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Martin believes her students are not defined by reports predicting their performance based on their prior performance, and compared to other students in the state. She believes that the statistics are tools highlighting a student\u2019s need for support and encouragement for greater success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An encounter with such a student forever defines Martin\u2019s classroom philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Martin said, \u201cThis student was struggling a little bit. She wasn\u2019t getting the scores she wanted and was downhearted. I believed in her so much when she really didn\u2019t want to believe in herself. She just needed somebody to push her to believe that she could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dispelling the state\u2019s predictions for the student\u2019s performance, Martin said to her, \u201cYes, you can do this. You\u2019re intelligent, and the state doesn\u2019t know you like I know you. You\u2019re gonna knock this out of the park.\u201d And she did! Today, that student holds a master\u2019s degree and is pursuing a higher postsecondary educational position nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact that I have some little, tiny part in her success just blows my mind. She was the turning point for me in terms of being very cognizant of what I say and how I say it. She turned my attention more towards making sure those who felt they couldn\u2019t succeed believed I knew they could,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the rule of her classes now. \u201cThey\u2019re not allowed to say \u2018I\u2019m so stupid\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m so dumb.\u2019 They\u2019re not allowed to talk that way. Those are fighting words,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The performance predictions are tools, and Martin has seen the growth and development that results from the encouraging relationships built in the classroom. She knows the projections are not based on the students\u2019 total makeup, grit, what they\u2019ve learned in her classroom, and who they\u2019ve become during their time in her class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin said, \u201cI don\u2019t teach to the test. I teach how to think, and we use the test as a vehicle. I bring the human element to it and help them understand that they\u2019re not just a number; the number doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s what they do with what they know and how they grow that matters. When they are able to see and own and claim their personal growth, it just lights a fire in them. Sometimes it takes about seven or eight weeks of class before they start to understand the process, but when they start to really believe it, own it, and look for the growth themselves, that\u2019s when the magic starts to happen.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It works, and she knows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey come back and tell me their junior year they\u2019ve applied the same things they learned with me to their other classes, and it\u2019s just good stuff. It\u2019s a bit addictive and keeps me coming back year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The students\u2019 success is even more significant with family support. Martin said, \u201cFamilies supporting their children and helping them try new things and allowing them the freedom to make some mistakes is so important. Just knowing their parents are there, and a safe place for them to learn and make mistakes, is so important. Their ability to challenge themselves and grow through those challenges makes all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin\u2019s students are indeed her family and inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese kids need me, and I need them. I learn just as much from them as they could ever learn from me. I learn every day how resilient these kids are. I see their ability to grow and try anything. They\u2019re really beautiful people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Home is where your family is, and Martin\u2019s truly at home in her Lincoln County High School. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WHEN EDIE MARTIN graduated in 1999, she was deeply saddened. A Falcon at heart, she left Lincoln County High School only long enough to obtain her teaching degree. \u201cIt hurt me not to be there and be a part of it. I didn\u2019t go back for a football game or basketball game or anything during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DSC04195-1024x683.jpg\")