from UNT Dallas. 

Both said they left high school with more than an education. They left with a family they had built together.  

Their memories from elementary school to high school live on in a scrapbook filled with photographs of their time together as students in Dallas ISD, snapshots of moments that continue to shape who they are today.  

Now, that connection continues as they teach the next generation of students walking the same halls and neighborhoods they once did.  

“It’s amazing to realize that we have always been connected,” Kossie said.