The legacy of Peggy Martin
No one embodies Arlington High like history teacher Peggy Martin. To see someone with as much satisfaction and passion in her work is exceedingly rare, for Martin each day seems to be a new opportunity to fulfill a calling. Not only is she absolutely gratified in her line of work, she has also found the perfect place to carry it out: Martin bleeds green and white. At the end of the year however, Martin is ending her 25 year career, but she will take with her happy reflections on her AHS experience.
“Everything’s been wonderful,” Martin said. “I know that sounds silly but really it has been. I went to high school here, everybody’s my friend, my family.”
This feeling of belonging is certainly one reciprocated by teachers and students, all of whom seem to agree that Martin is the epitome of teaching success.
“I knew she always wanted the best for us, she wasn’t just there for a job,” Kendall Grasty, senior, said. “She wanted to make a positive impact on our lives which made me want to put more effort into the class as well.”
For Martin, teaching AP European and United States history is certainly more than a job; Martin enjoyed her every moment at Arlington High which is evident in her reflections of the school.
“I think my troll years were some of the funniest I’ve ever had – I had over 100 trolls in my classroom at one stage. I collected them, and then people would give them to me,” she said.
According to Martin, the trolls, with a little help from students, got a mind of their own.
“Those trolls went every place, I would find them in the middle of the football field all standing straight. Sometimes I would find them out in the hallway all against the wall standing there: they’ve been held for ransom, I had videos of the trolls running away, we had lots of fun,” Martin said.
Not only did this combination of lightheartedness and enlightenment appeal to generations of students, it also influenced teachers.
“I learned that, yeah you have to have structure in the classroom but at the same time you never take yourself too seriously,” Jason Fitzgerald, assistant principal, said. “She influenced me by her personality and also her instructional methods. I saw her relationships with kids and how important of a piece that is in the classroom.”
Martin’s influence in general, both on teachers and students, is extremely far reaching. Indeed, many former students were so impacted that they stay in touch for years.
“Hopefully I’ve had a good influence. But I’ve had some unbelievable students. I taught Mr.Green and I taught Mrs.Perez. I have one, Will Cannon who lives in L.A., Meg Brown, Alice Bennet’s going to have her first child, she’s in the Navy in London, I’m going to go to her baby shower, I go to weddings and you seem them and you watch them grow,” Martin said.
Now, even among the last class of seniors that she’ll ever teach, Martin continues to produce this impact.
“When you think of history at Arlington High you’ll always think of Mrs. Martin,” Grasty said. “She was my favorite teacher because she always was so sweet and put a smile on your face, which is really important. She was also so kind that I wanted to work harder because I respected her as a person.”
Fitzgerald continued on this vein.
“Peggy Martin is Arlington High. She’s played such a key role in so many people’s lives and helped so many young kids and young teachers. I think the world of her and her accomplishments. I mean if we could build a statue of her somewhere…,” he said.
Even without a physical monument, Martin will always be remembered as an integral and influential part of Arlington High School. Countless numbers of people have benefited from the 25 years she spent with the students and faculty of AHS.
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Will Cannon • May 27, 2015 at 12:58 PM
I’ve found myself thinking about Mrs. Martin and her impact on my life as I received word of her impending retirement and I wanted to share a few of my memories.
When I started in Mrs. Martin’s United States History class my junior year, I was immediately taken by her charisma, firstly, and then by her love of history, and how much she cared for her students. She also seemed to have a slight rebellious streak that only endeared her to us even more. She never told us to rip the pages out of our history books or stand on our desks and yell, but if she had, we’d have done it. It’s not hyperbole to mention Dead Poet Society when talking about Mrs. Martin, she’s that kind of teacher.
Mrs. Martin had a new quote on the white board every day in her class and I remember I always looked forward to finding out what each new quote was going to be. I was a basketball fanatic at the time, so the fact that my History Teacher would put a quote by Bill Russell on the board the day after a quote from Rosa Parks or FDR was amazing. It showed me that history was important and relevant and alive. When she taught it, history wasn’t this stuffy, dusty thing locked away behind glass at a museum. She taught us that history was a living, breathing thing and that it was important.
It meant so much to me when she asked me to teach her class on Student Teach Day my senior year. I’m not sure why I felt the need to do it in drag and to read Hansel and Gretel to the class in my best Christopher Walken voice, but she didn’t seem to mind, she may have even encouraged it. Most of the messages that I got from authority figures at that time went something like: Don’t stand out… Fit in… Don’t draw your attention to yourself… Mrs. Martin told us to stand out, draw attention to yourself, and be extraordinary. Not only did Mrs. Martin not squash individual creativity and self-expression, but she celebrated them. She celebrated these things in us and in herself. I don’t think a teacher can do anything more profound than believing in a child and teaching them that they matter, that what they think matters, and that what they have to say matters. Mrs. Martin taught us that we were all important.
In the prologue to Death of A Salesman, Arthur Miller talks about the inspiration for his play. As high school students, we didn’t have much in common with Willie Loman’s circumstances, but there is one part of what Miller said in particular that reminds me of Mrs. Martin. He said his play came from images. One of which was an image of, “…strangers in the seats of the mighty, who do not know you, or your triumphs, or your incredible value.”
The greatest thing Mrs. Martin did for me, was get to know me, my classmates, our triumphs, and our incredible value. She gave me confidence and told me that I had something to say when others weren’t interested.
I’m now a screenwriter and director and I’m writing a screenplay about Winston Churchill’s trip to Missouri in 1946 to give his “Iron Curtain” speech. I don’t think it is a coincidence that I had a brilliant history teacher and that, as I write this, my current project is about a seminal moment in history.
Of all the things that I love about Mrs. Martin, I must admit that there is one downside to her. The downside is that there is only one of her. And that every school in the district couldn’t have their own. But there is definitely only one. And I’m so glad that she was at Arlington High.
maryam chowdhry • May 1, 2015 at 9:13 PM
Mrs.martin you are such an amazing teacher.You helped me through every part of history and many other things that were going on. You never let me give up when I was to the point of quoting. Thank you sooooo much for all you have done!!!!!! We all love you very very much !!!!!!
Jana (Lanier) Hall • Apr 30, 2015 at 10:44 PM
Oh, Mrs Martin!! You truly were my favorite! I enjoyed every minute in your class and I have very fond memories of you. It doesn’t surprise me at all that you had this same impression on so many years later. And, I was so blessed that at the same time, I was also good friends with your girls! I always envied Jeanne and Jackie for having the sweetest and funniest mom ever! Happy Retirement! Enjoy it – you’ve worked hard and have left a legacy!! xoxo. Jana Lanier – Hall – Class of 1993!!
Steve Martinez • Apr 30, 2015 at 10:27 PM
Lovely and Sweet lady! Still remember how her brothers tortured her dolls as a kid! Thankful and wish her the best!
kim Feil • Apr 30, 2015 at 7:07 PM
Thank you for a quarter of a century of dedication to our youth here in Arlington.
Melissa Sutphin (Snell) • Apr 30, 2015 at 6:49 PM
Mrs. Martin brought fun to the classroom and personality. I loved European History even back in 1997!
Prudence Vader Brett • Apr 29, 2015 at 10:31 PM
Our youngest son’s FAVORITE teacher at AHS. He always said Mrs. Martin made history come alive and made it so interesting!! AHS will miss you!! Enjoy your retirement!
Peggy Martin • Apr 11, 2015 at 8:46 AM
Just wanted to say thank you to Alana Brandt for such a wonderful article!! I was so surprised and touched by your kind words. Thank you to Jason Fitzgerald and Kendal Grasty for their sweet thoughts! I will always love AHS it’s students and faculty. You are the best!