Harborview may have top teacher
The children came in from recess Monday with the noise, spirit and wet boots you would expect on a rainy day in Juneau. Then they turned to the task at hand.
It was reading time, and they knew what to do. Some students found their favorite picture book and went off on their own. Others grouped together to share. Eight gathered around their teacher to hear her read a class favorite, "Hermit Crab Finds a Home."
The kids in Vivian Montoya's kindergarten class were content, at home in the classroom. Mission accomplished.
Montoya, a kindergarten and first-grade teacher at Harborview Elementary School, makes easing the transition from home to school a main goal throughout the year.
Her success as an educator has made her one of four finalists for Alaska Teacher of the Year honors, to be awarded in November by the state Department of Education. She was named teacher of the year in Juneau earlier this year.
Montoya said to make the transition to school easier for new students, she seeks to bridge the gap between school and home by involving parents and extending learning beyond the classroom.
"I think it's such an important year," she said. "A big part of my job is to make sure the child and the family feel secure and at home in the public schools."
Montoya teaches in a "looping" classroom, meaning she stays with the same students for both kindergarten and first grade. She says this lets her form a stronger connection with the class, and they can "hit the ground running" in first grade.
"The connection you make with the children and their families (over two years) benefits them academically, socially and emotionally - there's a lot of security there," she said.
Once that trust is established, Montoya said she tries to "unlock the teacher within each child" so that they enjoy learning, and take that with them through the rest of their schooling.
Montoya's education career began with a temporary teaching certificate in Indiana in 1971. She enjoyed the experience so much that she went back to school for her teaching degree. After a stop in Colorado, she moved to Alaska in 1983 and took a job teaching kindergarten at Auke Bay Elementary.
After two years she transferred to the former Capital School, which was later merged with Harborview.
Her husband, Jay Livey, is the state commissioner of health and social services, and her daughter is a social worker in California.
"Our whole family is dedicated to child education and welfare," she said.
Montoya credits her success as a teacher to the parents who help in the classroom and to her colleagues.
"I feel I've had tremendous growth as a teacher here in Juneau," she said. "I'm only a good teacher because I'm mentored by excellent teachers around me. ... We pool all our passions, and that's what makes us strong as a school."
Fellow Harborview teacher Marianne Manning said the honors Montoya has received mean a lot to the entire staff, and Harborview Principal Bob Dye said the school was fortunate to have Montoya.
Parents also praise her teaching ability. Mike Ford, whose daughter Kiana is in Montoya's class, said he has seen Montoya's skills first-hand.
"She has a great touch with the kids," he said. "You can tell she has a lot of experience (and) knows how to respond to the needs of the kids."
As part of the "Final Four" for the award, Montoya will submit a videotape of a class and be interviewed by a statewide selection committee.
The other state finalists are two Anchorage high school English teachers and a fourth- through sixth-grade teacher in Fairbanks.
Past state award-winners from Juneau include Mendenhall River Community School first-grade teacher Suzanne Cary in 1993 and elementary school art teacher Bryan Grove in 1974. State award winners are eligible to win National Teacher of the Year honors.
Whether she wins or not, Montoya said being a finalist for teacher of the year is a big honor. Some other honors, however, do not require a competition - rewards like seeing former students succeed in school.
"I always tell the students, after they leave me after two years, to invite me to their high school graduation," she said.
Some students have returned as high-schoolers to volunteer in the kindergarten classroom.
Montoya said her students "take your energy, but they also give you back energy," and noted that, with all the turmoil in today's world, "the classroom is the most hopeful place to be."