PHOENIX — In April, KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce and Gaydos’ Pay Tribute to a Teacher award went to Marina Martinez, a Phoenix teacher.
Marina Martinez teaches kindergarten at Joseph Zito Elementary School, which is near Encanto Boulevard and 47th Avenue.
Her school is within the Isaac School District, which went through a financial crisis that delayed teacher paychecks earlier this year.
Martinez was one of the teachers who faced issues being paid for her work in a timely manner.
Principal Laura Couret nominated her for the award, saying Martinez continued to show up, organize field trips and plan kindergarten graduations during the crisis.
“Never once did our kids know that something was going on. Never once did our kids have worry,” Martinez told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce and Gaydos on Monday. “Our team, we stuck together and just continued to do what we had to do for our little kids.”
April Pay Tribute to a Teacher award winner says she’s proud of students
Pay Tribute to a Teacher award comes with a $2,500 prize. Martinez said she plans to use it mostly to help her students, although she’s also hoping for an iPad and a high-quality pencil sharpener.
“I would just buy more manipulatives, hands-on materials for my students,” Martinez said.
Educators use the term manipulatives to refer to physical teaching tools, such as puzzles, markers, blocks and toys.
She hopes buying these tools will allow her to help even more students, many of whom speak English as a second language.
“Our students come in, the majority of them with the second language, and we work our butts off to make sure that they are reading, writing, speaking, doing everything they need to do in English so that they are ready for first grade,” Martinez said.
Want to nominate somebody for the Pay Tribute to a Teacher award? Submissions are accepted here.
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