Show Liz biz Montague savors every breath in life Leslie Conder Corder Contributing Writer Liz Montague may look like an average English teacher walking to her class with a huge stack of critiqued stories from very promising students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents but she is anything but average Although she did not always dream of being a teacher Montague has been teaching at for 25 years After all an of that time she still has the stamina to come back for more She has received along with multiple teaching awards and certificates The Outstanding Faculty Award twice and has a shelf full of trophies trophies trophies tro tro- tro- tro that she has collected throughout the years that her classes have given to her Those are the awards that I treasure the most Montague said Montague does more than make students writers she makes them scholars At least that is what she calls each of her students from day one of her class By calling them scholars she expects scholarly workmanship workmanship workmanship workman workman- ship and she is seldom let down Montague received her education education tion from The University of Utah as well as Utah State University She has been married married mar mar- ried to a truly wonderful ul man manfor manfor manfor for 26 years Even though Montague followed in the footsteps footsteps foot foot- footsteps steps of her grandfather who was a professor at and her mother a teacher at Jordan Jr High School she used to hold different dreams for herself Growing up I wanted to be a forest ranger a concert violinist and a horse rancher However it wasn't until I entered college and felt the power of authentic ques ques- and intellectual exchange that the conscious notion that teaching would be a rewarding career entered my mind Montague said Montague has taught everything everything every every- thing from developmental math when she began teaching to folklore which is her specialty Montague's students arc rewarded reward reward- ed with grades deserved along with a new respect for writing Montague's greatest reward is the students They continue to teach me so much about life about the diverse conditions of being human about the resilience of the human spirit about the beauty beauty beauty beau beau- ty of learning and staying open to growth Montague said There is however a downside to teaching according to Monague Omnipresent demanding stacks of papers waiting to be read and respond respond- ed to They haunt my every waking waking waking wak wak- ing moment and have no mercy Though Montague has plenty on her plate being a wife mother moth moth- er and teacher she continues to set goals for herself One goal I set for myself when I was young was to help make this world a better place to somehow somehow somehow some some- how leave it better than I found it This was no small feat according to Montague who believes that through teaching she has been able to change lives and open minds to endless Although Montague is planning planning plan plan- planning ning and hoping for an early retirement she has not lost her sense of inhibition in her plans for life after teaching I want to climb mountains run rivers write seriously start a foundation to support women t. t a r friL rn r V GI tJ C u o s' s Wi WiGI m GI J I Montague sits in her office returning to higher education and have the time to savor every breath I take she said One of Montague's jobs as a teacher is make her students aware of what is happening in inthe inthe inthe the world around them to make them feel passionate about topics topics top top- ics and to form opinions about them so that they then can write a paper Although teaching Montague Cont on Page 8 Montague Cont from front Montague seems like the only thing S be passionate about would have time to it is not ideas t the e family nature American My West the me belief that love is is than hate or fear not dying stronger factors in before I die are important Montague's Montague s 's life Montague has not lost hen her touch when her out what is in it comes to bringing trust Montague to students Her students have set the they help them exceed goals students depend on for themselves Her her for strength to climb the mountain she has set before them She does not let them down I think she's amazing The way she connects with students is exceptional Especially how she draws each one of us out and makes us all writers student student stu stu- student stu- stu dent Liz Martin said Montague is happy with where her journey in life has taken her and where she is today Somewhere I read We live life looking looking looking look look- ing forward but we understand it looking looking looking look look- ing back It has hit me lately how much of of life is is now o behind me and reaching this point in m life is really weird |