By Shea Engle
The education field is constantly changing with shifts in teaching philosophies, technologies, and generational, popular culture.
According to Higher Ed Dive, only 182 of 4,000 full-time under- graduate students are education majors, an increase from four years ago, but in the 1980s that number was 350 undergraduates. English teacher Betty Smith-Montgomery, the oldest teacher on staff, and History teacher Gavin Koratich, the youngest teacher on staff, highlight this changing environment.
Born on Sept. 27, 1944, Smith-Montgomery (77) is the oldest teacher on staff. Smith-Montgomery teaches English 12, sign language, and creative writing, ad- vises NHS, literary magazine, and academic games.
Smith-Montgomery has an extensive résumé. She began her education at Fairmont State then attended West Liberty University.
She then took some botany class- es at Northern Community College, which used to be taught at Weir High school. Smith-Montgomery then went back to West Liberty and received her undergraduate degree. She attended North Carolina University and Marshall University for other various classes. Then, she received her Master’s degree through WVU.

Born on March. 9, 1997, Koratich (25) is the youngest teacher on staff. Koratich teaches civics, physiology, AP U.S. history and con- temporary studies. Koratich initially attended Washington and Jefferson College, in Washington PA, for a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He then received his Master’s in Education from California University of Pennsylvania.

There is a 52 year age gap between Smith-Montgomery and Koratich. Both teachers have had different experiences pursuing teaching, using technology, and keeping up with changes in education. Smith-Montgomery has al- ways loved to read and educate others. She started reading at the age of 4. While in middle school, she helped her mother study for her G.E.D. Smith-Montgomery attri- butes most of her love of teaching to her mother. Smith-Montgomery states, “So I helped her study for her G.E.D when I was in grade school. She got it when I was in seventh grade and that’s why I’m an English teacher.”
Koratich has also known from a young age that he wanted to be an educator. Unlike Smith-Montgomery, he finds that his own teach- ers helped him find his passion. Koratich states, “I had some really inspiring teachers when I was younger that showed how engaging and useful teaching could be and so I wanted to be like them, really.”
Smith-Montgomery along with being an English teacher is very well versed in technology. She enjoys using it everyday in her classroom and has even taught some of the other staff members a few things. Smith-Montgomery states, “Oh yeah, I love it. The kids tell me I’m smarter than they are with the computers and everything else.”
This technology, though, was not always around for Smith-Mont- gomery. When she was a student they did however have Vax machines. These machines were mid- range service computers that took up whole classrooms.
Smith-Montgomery began her teaching career in 1967. Everything  in school during this time was mostly done on paper. Only busi- ness had personal computers.  She quotes on using tech- nology in her early years of teach- ing, “And we used the key-punch card. I learned to program in four- Tran with the columns to go with the key-punch and all that.”
Koratich also enjoys using technology in his class: “I try to, I think it’s easier most of the time than paper. It’s easier to keep track of, easier to grade, so I try to use it where I can.” The technological tool he enjoys using the most is Teams. “The thing I use most often is using Teams and the iPads to distribute assignments and have them be sent back to me.”
Throughout Smith-Mont- gomery’s teaching career many ed- ucational standards have come and gone. Smith-Montgomery quotes on rules from the beginning of her career, “The kids can’t read that, we heard noise from your room, I mean that’s from early years of teaching. As far as my teaching methods and stuff, what I used to do that was frowned upon came into vogue, went out of vogue, it’s back in now.”
Koratich on the other hand is a fairly new teacher, and he hasn’t been teaching long enough to see any significant changes in the ed- ucational standard. Though, there have been many things that have changed since he was a student. Koratich states, “Definitely a greater emphasis on technology. I went to a poor school in Pennsylvania that didn’t have iPads or all the com- puters were in computer labs. So to see projections and technology and sending things over emails and online was a big shift from how I went to school.”
Although there is a gener- ational gap between Smith-Mont- gomery and Koratich, it is clear that they both love teaching and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. Most U.S. teachers are happy with their jobs and that hasn’t changed much throughout the years. According to edweek.org 90% of U.S. teachers are satisfied with their jobs.
Smith-Montgomery enjoys making an active learning envi- ronment for her students. “ I’ve always been a very hands-on, project -based, kind of  teacher,”
Koratich loves teaching and wouldn’t change his job if he could, “Honestly, this is the job I’ve always wanted to have. Education has always  been my passion.”