SAN ANTONIO – Marissa Martinez is a proud third grade teacher at Boone Elementary and for her, it’s not just a job -- it’s about her students.
Marissa Martinez is the recipient of KSAT’s Teacher of the Month Award and for Marissa’s family, they say the recognition means a lot because they know how hard she works.
“You know, for her, teaching, it’s not just a job,” said Mike Martinez, Marissa Martinez’s husband. “She genuinely cares about the kids and when she’s at home, she’s working. I don’t think people realize how much time and effort teachers really put in. I mean, they’re at home coming up with the lessons, trying to make things better for their students.”
“I’m super excited because she’s the best teacher ever,” said Kyndall Houston, a third grade student. “And, she always does fun things for us.”
Marissa Martinez said it has always been important to connect with her students and, during the pandemic, when students were stuck at home Marissa still found a way.
“I made signs for them that go in their yard that say, ‘Miss Martinez misses me,’” said Martinez. “And, we delivered them to their house, along with some of my administrators and my oldest daughter and with care packages that we put together for them with new books and snacks just to connect with them.”
Martinez says she is thankful for her family’s support and that they even help her with things like decorating the classroom.
And speaking of her family, Marissa’s mother was also a third grade teacher.
“I’m the daughter of an educator,” Martinez said. “It’s definitely, a really big reason why I do what I do. I learned from the best. So, I’m definitely following in her footsteps.”
Martinez is also working to help the students on the Boone campus by leading the Pennies for Literacy campaign once again.
And, this year, she says she hopes to collect enough change to get books for another campus as well.
“We are collecting this change to get each of our students on the campus, brand new books that they can take home with them to be able to share with their families and to be able to read,” Martinez said. “So, they’re not just reading at school, they have an opportunity to read at home.”