“我是普罗维登斯彻头彻尾的学生. 我来自社区."

^{上图:Javier督学Montañez, M.Ed. ‘03 introduces himself to a class at Fortes Lima Elementary School during his first month on the job. Dr. Montañez示范如何用手语说“我爱你”. (图片来源:Suzanne Ouellette)}

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that the superintendent’s office at 797 Westminster Street, 普罗维登斯公立学校的所在地, 最近几年有过一些“旋转门”吗. 当哈维尔Montañez, M.Ed. ’03 walked through that door last summer as interim superintendent (he has since been appointed to the job on a permanent basis), he brought with him something that none of his recent predecessors (and there have been many) could claim: experience in a Providence classroom.

Montañez’s story is impressive and has been documented in greater detail elsewhere, but here are the broad strokes: he grew up between Providence and New York City. His home life was so difficult that he moved out while he was still in his teens. 有时他无家可归，睡在没有上锁的车里或在家里

罗杰威廉姆斯公园. 他喜欢学校，因为他知道在那里他可以吃到两顿热饭, but he struggled to read because of his dyslexia and dropped out of high school.  

Eventually Montañez earned his GED at Boricua College in New York and then earned both an associate and a bachelor’s degree there. He started a family, moved back to Providence and began teaching elementary school. He enrolled at Rhode Island College for his master’s degree and earned his doctorate at Johnson & Wales.

The Montañez children went to Providence public schools, while their father rose through the ranks. Montañez成为了列维顿双语学校的校长, 在他的前任突然离职之后, was tapped to become superintendent by Rhode Island Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Angelica Infante-Green, 谁在领导州政府对普罗维登斯公立学校的干预.

Now this former classroom teacher has inherited one of the toughest jobs in the state; however, 初步的共识似乎是，他能胜任这一挑战. 

You are a product of the Providence public school system in more ways than one: you’ve both attended and taught in them. 学生们看到你坐在校长的椅子上意味着什么?
First and foremost I would like to say that if I can do it, anybody can do it. 我是普罗维登斯彻头彻尾的学生. 我来自社区. 我想学生们会意识到，如果我有能力做到这一点, 然后他们可以问自己:我能做什么, 我有什么抱负?

I tell them, “I don’t want you to be like me, I need you to be better than me.” What I try to instill in them is to dream big and never stop dreaming and never let anyone deviate you from your dreams because you’re capable of doing anything and becoming anyone you want to be.  

老师看到有工作经验的人意味着什么, like them, 在教室里当督学?
我觉得有一种自豪感. 他们知道我的核心永远是学生. So, they know that the decisions I make will always be based on what is best for our children. 他们知道我是一个可以和他们交谈的人. 我被认为是一名教师和行政人员.  

What is one thing you brought from your teaching experience into the superintendent’s office that perhaps someone from a strictly administrative background might not have known?
当你在教室里的时候，你必须是一个促进者. I think it’s really important that we move away from being teachers to being facilitators in the classroom. When you’re an administrator who has had experience in the classroom supporting students and making sure that they believe in themselves, 你带着它，把它应用到整栋楼. 这并不意味着我使用的每一个策略都是最好的, 但是当老师知道你带着这些知识进来的时候, 他们倾向于欣赏你的建议.  

What role did graduate school at RIC play in your professional development?
实习对我影响很大. Not only was I learning the technical side of administration and the theories, I was actually putting it into practice when I went back into the schools. I really appreciate those courses because they prepared me for the next step in my career.

你为什么选择RIC?
我参加RIC的原因之一是因为它就在我家后院. 我住在不到半英里远的地方. I was a parent full-time, working full-time and going to school full-time. 待在我称之为家的地方对我来说更容易些. 我在为社区工作, I’m going to school within my community and Rhode Island College is well-known within our community.

What role do you think RIC can play in supporting Providence public schools?
RIC has been working as a partner with Providence schools for many, many years. 我们想要在多个层次上创建一个管道. 

First, we’re looking at those students who want to become teachers who choose to go to RIC. 我们如何准备它们?

Then we need a program for those who are already in the Providence Public School Department, 比如助教和教学助理. How do we prepare those who already have an associate or bachelor’s degree? 我们如何帮助他们成长? We want to make sure that the program we put in place for them won’t be the same as someone starting the program new.  

And then we have teachers who already have their bachelor’s degrees but want to expand in their profession or go into a master’s program. 我们要确保他们留在普罗维登斯. We know that many individuals who graduate from RIC stay in Rhode Island, 所以我们希望能够从内部发展我们自己.  

我们还需要在一些难以填充的地区准备一条管道. 我们需要一个专注于特殊教育的区域. 这是一个很难填补的职位. 我们需要多语种学习者的教师. 我们如何填补这些职位? 然后是高中的理科，初中和高中的数学, 我们需要这些领域的专门教师. These are the pipelines we need to create to make sure that we’re getting the best of the best and that they’re staying here with us.