In just a few days, my wife of 24 years, Louise Montalbano, will walk out of Syosset High School for the very last time. On that day, I will have the privilege of having been there for her first and last days as a teacher of English. When that day is done, we will gladly walk off into the proverbial Syosset sunset, never again to enjoy the celebrity and good chuckles of having been one of Syosset's most intriguing scandals of the 20th century. First, though, I'd like to take this final opportunity to say a few words about my wife's 27-year career at Syosset High School.

(Note: She will probably kill me for doing this, so please don't tell her you read this letter in the newspaper!)

While Louise Montalbano's success and contributions as a teacher are best defined by the heartfelt comments of the students and former students I've had the fortune to know over the years, I believe the most lasting mark she will have left on Syosset High School has less to do with professional skills than it has to do with her tireless enthusiasm for life, which she has always believed is "correct." It seems to me that whether students loved her or loathed her as a teacher, in the end, they always admit to being better off for having known her as a person. Over the past 27 years, I've watched her skillfully talk despondent teenagers down from suicide attempts, help young girls bounce back from anorexia, and empower hopelessly depressed students to express their anger and emotions in ways no one else in their lives could. With each little victory, I've watched her emerge as a stronger, more solid person and an even greater role model for the young people in her life.

Ironically, one of the great catalysts for much of her impact has been the pain and disappointment she has experienced on her journey. While Louise has always maintained a rock-solid circle of friends, over the course of her career at Syosset High School, I have sadly witnessed more than one occasion when the people she loved and admired let her down in big ways. The first was the day 24 years ago when she arrived for work at Syosset High School and had to announce to her colleagues that she had just married me, a former student, barely 19 years old. I had the good fortune of being able to hide away in the basement that day, but she had to face a high school full of mostly shocked and outraged colleagues, hundreds of smirking teenagers, and a front office full of administrators who could have, with a clear conscience, excused her from her job that very day. It took me many years to appreciate what she went through those first couple of weeks, as friends deserted her and anonymous telephone calls full of contempt and expletives poured into our home almost nightly. In fact, the full impact didn't hit me until maybe 10 or 15 years later, when a former student from that era shared with me the realization that Mrs. Montalbano's relentless strength during that period had instilled in her the enormous courage to follow her own instincts, regardless of how the outside world might react. While those around her gossiped and worried if she could remain effective as a teacher after committing such a horrific stunt, Louise pulled herself together every morning, stood up in front of several classes a day, and grew into one of the most effective, most respected teachers in the building.

Outside the classroom, meanwhile, Louise established herself as an invaluable resource to the school district and the community when issues of teen suicide, drug abuse, pregnancy, and depression arose. She served on countless school crisis committees, gave hours and hours of her own time to troubled teenagers and their parents, and helped turn Syosset's "Alternative School" into one of the most successful in the nation. When there was a child in need somewhere in Syosset, it seemed ours was always the first phone to ring and she was always the first to run. To this day, parents of students and former students constantly walk up to me on the street to thank me for the impression my wife had on their child. On more than one occasion, I've been told that she saved a child's life.

Over the years, Louise's infectiously positive attitude continued to rub off on her students, who turned out in the hundreds, year-after-year, to participate in community service projects to which "Monty's" name was attached. All she had to do was ask and scores of students would go out of their ways to participate in food drives, help shore up the dunes at TOBAY Beach, serve lunch at local soup kitchens, or restore bicycles for underprivileged children. To this day, it is rare that we can walk into a local restaurant without running into a former student who throws her arms around Monty and tells her something like "I know I was trouble in class, but because of you..."

Although I am not sure Louise or the Syosset Central School District will ever fully understand or appreciate the contributions she made to Syosset over the years, I am proud to have watched her teaching and "people" skills blossom, explode, and mellow with age. As the saying goes "One who dares to teach must never stop learning." Louise has taught a lot of people, both students and colleagues, a great deal over the years. She has also learned an enormous amount from her great experiences and disappointments at Syosset High School. Perhaps the thing I admire most is the way she has learned to handle all situations, positive and negative, with an air of grace that has surely inspired countless young people, some of whom don't even know it yet.

As a former Syosset High School student who still carries many of the life lessons I learned from long-retired Syosset educators, I sincerely hope the next generation of Syosset teachers will not forget one simple concept that my wife fought to hold onto every day of her teaching career: It's about the kids!

Congratulations to Louise Montalbano and all of this year's Syosset retirees.

Tom Montalbano