Teacher of the Month: Guadalupe Centers Elementary teacher Tom Salvador Montanez
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — FOX4’s Teacher of the Month for April came to the United States 13 years ago and spoke no English at all. Now, he is a first-grade teacher at Guadalupe Centers Elementary School.
Tom Salvador Montanez was born and raised in Mexico. Growing up, he always wanted to be an architect until his entire life changed.
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In 2011, at 15 years old, Montanez left Mexico and moved to the Kansas City metro. He attended Shawnee Mission North High School where two teachers changed the course of his life.
“They were always helping me, always behind me, so I was like, I want to be a role model for students. So I decided to go into teaching,” Montanez said.
After high school, he attended the Johnson County Community College and then UMKC. In the spring of 2020, he graduated from college, which meant his first semester teaching would be in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was like, how do I make these connections with my kids?” Montanez said.
Soon after, he began collaborating with other teachers who would share what worked in their classrooms and brainstorm creative ideas to boost morale and get the students involved.
When his students were doing their classes online, he would interact with his students, comment on their environments and connect with their families.
Montanez said, “I was like, show me around your house.. show me your pets. I kept seeing families In the background, and I was like, ‘Hi, this is Mr. Montanez!'”
Although connecting with students through a screen was hard, he has always loved being able to see his students understand something new, first-hand.
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“There’s a little spark that you see on their faces and you’re like, ‘YES, you’re getting it!’ and I love seeing that. I will never get tired of it,” Montanez said.
Today, Montanez stays in touch with his old teachers and tries to find ways to encourage his co-workers and students, especially his fellow Latinos, every day.
His work at the Guadalupe Centers stems from his passion for inspiring kids who resemble his younger self. He tells them that, regardless of the challenges or barriers that come their way, they can’t give up and can be whatever or whoever they want.
“And that’s what I want to tell my kids because a lot of the kids in this school come from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, so I identify myself, I see myself in those kids, ” Montanez said.
“And some of them are English learners. I wanna be like, ‘Hey, I was in your shoes – not too long ago, and look at where I am right now.”
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For being chosen as FOX4’s Teacher of the Month, Mr. Montanez wins $750 in gift cards from Volkswagen of Lee’s Summit. To nominate your favorite educator, click here.