A newer teacher at ERHS, Mr. Montel, located in room 209, teaches 10th-grade English and AP English Language and Composition. Mr. Montel is also a new teacher in general, as he first began this career almost two years ago when he started teaching at ERHS in January 2020. Even though he is new to this job, Mr. Montel still has plenty of experience working in education, as he tutored for several years as a student teacher in some San Fernando schools.
Before starting teaching, Mr. Montel worked for ten years in the entertainment industry as a film producer and theater director. Though entertainment is a very different field from education, he always had the mindset of a teacher, even going so far as to write his college application on how theater can change the way people think. After picking up tutoring as a side job, Mr. Montel found himself questioning the assignments that he was seeing, believing that he could do better. “Okay, well, put up or shut up,” he said, which eventually brought him to his new career as a teacher. Though Mr. Montel is an English teacher, it wasn’t always going to be this way; he majored in history and literature and even tutored math at some points. The main reason that English was the subject he pursued was because many of those he tutored came to him for help with writing, and this was what he was able to help the most with. Even though he is still new to teaching, Mr. Montel has already found aspects of teaching that he enjoys, specifically, he likes talking about stuff with people, especially books when he and others are truly invested in and care about what they are talking about. For Mr. Montel, stories and language are two fascinating things that he loves, and their power, as well as the power of words, can define us and how we interact with the world around us.
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Montel also participates in other aspects of ERHS and is now the sponsor of the school’s Cancer Awareness Club. He loves to read(his favorite book is “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov, on whom he wrote his undergraduate thesis), as well as acting and watching theater. As shown in his classroom by the menagerie of paper figures, Mr. Montel also enjoys doing origami. Another hobby he has is hiking and camping with his wife, though this doesn’t happen as much as he would like.
Mr. Montel clearly has so much to bring to the table as a teacher. With a great personality and a willingness to teach, he can surely leave a lasting impact on the school and countless students.
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