The Montrose 2023-2024 school year saw a great influx of new teachers of all sorts, each coming with unique talents and experiences to share with the student body. Some came directly from colleges across the country, many with experience as teachers as well as past careers in other disciplines. This year, we were blessed enough to have teachers from other countries joining the faculty, and one of whom is the Montrose English teacher, Mrs. Beata Vale. Coming from Salzburg, Austria, she brings first-hand experience of another nation into the school, as well as linguistics skills, herself speaking six languages. Before Thanksgiving Break, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview her about her memories of living in Austria, and her journey overseas to Montrose. I truly learned so much about both another culture and about Mrs. Vale herself, and the world around us.
Mrs. Vale was born in Eastern Hungary, and moved to Salzburg at the age of four, and lived there through college. To many, coming from another country can seem so cool, an experience which she described as being both a “blessing and sometimes a challenge to have a home that’s not where you live, I love living here… but, you know, I miss my family, I miss the countryside.” She goes on to mention how important the country around Salzburg (a sample of which is shown above) is to her life, and how it has influenced the way she looks at the world around us, both natural and societal, and what she does with that view.
As with all countries, there are many features that make them unique, of which Austria has many of its own. When I asked Mrs. Vale what the biggest difference was, the answer surprised me. “Oh, I can tell you what the biggest difference is!” In Salzburg, you walk everywhere, even to nature, Mrs. Vale explained, but here hikes and “landscapes” are inaccessible to pedestrians. I was anticipating an answer referring to a more cultural aspect of Austria, such as the food, music, or architecture, as most call out after an international vacation. After letting this response sit with me, I began to see how big this difference really is culturally, and why she mentioned it. Having the chance to walk out of your home and to the countryside can influence your life greatly, as it did for Mrs. Vale, and foster a love for nature that vacation hikes cannot replicate.
To many of us at Montrose, the American schooling system is the only familiar one, yet many other methods exist in other countries. In Salzburg, Mrs. Vale described, unlike our practice of having Middle and High School separately, the two are combined in what is called Gymnasium. It is much more specialized than its equivalent would be in America, some focusing on vocational training for career paths like electricians and plumbers, others on more academic subjects such as the humanities or mathematics. Mrs. Vale’s school had a particular focus on languages, working with literature and learning world languages. Her favorite subject was English because “it became the third language that I could express a lot in… that wasn’t implicated in the family heritage or in the new language with friends… and I’ve just always been interested in traveling as much as possible.” In contrast to America, Mrs. Vale explained, Austrian schools do not have extracurriculars like we do. Instead, she filled this time with reading, and going on many hikes with her friends, which sparked her passion for nature.
“Is there a teacher that specifically stands out as a role model to you today?” For Mrs. Vale, there is. It is her English teacher, who taught her from age 11 to her last year of Gymnasium, and was the professor who helped her earn her language teaching certificate in college. Her strive for excellence in all her students is why she stands out to Mrs. Vale. “She spent a lot of time observing what students needed, and she spent a lot of time understanding how to help them… she made it possible at our school to take international language tests… so you could study abroad.” After listening to Mrs. Vale during this interview and watching her teach during my Upper School Visit day, I could really see this dynamic of her teacher play out in the way she teaches today. Encouraging and inspiring hard work and devotion in students, as well helping those who need it in any way.
Mrs. Vale majored in ‘English and American Literature’ along with getting her language teaching certificate in college, and later received a Master’s in German Literature. Compared to American higher education, its equivalent in Austria is much less guided. “It’s less like school, where… there is someone watching over you and helping you decide your courses… you have the professors and they are running the classes that they are interested in, and you take those classes. If you are proactive, you can get a lot out of it.” Thanks to many devoted professors who helped her, Mrs. Vale earned scholarships to study abroad. With these she went to Liverpool, England with the Erasmus Program for a year, to Minnesota with a research grant, and taught in the U.S. with a Fulbright Scholarship.
Prompted by her love of private school liberal arts and her husband, Mrs. Vale moved to America after finishing college. From that, she moved all around before settling down in Boston to teach here. Her favorite part of living here now is the communities that form here; ones of faith, parents, and even just welcoming strangers. This is not something that I have found commonly associated with America, but, after listening to Mrs. Vale, I can see how they play out in her life, and also in mine. At Montrose, she teaches 7th grade Language Arts and 9th grade Genres of Literature, along with an x-block French class.
“Do all that you do with love.” This would be Mrs. Vale’s quote on a paperweight, said by St. Therese of Lisieux. “That’s just been the guiding light, even when… you have a lot of work and you don’t know how you’re going to do it…” Everything that she said during our interview, and even before and after it embodies the love that St. Therese speaks of. There is always thoughtfulness and depth in every answer, filled with love. I learned so much from Mrs. Vale’s story that I will never forget. Thank you, Mrs. Vale, for sharing all of this with Montrose.
By Elisabeth Smith ‘28, Middle School Editor
