English teacher, Mrs. Montiel has been gone for months! Where has she been in these last few months. Why did she leave? What happened? Montiel agreed to an interview to answer all of the burning questions.
On September 2, 2024, Mrs. Montiel sent out an announcement to her classes, telling her students that she had been injured. She had torn her ACL while at a trampoline park and was unable to walk, therefore could not return to work. When asked where she had been Montiel had this to say, “I have been at home in Merced. I injured myself, so that is why I was out for about four months. I didn’t really do anything other than events around town.”
According to Montiel, the healing process was not easy for her. Montiel was unable to move without assistance. When asked about how she has been doing since her injury, Montiel said, “I’m doing much better. So, in the beginning I could not walk at all, and now I’m walking and can do almost everything that I was able to do prior to my injury. As far as that goes, I’m doing a lot better.”
As Montiel had been out since September 2, she had to adjust after 137 days of being absent. When asked how has adjusting back to her regular routine been since recovering from her injury, Montiel responded, “In the beginning of my injury when I couldn’t walk at all, I was using crutches, and I was really depressed because I couldn’t do simple things by myself, and so now obviously, I am able to walk now, and when I started walking again, I was able to transition to things that I normally do like playing with my son. Now being back at work, the hardest part of transitioning is waking up early.”
Ever since her absence, Montiel’s students have had several substitutes which means Montiel has to get her students back on track. When asked what her students can expect in terms of work and assignments, Montiel responded, “In terms of work, we have a LOT to catch up on. So I anticipate more assessments, more group work, and projects.”
Finally, when asked if she is excited to be back, Montiel responded, “I am excited to be back. I am tired, but very excited to be back and very excited to be around the energy that my students give me.”
She hopes to catch her students up on the work students missed while she was away and establish a good routine for the rest of the school year.
