LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Why is Brittany Montano a LifeChanger in Lee County, FL?

        Mrs. Montano chose her profession at a very early age as a freshman in high school. She has worked very hard throughout high school and college to learn about her subject area and become the “expert” that she is in her respective field: Deaf Education. Educating students with this “different-ability” has proven to be worth so much more than teaching them the “core” subjects or the three “R’s”.

        To say that she has been an influence in making hearing-impaired and deaf students’ lives better over the years would be an understatement. Although she has been teaching since August 2007, she was able to secure her dream job and meet one of her life goals in August 2014, when she became a teacher for these very special students after her mentor retired from Fort Myers High School.

        She literally works from sun-up to sun-down on a daily basis, creating a safe environment for her students to learn and express themselves. Some of her students need contact and engagement since their parents are not able to communicate with them. She not only provides “things” as any other teacher would (i.e, socks, toothbrushes, belts, etc.) but her students fondly refer to her as “MOMtano”.  Knowing and applying what is required in Deaf "Culture", to do the right thing for her students according to their standard means sometimes going against the grain or status quo. It is ever apparent that she will always fight for her students' right to an appropriate education, and she has met with higher-ups and even the Dept. of  Education to help her students secure what they need to succeed. She is helping to break new ground by writing and rewriting test questions and standards for deaf students in Florida.

        Mrs. Montano teaches all kinds of students, from those who are college bound and gifted to those who are operating at a 1st or 2nd grade level. Putting these students together in one classroom is very challenging. Their one commonality is their deafness, but these students can also face a plethora of other issues that need to be addressed. She takes her kids on “field-trips” every Friday to expose them to Community-Based Instruction. They have visited nationally known local businesses such as Chico’s Headquarters and Norman Love’s chocolates, attended a Minnesota Twins vs. Red Sox baseball game, shopped at the Edison Mall, gone to the bank, library, police and fire stations, visited the world-renowned Shell Factory, went to a recycling plant; Goodwill, and participated in Florida Gulf Coast University Special Olympics as well as Lee County’s Special Olympics. Her students have also performed in sign language at Fort Myers ArtFest. With each outing, the students are able to expand their learning abilities and coping mechanisms. More importantly, they find out that they, too, can do something in their community to be productive citizens.

        Mrs. Montano encourages her fellow employees to become involved with her deaf students. She supports her school culture by making opportunities to include her students whenever possible. A joint basketball game sponsored by the Basketball Coach, for example, is held annually to give her kids an opportunity to play the game with the Varsity Team during a school assembly.  Her students have “signed” the National Anthem during pre-game at football games with the marching band. Mrs. Montano also spent time with the nursing staff at a local hospital to properly train and teach them how to communicate with one of her students while she was a patient there. When she attended a funeral for another student, she sat with and explained to the child’s deaf friends that they would no longer see their dear friend. She had to teach a tough lesson that day; that death is part of life.

        It is encouraging to Mrs. Montano to hear that several students will be going into the Deaf Education field because of her influence. Some have stated they will even attend the same college as she did. With this knowledge, she knows that her love for the Deaf culture, the people, and the language have all been instilled in her students.

Brittany in the News:

Fort Myers High teacher up for national LifeChanger award