BRANDON, Fla. — This week’s A+ Teacher spent her summer making a difference at Kingswood Elementary School.
Jaymie Martinez loves using phonics to help her students learn. She taught first graders this summer.
What You Need To Know
- Jaymie Martinez is this week's A+ TEacher
- A 10-year veteran teacher, Martinez teaches elementary students (1st & 2nd) graders at Kingswood Elem in Brandon
- Do you know a teacher that should be recognized? Nominate them to be an A+ Teacher
Martinez teaches second grade during the school year. She has taught in Hillsborough County for more than 10 years.
“I don’t see anywhere else for me to be,” Martinez said. “There’s a lot of struggles right now for teachers, but I’m just happy doing what I think I’m meant to be doing and helping anybody that I can.”
She says she wanted to become a teacher so she could be a positive influence for her students. Martinez says she had influential teachers growing up.
“I also know that not everybody has those people in their lives at their house, so I like to be that person they can rely on here at school,” said Martinez.
She is that person for her students and helps them year round.
“What I love most about teaching is seeing the growth in children, and that doesn’t necessarily have to be test scores. You know you can see behavioral growth, emotional growth. Kids never cease to surprise me in how they can just grow in a year,” said Martinez.
Martinez says she’s looking forward to building relationships with her students when the new school year starts next month.