4 minute read
hometown heroes
Annehurst Elementary’s Finest
By Bre Offenberger
Catherine Monteiro never thought she would be a teacher – until she jumped right into it.
Monteiro, a lawyer before her nowadult daughter Jessica was born, became a full-time mom to spend time with her family. So, when an opportunity to start volunteering at Jessica’s preschool opened up, she took it and fell in love.
She moved her volunteering efforts to her daughter’s elementary school, St. Paul Catholic School, when Jessica moved out of preschool and her love for volunteering only grew. And, as it turns out, she was pretty good at it, too. One of her teachers soon asked Monteiro to become a teacher’s aide – a paid position – and she accepted.
“I still loved it,” Monteiro says. “Then the principal at St. Paul, she encouraged me to get my teaching certification, and I did that. So far, I’m still happy.”
A Big Surprise
She has now worked at Annehurst Elementary School for the last seven years as a reading specialist, spending every day using her newfound teaching talent to help struggling readers. When she was called to the main hallway one Monday morning, she didn’t know what was coming.
“I thought I was in trouble,” Monteiro says, laughing.
Turns out, on March 18, 2019, she was walking into a crowd of applause and elation – all for her. She quickly found out she had won the first-ever 104.9 the River and Lindsay Honda’s Classroom Heroes award. It’s given out based on nominations, with the radio hosts urging listeners to call in and nominate teachers who have changed their or their child’s life for the better.
Stacey Valentas noticed a positive difference in the way her son, Dylan, had approached reading, thanks to the way Monteiro taught and encouraged him for the four years she had worked with him. When she heard an announcement about the award on 104.9, she immediately thought of Monteiro and the impact she had on her son.
“As soon as I heard it, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s Mrs. Monteiro,’” Valentas says. “She just goes above and beyond. She’s an exceptional person. She truly cares about everyone.”
There’s a lot that factored into Valentas’ decision to nominate Monteiro – but none more important than how much she saw Dylan improve thanks to Monteiro’s dedication and teaching style.
“The things that stuck out to me is just how she really helped Dylan become a stronger reader and was always there for him no matter what and just helped instill a lot of confidence in himself,” Valentas says.
When Monteiro accepted her award, she says she was humbled. She spends every day trying to improve herself where she can.
“I just think it’s special to be noticed,” Monteiro says. “I’m one of those people who goes home every night, and I think of all the things I did wrong or didn’t do or should’ve done better. So, it was like, ‘Wow, somebody thought enough of me.’ Mrs. Valentas, to take the time to nominate me for something, that means so much. It was very affirming to hear that I actually made a difference in a kid’s life.”
Valentas wants all other worthy teachers to be recognized, too. She encourages any and all parents to nominate teachers who have impacted their and their kids’ lives for the better for awards like this.
“Teachers are some of the most selfsacrificing individuals,” Valentas says. “They put in so much extra effort, outside of what you just see in the classroom, and to just recognize the extra hard work that they’ve done is a wonderful thing to give back to them.”
Monteiro is now moving on to teach at Emerson and Hanby elementary schools, but she’ll hold this moment, award and school where her love for teaching became a full-time reality with her forever.
“I don’t even think of it as a job,” Monteiro says. “It’s more a lifestyle. I tell people I’m a teacher, and I mean that, down to my marrow.”
Bre Offenberger is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@ cityscenemediagroup.com.
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