Dr. Joe Martin Speaks At PEF Luncheon, "Teachers Have A Chance To Save Lives"

  • Wednesday, October 22, 2014
  • Hollie Webb
Dr. Joe Martin speaking at the PEF Luncheon Wednesday
Dr. Joe Martin speaking at the PEF Luncheon Wednesday
photo by Hollie Webb

Dr. Joe Martin, speaking at an event for the 25th anniversary of the Public Education Foundation's partnership with Hamilton County schools, said his seventh grade English teacher "literally saved my life and she didn't even know it."

Dr. Martin said, "She didn't know that I was being raised in one of the toughest projects of Miami." His teacher, whom he called Ms. G, also did not know that his mother was an abusive alcoholic and that his father had walked out on them years before.  

He said, "My sister was stealing food just so we could eat." 

However, in the classroom, Ms. G told him he had a voice. Even though he did not want to at the time, she made him and the rest of the class write and read their stories to the class every week.  

Dr. Martin told the audience, "She didn't realize that she was investing in my future. She didn't know that she was turning my anger into ambition, my pain to a purpose." 

In fact, Dr. Martin went on to become the youngest professor in the state of Florida at the age of 24. He was also the first person in his family to graduate high school and college.  

He said, "She didn't know that that kid who did not like to write would go on to write or co-author 12 books...It's worth investing in Hamilton County schools, in public education, in teachers, in students." 

Dr. Martin then told the audience to get ready for his next comment.  

He told them, "Most teachers are just average to plain awful." 

Next, he said he was going to demonstrate.  

He said, "If you go to school from kindergarten to your bachelor's degree, you have approximately 100 teachers. You have 100 opportunities to be impacted in such a profound way that you would never have forgotten the impact of that person in your life." 

He asked members of the audience to stand up if they had 50 teachers who had made that kind of impact. Only one person stood up. 

He then went to 25. Again, only one person stood up. Eventually, when he got down to five, the majority of the people in the room stood up.  

He said, "You only saw one person stand up at 50. Most people stood up at five." 

Dr. Martin continued, "I'm in your class and I get a 50 on a test, out of 100. What grade do I get? So I'll get an F for 50? What would you give me if I scored a five?" 

He said, "Why should you invest in education? Because of that number. You just gave our profession a five." 

He told the room that for him, he remembered only two teachers having an impact.  

He said, "My sister had three teachers that made a difference. She became the first doctor in our family." 

Dr. Martin ended by saying, "Our students are worth it."


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