WTAE, A TEACHER OF THE MONTH. WITH SUMMER BREAK RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, THIS IS OUR FINAL WTAE TEACHER OF THE MONTH SURPRISE FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR. THIS TIME INSIDE THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN OUR AREA, PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THIS NEXT TEACHER GREW UP IN THE CITY. SHE FINISHED NEAR THE TOP OF HER CLASS AT WESTINGHOUSE YEARS AGO. STAYED IN PITTSBURGH TO ATTEND POINT PARK, AND NOW TEACHES A COUPLE OF MILES AWAY FROM THAT DOWNTOWN CAMPUS AT MILLER PRE-K THROUGH FIVE IN THE HILL DISTRICT. I PTT SPARKLE BY THE KIDS. CALL MISS FELICIA SWAIN’S CLASS. THEIR HAPPY PLACE. SHE HELPS US LEARN IN A FUN WAY. AND SHE’S REALLY GOOD AT TEACHING. BEFORE WE GOT A GLIMPSE INTO HER FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOM HERE AT PITTSBURGH MILLER PRE-K THROUGH FIVE. WE ARE. AFRICAN CENTERED ACADEMY. THE PRINCIPAL HELPED US PULL OFF THIS SURPRISE AND SHOW HER SOME LOVE. HI, JANELLE. YOU ARE A TEACHER OF THE MONTH. AMEN. HALLELUJAH. THANK YOU. IT WAS HEARTFELT. I WAS SO EXCITED FOR MISS SWAIN, THE LEADER OF THE SWAIN GANG. SHE IS. SHE GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR THE KIDS HERE. THE KIDS REALLY LOVE HER. THAT’S WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO. AND I THINK THERE’S ENOUGH PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT DON’T SEE OUR KIDS IN THE IN THE LIGHT THAT THEY SHOULD BE SEEING. AND SO SOMETIMES THERE’S AGAIN, I SEE MYSELF IN THEM. THERE’S A LOT OF ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES SOMETIMES, BUT SOMETIMES THAT’S THEIR SUPERPOWER. SO TAP INTO IT AND SEE, SEE WHAT WE CAN GET. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT MISS SWAIN IS VERY LOVING. IF WE DO GOOD THINGS AND STAY POSITIVE, SHE GIVES US REWARDS. THANKS TO THIS GENEROUS $1,000 DONATION FROM PETE WITH CLOSETS BY DESIGN, MISS SWAIN CAN NOW USE THAT MONEY TO HELP STOCK UP HER REWARD SHELF, OR ANYTHING ELSE SHE MAY NEED FOR HER CLASSROOM. DO YOU EVER USE DONORS? CHOOSE. I HAVE USED DONORS SHOES. I HAVE USED A LOT OF MY OWN FUNDS, AND I THINK THAT WE ALL DO BECAUSE AGAIN, WE. WE LOVE THEM AND WE SEE NEEDS. BUT THIS IS AMAZING. THIS WILL DEFINITELY GO TO GOOD USE. SO I APPRECIATE YOU. SHE’S A TRUE ASSET TO OUR PITTSBURGH MILLER FAMILY. THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR AT MILLER. THIS IS THE MOST APPRECIATED I’VE FELT IN QUITE SOME TIME BY PARENTS, BY ADMINISTRATION. I FEEL LIKE THE STAFF WE ARE A FAMILY. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS WHERE I BELONG. WE WANT TO CONGRATULATE MISS SWAIN AND ALL THE OTHER TEACHERS FEATURED THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR. WE HOPE ALL THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS HAVE A GREAT SUMMER. I’M JANELLE HALL PITTSBURGH’S
WTAE Teacher of the Month: Phylicia Swain, Pittsburgh Public Schools
Updated: 6:24 PM EDT May 26, 2026
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 visited Pittsburgh Public Schools to surprise the WTAE Teacher of the Month for May 2026.Meet the WTAE Teacher of the Month: Watch the video abovePhylicia Swain grew up in Pittsburgh, finished near the top of her class at Westinghouse, stayed in the city to attend Point Park University and now teaches a few miles away from that downtown campus at Pittsburgh Miller PreK-5 in the Hill District.The kids call Swain’s fifth-grade classroom their “happy place.”“She helps us learn in a fun way, and she’s really good at teaching,” one student said.“I want people to know Miss Swain is very loving,” Asante Pattison said. “If we do good things and stay positive, she gives us rewards.”Principal Lisa Stewart helped WTAE pull off the surprise and show the Teacher of the Month some love.”Amen, hallelujah, thank you,” Swain said.“I was so excited for Miss Swain, the leader of the Swain Gang. She goes above and beyond for the kids. The kids really love her,” Stewart said.“That’s what I’m supposed to do,” Swain said. “I think there’s enough people in the world that don’t see our kids in the light that they should be seen in. I see myself in them. There’s a lot of roughness around the edges sometimes, but sometimes that’s their superpower, so tap into it and see what we can get.”With a $1,000 donation from Closets by Design, Swain can use that money to help stock up her reward shelf or anything else she may need for her classroom.“I have used DonorsChoose. I have used a lot of my own funds, and I think that we all do, because we love them and we see needs,” Swain said. “This is amazing. This will definitely go to good use, so I appreciate you.”Swain said this is her second year at Miller, an African-centered academy.”This is the most appreciated I’ve felt in quite some time — by parents, by the administration,” she said. “I feel like the staff, we are a family. I feel like this is where I belong.”“She’s a true asset to our Pittsburgh Miller family,” Stewart said.With summer break coming soon, this was the final Teacher of the Month surprise for the 2025-26 school year. Congratulations to all of the teachers who were featured this past year.
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 visited Pittsburgh Public Schools to surprise the WTAE Teacher of the Month for May 2026.
Meet the WTAE Teacher of the Month: Watch the video above
Phylicia Swain grew up in Pittsburgh, finished near the top of her class at Westinghouse, stayed in the city to attend Point Park University and now teaches a few miles away from that downtown campus at Pittsburgh Miller PreK-5 in the Hill District.
The kids call Swain’s fifth-grade classroom their “happy place.”
“She helps us learn in a fun way, and she’s really good at teaching,” one student said.
“I want people to know Miss Swain is very loving,” Asante Pattison said. “If we do good things and stay positive, she gives us rewards.”
Principal Lisa Stewart helped WTAE pull off the surprise and show the Teacher of the Month some love.
“Amen, hallelujah, thank you,” Swain said.
“I was so excited for Miss Swain, the leader of the Swain Gang. She goes above and beyond for the kids. The kids really love her,” Stewart said.
“That’s what I’m supposed to do,” Swain said. “I think there’s enough people in the world that don’t see our kids in the light that they should be seen in. I see myself in them. There’s a lot of roughness around the edges sometimes, but sometimes that’s their superpower, so tap into it and see what we can get.”
With a $1,000 donation from Closets by Design, Swain can use that money to help stock up her reward shelf or anything else she may need for her classroom.
“I have used DonorsChoose. I have used a lot of my own funds, and I think that we all do, because we love them and we see needs,” Swain said. “This is amazing. This will definitely go to good use, so I appreciate you.”
Swain said this is her second year at Miller, an African-centered academy.
“This is the most appreciated I’ve felt in quite some time — by parents, by the administration,” she said. “I feel like the staff, we are a family. I feel like this is where I belong.”
“She’s a true asset to our Pittsburgh Miller family,” Stewart said.
With summer break coming soon, this was the final Teacher of the Month surprise for the 2025-26 school year. Congratulations to all of the teachers who were featured this past year.