Ava Montondon

English II teacher Leah Ellis recently moved to Texas from Mississippi.

From Mississippi to Texas, English teacher Leah Ellis strives to be the best teacher possible. Although she has only been a Texas resident for a few weeks now, she is already on her way to being a beneficial addition to the LCM staff. 

“Working at LCM has been a big adjustment,” Ellis said. “I worked at a very small school in rural Mississippi for the past five years, so it has been a challenge to adjust to a school this size again. I am also very excited about the amount of school spirit I see!” 

School has not been Ellis’ only adjustment. She moved to Texas because her husband accepted a job in Southeast Texas in September 2023. They waited for the big move until her son graduated high school last May. 

“The move has actually been really difficult,” Ellis said. “I did not even have a house here the first week of school and was staying with a friend. The movers just came to my Mississippi house to pack us up at the beginning of this week, and we just got all our stuff delivered yesterday afternoon, so I am living amongst towers of boxes at the moment. Combine that with the fact that my only child just started his freshmen year of college seven hours away from me, and you’ve got a recipe for stress!” 

According to Ellis, one of her biggest inspirations as a teacher is her junior and senior year English teacher, Mr. Kilpatrick from South Panola High School in Batesville, Mississippi. For Ellis, Kilpatrick is a great example of how she runs her classroom and she always looks back on her experience in his classroom and it reflects how she became a teacher. 

“I have always dreamt of being a teacher ever since I was a little girl,” Ellis said. “My Mimi, my mom’s mom, was a teacher for 42 years, and I used to love to listen to her tell stories about her students, and I knew I wanted to do that one day. I spent many afternoons playing ‘school’ with all my friends, and I always wanted to play the teacher.” 

Ellis’ dream came true when she graduated with her bachelor’s in education from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. She is certified to teach elementary school and high school social studies and English, and has taught almost every grade.

She said the most challenging part of teaching high school is keeping the attention of 20-25 teenagers for extended periods of time, especially in the world they live in today with constant overstimulation from technology. Even with the challenges she has faced, Ellis is still excited to become part of the Bear family. 

“LCM is actually the 8th school I have taught at in my 23 years of teaching, and each school has been unique, with its own culture, climate, and traditions,” Ellis said. “I am excited to become a part of the LCM community.”