By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
Each month of the school year, the Sun recognizes a local teacher for his or her determination to help students go above and beyond. Anyone can nominate a teacher by emailing the managing editor at molly@gallupsunweekly.com and providing the teacher’s name, where they teach, and why they should be selected as that month’s winner.
March’s award honored Martina “Tina” Martin, a math teacher at Crownpoint Middle School.
Martin prioritized raising her four children while earning her teaching degree. Her journey took ten years, beginning originally with a focus on nursing. However, as her children entered the public school system, a lightbulb went off: teaching would grant her summers and holidays off with her kids.
Over a decade later, Martin has fallen in love with teaching. She began at Crownpoint Elementary, teaching second grade for six years, third grade for one, and fourth grade for three.
Eventually, she sought a new challenge. She applied for a math position at Crownpoint Middle School, where she has taught for the last two years.
In an interview with the Sun, she said one of the most challenging aspects of moving from elementary school to middle school is the fact that students in a middle school classroom have a larger learning gap than elementary school students; each student brings a different level of understanding to the subject of math.
“There’s a wide range of skill levels and learning gaps that students can bring to class, which can influence their moods, confidence, and attitude, but I enjoy that challenge and trying to build their confidence in math,” she said.
For Martin, teaching means building a student’s confidence and shifting their mindset toward their own abilities.
“When they’re very stressed they say ‘This is hard,’ and then when they understand it they get really excited and enthusiastic about math,” she said. “I enjoy seeing the students where they have the confidence in learning. They just get happy instead of upset or frustrated.”
Martin said another important aspect of her job is building up trust with her students.
“I’m not there to fail them, I just want them to grow and learn so the next year they have a better understanding and they’re not so lost,” she said.
Crownpoint Middle School Principal Lawanda Nodestine-Henry was the one who hired Martin for the middle school math position.She said she chose Martin because she could see she had a true passion for teaching math.
“When we first interviewed her, I could tell she had a passion for teaching math, and she also has a passion for just teaching in general. We knew that she would be a great fit here at Crownpoint Middle,” Nodestine-Henry said of Martin.
She also praised Martin’s ability to connect with students, noting that she avoids a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
“Not only does she have a passion for teaching math and teaching students, she really knows and understands where the students are coming from,” Nodestine-Henry said. “She knows where the gaps are with her students, and she knows her students very well. She can adjust and she can adapt her teaching to her students.”
Myrtle Willie, a Crownpoint Elementary School third grade teacher who worked with Martin at the elementary level, agreed that Martin is able to adapt to her students’ needs.
“She knows her students well; she knows their strengths and weaknesses and works at whatever level her students are at,” Willie said.
To nominate a teacher for the Teacher of the Month award, email molly@gallupsunweekly.com and provide the name of the nominated teacher, what school they teach at, what grade or course they teach, and explain why they deserve the award.
