My name is Maria Montana. I am the EL Specialist at JPE. This will be my 25th year in FBISD and 6th year at JPE! I am originally from Menominee, a small city in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I lived there for 18 years until I moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend the University of Michigan, where I fell in love with Michigan football. Go Blue! After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Education from U of M, I taught Pre K and Kindergarten in private schools in Plymouth, Michigan and Detroit. I moved to Houston, Texas in 1993 and started teaching in Aldine ISD where I had the awesome opportunity to help start the ESL program. After five years in Aldine ISD, I started in FBISD! I have a handsome 19 year old son, Cristian.  He will be a sophomore studying engineering at Texas A&M this fall.  I can't believe how fast time flies! I look forward to an exciting year filled with lots of fun and learning!