Mrs Lara Montocchio

As you enter Mrs Montocchio’s class and look up you will see the words ‘BE AWESOME’ boldly emblazoned on the wall. That’s what she wants for your children.

Mrs Montocchio’s journey towards becoming a teacher started at a very young age as she always knew that she was going to be a teacher. Her teaching profession started almost 30 years ago when she gained her diploma from the Pretoria College of Education. She has been teaching at St Catherine’s since 2011, and is currently teaching English to the Grade 5’s and History to the Grade 5’s, 6’s and 7’s. 

As an English teacher, Mrs Montocchio strongly agrees with a quote from Dr Seuss, saying, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” To this end you will often hear her encouraging her pupils to constantly read and be read to.

Outside of school you’re likely to find Mrs Montocchio either pounding the tarmac in her running shoes, swimming lengths in a pool or sweating it out at gym, as she loves to challenge herself physically.

A quote that resonates with Mrs Montocchio is from Maya Angelou, who said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” She feels fortunate enough to be as passionate about teaching today as she was on her very first day.

She feels fortunate enough to be as passionate about teaching today as she was on her very first day.