Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Daymond Monteith picked education as a calling because he was into science. He stayed in it for an entirely difference reason.
“I got into teaching, well, for two reasons,” said Monteith, 32, Sweet Home High School’s new assistant principal. “I got into teaching because I loved science. I stayed in teaching because I loved kids. What I found in my teaching experience, teaching kids is a whole lot more interesting than teaching science.”
Teaching is a vehicle to make a difference in children’s lives, Monteith said. If a student develops a love for science, that’s just a bonus.
“That’s what keeps you coming back every day,” he said.
Monteith fills a vacancy left by Larry Johnson, who served on a one-year basis last year after and Steve Fletcher departed.
Monteith comes to Sweet Home from Klamath Falls Union High School, where he was a biology and chemistry teacher. He completed his undergraduate work at Pacific University in Forest Grove. He earned his master’s degree at Southern Oregon University in 1997, then returned to Klamath Falls to teach.
“I graduated from Mazama High School, which is kind of the cross-town rival,” Monteith said. “It’s amazing how fast you change your alliances.”
As assistant principal, Monteith’s primary responsibility will be dealing with behavior and discipline issues, largely attendance problems.
“My philosophy is more to not be punitive but more educative,” Monteith said. “Rather than punish kids, teach them the proper behavior.”
Penal research and punishment shows that it does not deter misbehavior, “whether talking about major crime or high school problems,” Monteith said. A student might be suspended for two days, and then he comes back and does the same thing.
“Always treat kids with respect,” Monteith said. “Let them know that you care about them. A lot of kids, that’s all they need, to know that someone cares for them.”
Youths often go down the wrong path, Monteith said. Some are sociopaths or simply do not want to, but “for the most part, kids want to do what’s right.”
This position is Monteith’s first administrative job. As a teacher, he had to deal with discipline issues on a daily basis, with one or two major issues a month, he said. In this position, he will have to deal with more major issues on a daily basis.
“Sweet Home as a community is very similar to Klamath Falls,” Monteith said. Both he and his wife attended school in Portland and realized that the big city is not where they wanted to raise their children. They were looking for a small community that supports its schools and children.
Sweet Home is smaller than Klamath Falls, but both communities have been based on timber economies.
“The kids in both communities have real similar needs,” Monteith said. Both communities have high poverty rates, with parents struggling to make ends meet, and two-income families where children spend quite a bit of time by themselves unsupervised. This gives the children opportunities to make wrong choices and go down the wrong path, he said.
“So far I love it,” Monteith said of Sweet Home. He has moved up, but his family remains in Klamath Falls to sell their home there.
Monteith is married to Cheri Monteith. They have two children, Brady, 3, and Brendon, 6 months.
Monteith has family in the area, and Cheri Monteith’s sister lives in Albany.
Daymond Monteith said he enjoys hunting. This will be the first year in a long time that he won’t get to go elk hunting. He also enjoys training retrievers and sports ? especially football, baseball and track and field.
“So far, everybody in the community has been very welcoming,” Monteith said. He said the community has been supportive, and he has no regrets about leaving his home town to come to Sweet Home.
“I’ll stay in Sweet Home the next 24 years if they’ll keep and things work out,” Monteith said. “I’m happy to be here.”