Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

1/28/08

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn School District's Board of Directors
Honors Staff Member Michael Martin

The Auburn School District Board of Directors recognized Michael Martin, fourth grade teacher at Terminal Park Elementary School, for his outstanding service on Monday, January 28, at 7 p.m. in the board room at the James P. Fugate Administration Building.

Terminal Park’s fourth grade teacher Michael Martin has blended two sides of education with one goal in mind: to provide his young students the best academic and social environment possible. Initially, Mr. Martin pursued environmental education in college because of his love for the outdoors and the more hands-on education approach. He thought he would eventually end up a forest ranger or perhaps a teacher at an outdoor school, until he began volunteering in elementary school classrooms as a part of his class assignments. “It helped me realize the classroom is where I really wanted to be,” says Mr. Martin, “even though transitioning from a more liberal environment to a more structured one was an adjustment.”

Mr. Martin is in his third year of teaching and finding it more fulfilling each year. Over the three years, Mr. Martin has found a happy medium in providing his fourth graders excellent academic skills within the classroom structure, and the opportunity to participate in environmentally conscious programs like Terminal Park’s student-based recycling team, called the Green Team, which created a school-wide paper recycling competition to increase students’ consciousness about the benefits of recycling.

Day-to-day, Mr. Martin’s students focus on the core academics of reading, writing and math. Mr. Martin uses many math games for students to practice basic operation drills and a variety of group assignments where students not only learn the material, but also how to interact with each other. “It’s important that kids learn how to get along with other kids and adults, and how to be good role models and citizens,” remarks Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin’s new favorite curriculum is “Writing Workshop,” a curriculum that teaches students how to become writers via pre-writing lessons. “Writing is more than teaching students how to write to a format,” says Mr. Martin.

One of Mr. Martin’s proudest moments on the job occurred in his first year of teaching. “I had a student who came in at the beginning of the school year reading almost two grade levels below normal but ended the school year reading almost two grades above normal!” exclaims Mr. Martin.

Beyond academics, Mr. Martin believes it his part of his teaching responsibility to be a good role model for his students. His class motto is: think before you act. “As my students transition from just being in school to becoming responsible young people, they have to start thinking about things others have done for them for most of their life,” says Mr. Martin. “They have to begin making choices about whether or not to finish their homework or what to eat or how to dispose of their paper after it’s used, which is why I like to set a good example of being a good citizen. These things they may not acquire from a class assignment.”

This year Mr. Martin took over the after-school Snack ‘n Study program. The voluntary program is available to students who need some quiet time to do their homework after school and a place to seek additional assistance.

Mr. Martin actively takes advantage of district and out-of-district in-services and workshops. Last year he completed the district’s two-year teacher induction support program and came away with a lot of great teaching ideas to improve instruction and better target instruction to fit the needs of all students. “Trainings get me excited and the kids get excited to do something new,” says Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin is no stranger to Auburn or the Auburn School District. He attended Pioneer Elementary, Olympic Junior High and Auburn Riverside High School, followed by two years at Green River Community College and two more years at Western Washington, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in environmental and elementary education. He will begin pursuing his masters and ProCert through City University next fall. Currently, Mr. Martin and his wife reside on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

For more information contact Amy Spence, public information officer, at 253-931-4713.