THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 10, 1994 TAG: 9406090184
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK DUROSE, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: 940610 LENGTH: Medium
Martin has been assisting the two kindergarten teachers at Salem Elementary School for seven years. On May 18, she was chosen by the Virginia Beach Education Association as the Elementary Teacher's Assistant of the Year.
{REST} One teacher's assistant, or T.A., was chosen for elementary schools, and one for middle and high schools. Seventy-five nominees competed for the two honors, selected by a balloting process held at the individual schools. The teachers at Salem chose Martin over six other candidates for consideration citywide.
``I was totally shocked,'' said Martin, who had to submit 10 letters of recommendation and an application delineating her contributions and accomplishments for the final selection. ``But it felt really good to get the honor. It's fantastic to know your peers think that much of you. It's everything you ever worked for, and, there you are, sitting on the top of the mountain.''
Susan Whitesell, one of the two teachers who Martin assists with a morning and afternoon class, said, ``it's well-deserved. She's just wonderful. She has a great rapport with children, and she gets the job done.
``Plus,'' continued Whitesell, ``she's got a great smile, a great sense of humor, and she's about the most honest person I've ever known.''
Whitesell was one of the people who encouraged Martin to get involved with teaching in the first place. It was something that Martin, a former secretary and business school graduate, had never considered.
``I went into the secretarial field, and then stopped to have kids,'' said Martin, whose daughter, Lindsay, is a freshman, and her son, Todd, a senior at Kellam High School. ``When my kids started going to school, I started volunteering. I loved it so much, I knew that choosing secretary over teacher had been a mistake. And I think I just put in so many hours as a parent, that the teachers said I should either sub or be a T.A.''
As her children were getting older, she took the suggestion, and began substitute teaching, as well as teaching at Charity Pre-School. After three years, she was offered a position as a T.A. Given a choice on grade level, she decided on kindergarten.
``They keep you young,'' said Martin, who performs a variety of tasks, from teaching physical education to collecting lunch money. ``And it's so exciting to watch them grow from practically babies to first-graders.''
As for acquiring the additional two years of college credits that would allow her to be a ``real teacher,'' Martin said, ``I don't know what the future holds. Right now, I'm just trying to get my own kids through high school and into college.''
by CNB