STUDENT INVESTMENT

Special education teacher brings joy to classroom

Tasha Martin is the most vocal cheerleader at any San Marcos High School event.

“I’m that enthusiastic teacher who attends extracurricular events,” Martin said. “Students see me in the stands cheering them on. And of course, I’m all obnoxious about it. I wait until the quietest moment, and then I shout out a student’s name. It embarrasses the student, but that’s the point. I want them to know that I am there supporting them.”

The special education teacher is known for her over-the-top support of students at public events, though less known for the time and energy she invests in students, quietly and behind the scenes.

SMHS follows a coteach model which pairs a special education teacher with a general education teacher, and the two work together to teach a class of students who need additional academic support. The co-teach position appealed to Martin because she struggled with math courses as a child. “I want my students to know that they have a teacher who understands what it’s like to struggle.”

Martin is paired with English language arts teacher Ana Greening. “Martin brings a sense of fun to co-teaching,” Greening said. “When planning lessons, we will often laugh because both of us think of similar fun ways to get students reading or writing.”

Laughter permeates all that they do.

Martin said she is mindful of students who learn differently and makes the necessary changes for them including the addition of pictures for visual learners and more handson activities for tactile learners. If students are confused during a lesson, she pulls them into a small group for more personal instruction. Her job is to provide any student in the class with the support they need to learn and succeed. “We want students to know that they truly do have two teachers ready and willing to help and teach them,” she says. Not only students benefit from having two teachers in the room, Greening adds. She also benefits. “Working with Ms. Martin is a highlight of my teaching career. Her energy and passion push me to be the best teacher I can be.”

Martin attributes her success with students to the simple yet profound act of listening. She routinely asks students how she can make the learning environment better for them and listens carefully to their responses.

She recalled a conversation with a student who was often tired in class.

When stressed or bored, he wanted to sleep. “We can find ways to make this class more interesting for you,” Martin told him. After brainstorming solutions together, they devised a plan that combined course information with the student’s interest in technology. The student became more alert and engaged in class.

A fidgety student needed help with focus. Again, she asked how she could help.

The student told her that Jolly Rancher Hard Candy helped and proceeded to give her an enthusiastic explanation of the science behind having something in your mouth while working focuses the brain. Martin marveled at the depth of the student’s scientific knowledge. “You know a lot about this. You could teach me a thing or two.” As the conversations ended, the student thanked her for listening.

“I try to be an advocate for students,” Martin said. “It’s letting them know that not everybody is going to listen to them, but I will. As a teacher I genuinely want to know what I can do to make students’ learning experience better. When I ask them, students open up and thank me for listening. I tell them that listening is what I’m supposed to do; that’s what I’m here for. It’s nice seeing these kids feel empowered.”

In addition to working with students in the co-teach courses, Martin monitors the progress of the students on her caseload. The high school assigns a student with special needs to a case manager, which is a special education teacher who works with a student from their freshmen to senior years. The case manager spends time getting to know the student and discovering their life goals.

“It’s like an interview. I try to get to know each student so that I can help them. It’s fun hearing the kids talk about what they want to do in the future.” Martin listens and then works with the student to draft a course schedule for the upcoming year.

Martin recalled working with a student on her caseload. “You’re interested in auto mechanics,” she told him. “Let’s plan your schedule and enroll you in those classes so that you can graduate with an auto mechanics endorsement. You can leave high school with a marketable skill.” Martin and the student drafted the schedule together, then gave it to a school counselor for approval.

Martin views herself more like a mentor than case manager. “I’m the teacher who will check your grades, your attendance, and your behavior in class.” she tells her students. “You might think that the students would be annoyed by an adult constantly monitoring them, but they love that I’m holding them accountable. It’s just letting them know that they have somebody here who’s got their back. The support makes a big difference to them.”

Students search Martin out between classes to share successes and challenges. One student stopped her in the hall to tell her about scoring a 100 on a test. “Congratulations!” Martin told the student. “Keep up the great work!” The student went on to lament doing poorly on an assignment. “Okay, let’s try to do five points higher on the next assignment,” Martin encouraged her. Martin’s most meaningful teaching moments are developing professional relationships and supportive conversation with her students. “I get to know my students on a deeper level. And I love that!”

SMHS principal Cynthia Rinehart encourages teachers to build professional relationships with students. “If students feel valued and cared for, then their level of engagement will exponentially increase, and they will learn more,” Rinehart says. “Ms. Martin is an amazing example of a teacher who cares about her students. She has an incredible attitude, passion, and excitement about her craft and desire for all students to be successful.”

Greening agrees. “Ms. Martin has a way of making a connection with any student and sometimes goes above and beyond what is asked to make them feel comfortable in our classroom,” noting that Martin keeps in touch with students who are sent to the alternative school for disciplinary reasons. Those students “know that someone on the main campus is thinking about them. When those students come back, they walk into our room with confidence because of the connection she builds with them. If you walk into our classroom on any given day, you will see her laughing with, counseling, or cheerleading our students. There's a reason that former students come by often when they are having a bad day.”

Martin has inspired students to become special education teachers.

When she started working with a particular freshman, he did not like her or school.

She was not deterred by his negativity.

She listened, built rapport, and provided him with academic support. Over time, his attitude changed about school and her.

“At the end of his senior year, he asked me how he could become a special education teacher. He appreciated what I had done for him and wanted to the same for someone else.”

When family and friends ask her why she is a teacher, Martin has an answer. “I want to make a difference. When a person becomes a teacher, they’re accepting a new family of kids who are going to need you. The students become your extended family. I love being part of their lives, part of their journey.

“Teaching [means] helping young people become happy and productive members of society who are prepared to handle unknown situations. I love being able to build positive professional relationships with students and seeing them grow over the four years. That is the prize of teaching. It’s like winning the lottery.”

Tasha Martin is a teacher who invests in students.

Nathan Bond is an education professor at Texas State University. Elizabeth Hudson is a retired journalist in Central Texas.