My favorite teacher in high school was Mrs. Montoya. She taught the business course for upperclassmen.
She was firm but fair. She was kind yet challenging.
She gave me grace when I didn't deserve it because she saw something in me I didn't yet know was there.
She opened doors for me to opportunities of a lifetime. She helped me land a position at Intel. I was a 17-year-old with a job at a Fortune 100 company. That still boggles my mind.
She took a slacker who was king of doing the bare minimum and convinced me to join the Business Professionals of America and go to the local and state competitions. I took 5th place in the state for web design.
She worked as hard on our projects as we did. I remember groups of us arranging project papers on her coffee table while she fed her family in the kitchen, tossing helpful advice to us as needed.
She cared more than she needed to. She did more than any reasonable person would ask.
And she loved it.
My mom is a teacher, at least for today. She's retiring, and today is her last day.
She's left her mark on countless of kids over the decades. Kids with promise; kids with problems.
I'm proud to know she is someone's Mrs. Montoya.
A lot of someones.
Congratulations, Mom.
Who's left a mark on you?
.
