Helping Flowery’s English language learners to blossom

Flowery Elementary School teacher Greg Campbell began to notice a pattern last year each time his third-grade students worked with academic specialist Justina Montano.

“They loved going to her class and always came back excited to share what they were doing,” Campbell said. “And she made sure students knew what they had to do to be reclassified as English proficient. If you asked any of those students, they knew exactly what they needed to focus on and improve, and what scores they needed to get on the tests that were used as the benchmarks for reclassification.”

Paula Salazar-Sartin, a counselor at Flowery, says students are very comfortable with Montano and know she is always willing to help.

“Students always know they can come to her room to check out books, get help with an assignment or even find a quiet place to hang out during a break,” Salazar-Sartin said. “She sets high expectations for students, and they respond positively to this and always try to do their very best in her class.”

Montano, who has served as Flowery’s academic specialist and English language development teacher since August 2012, considers herself fortunate to be able to work directly with students, encourage their parents and support her colleagues.

“The innocence, joy and curiosity of children motivate me,” she said. “I like the challenge of meeting the unique needs of each and every student and helping them feel they’re a valued part of the school community. Teaching is an incredibly complex, every-changing job, so I like to do what I can to support my colleagues in meeting the demands of the profession.”

Every elementary school in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District has an academic specialist. They have many of the same duties, such as teaching intervention, being the site testing coordinator and serving as English learner manager. As Flowery’s academic specialist, Montano teaches classes in fourth- and fifth-grade English language development as well as reading and math intervention, and oversees the reclassification process for English learners.

“I let the students know that my goal is for as many of them as possible to be reclassified as fluent in English before they get to middle school,” she said. “That way, they are able to choose an elective class instead of continuing to take English language development. I’m always inspired and touched by the students who join me in owning that goal and working hard to achieve it. Last year, 18 of my 32 students fulfilled the criteria to be reclassified.”

She says that her biggest challenge has been maintaining students’ momentum, since several have missed school due to illnesses.

“We haven’t had many cases of COVID, but lots of students have been out with the flu or RSV (respiratory syncytial virus),” Montano said. “I can’t duplicate all the missed instruction. Another challenge is meeting the needs of a range of levels at the same time. But my students are eager to please and a delight to teach.”

Flowery is a dual immersion school, offering a nontraditional educational experience in which language is acquired through content instruction and is not taught as a separate subject area. Dual immersion is an educational model for teaching a second language that integrates native English-speaking students with native Spanish-speaking students.

As a parent volunteer, Montano cowrote, with former Flowery Principal Joyce Schipper, an application for a federal Foreign Language Assistance Program grant to implement the dual immersion program. The grant was approved in 2006, and Flowery was awarded $500,000, spread over three years.

Sonoma Valley Unified School District then hired a dual immersion coordinator to oversee implementation of the grant, which was later extended by one year. When the coordinator resigned, Montano was offered the position and when the grant expired, she served as a core replacement teacher at Flowery before being hired as the academic specialist in 2012.

As part of the dual immersion program, all 368 Flowery students are taught classes in English and Spanish, starting with 90% Spanish in kindergarten and first grade and then proceeding to 80% Spanish in second grade, 70% Spanish in third grade and 50% Spanish in fourth and fifth grade.

Students in grades 6-8 can continue in the dual immersion program at Adele Harrison Middle School. Advanced and Advanced Placement Spanish courses offered at Sonoma Valley High School are a natural next step.

Montano says that her work with the dual immersion program has been facilitated by the support of the district and school board.

“It also helps that we have an established program that’s in its 25th year,” she said. “Our greatest challenge is keeping the program staffed with qualified bilingual teachers, especially since dual immersion is growing across California, which gives prospective teachers many employment opportunities.”

She said that Flowery’s focus on growing its own educators has helped to address the issue: Three current Flowery teachers are also alumni of the school.

“I’d also like to see Sonoma State (University) provide sustainable internship opportunities that work around teacher interns’ employment obligations,” Montano said.

Her responsibilities at Flowery also include serving as the “teacher in charge” when the principal is away and providing individual support for students.

“As a key leader in our system, I think Justina helps to keep us focused on all learners,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kaufman, acting superintendent of Sonoma Valley Unified School District. “She is particularly aware of the needs of students who achieve above grade level and frequently ‘brings their voice’ to the table. She is also extraordinarily empathetic and compassionate, and brings a humanistic perspective to problem-solving and decision-making, which is essential to our team.”

Montano also coordinates district and state testing, and helps teachers with curriculum and instructional materials, including technology.

“Not only does she keep teachers on track for all assessments and tests that need to be given over the school calendar year: She also helps support teachers with these assessments … and I would be confident calling her the ‘data queen’ when it comes to assessments, running data reports and looking at these student outcomes,” Salazar-Sartin said. “I really can’t imagine Flowery without Justina. She is one of the backbones of this institution.”

Montano was born in Parma, Ohio, and raised on a farm outside Ashland, Ohio. She first considered a teaching career while attending the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she received a bachelor’s degree in English in 1987. After she graduated, she worked with 5- and 6-year-old children at a residential treatment center for boys in Berea, Ohio.

“The work was challenging but gratifying, so I continued to contemplate getting my teaching credential,” she said.

Montano soon began pursuing a multiple-subject teaching credential from California State University, Chico, and received it in 1989. She then served as a fourth-grade teacher in the Colusa Unified School District, where she implemented a language and literacy pilot project for English language learners.

In 1993, Montano was hired by Petaluma City Schools to teach English language arts and reading to first-and third-graders during summer school. That fall, she began teaching a combination class of fifth- and sixth-graders at the district’s McKinley Elementary School. She left the district in 1995 to go on maternity leave.

Montano served as a math consultant for an educational publisher, Creative Publications (which was later purchased by McGraw-Hill), from 1995 to 2003. She then served as director of educational programs for Sonoma nonprofit organization CommonBond Foundation from 2003 to 2006. She developed and implemented summer language immersion camps for the foundation and continued to do some private math consulting with local schools.

“I learned so much and had many enriching experiences after I left my Petaluma teaching job … but I missed being part of a public-school staff,” Montano said.

She was hired to be a core replacement teacher at El Verano Elementary School in 2006 before being hired as Flowery’s dual immersion coordinator in the fall of 2007.

Montano says that over the years, she has increased the emphasis she puts on teacher-student relationships.

“Students who feel a positive connection with their teacher make better progress,” she said. “With my colleagues, I try to be a better listener rather than be controlled by my ‘to do’ list.”

One of her most enjoyable responsibilities as academic specialist is collaborating each spring with Sonoma Valley and Creekside high schools to organize Flowery’s Senior Recognition event. Flowery alumni who are on track to graduate from one of the schools are invited to a schoolwide singalong and reception.

“Justina contacts the students, coordinates with the high schools to give them permission to come, and sometimes arranges transportation for them,” Campbell said. “The only thing she doesn’t do is drive the bus, but that day may come,” Campbell said. “And then she spends hours creating a very special slideshow featuring pictures of all these seniors and information about where they are headed after high school, which we show at the singalong assembly. It’s truly a labor of love on her part.”

The seniors then visit the fourth- and fifth-grade classes, where they give students advice about secondary school and making decisions regarding post-high school plans.

“I love getting to see former Flowery students become young adults and celebrate their achievements before wishing them all the best as they move onward to new chapters in their lives,” Montano said.

She is married to David Montano, who now works in a maintenance job on a ranch after serving as a recreation specialist at Hanna Boys Center for 29 years. They have two adult children.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, working in the yard, doing home improvement projects and getting together with friends.

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.