History is in his heart
‘17th generation’ New Mexican, educator wins award for outstanding teachers across the state
The notion that “nobody wants to teach middle school” is one Joaquin Martinez frequently flips on its head. Martinez, 48, a seventh grade social studies teacher at the Academy for Technology and the Classics, enjoys his work with students at that sometimes difficult age. “I get to kind of guide them through those last moments of childhood, into adolescence. I get to be part of that,” he said.
He is known for guiding the charter school’s youngest students through an extensive, project-based New Mexico history curriculum and for keeping students motivated — even during the coronavirus pandemic.
“He really kind of carried the school for a while,” ATC Principal Jason Morgan said of Martinez during a crowded assembly at the school Tuesday afternoon.
“If there were ever a year where teachers were feeling they don’t have that little bit of juice he didn’t cave into that,” Morgan added. “That really reflects his personality, too. Always positive, always focused on what’s next in terms of experiences for kids.”
The event was held to honor Martinez with a 2022 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. The New Mexico Golden Apple Foundation, based in Albuquerque, gives seven of the awards each year to outstanding teachers across the state. This year, all of honors will go to middle school teachers, who each will receive a $1,500 cash stipend and a $4,000 grant for professional development.
Martinez started working at ATC in the 2016-17 school year. He’s taught abroad and in Santa Fe for more than 20 years.
He said he is a 17th-generation New Mexican and he was drawn to teaching because of his own experiences growing up in Española and Albuquerque. It was through school, he said, that he was able to travel and live outside the U.S.
“It’s freeing [students] from poverty of the pocket and poverty of the mind,” he said. “That’s what education was for me.”
He’s taught Advanced Placement high school government and psychology classes at ATC, Martinez said, but New Mexico history holds a special place in his heart. He has developed a hands-on curriculum that culminates with Frontiers Day — and with an annual outdoor festival that celebrates a rigorous year of art and writing projects that demonstrate student knowledge.
“I’m so grateful to be able to
teach my people’s history,” he said. “The way we’re going to protect New Mexico culture is by educating people.”
In an interview after Monday’s award assembly, three of Martinez’s students said his class is challenging but a favorite.
“He has a very creative teaching style,” said 12-year-old Sonia Thorp. She and her peers, 13-yearolds Emma Thomas and Elena Chavez, are preparing for Frontiers Day later this month, when they’ll portray suffragists from early 20th century New Mexico — a piece of local history that recently captured their attention.
The three just finished writing books on the history of the state. They’ve excavated a miniature “pueblo” built by last year’s class on school grounds, and now they’re constructing one of their own that will remain on full display for the festival.
They praised Martinez for his “dad jokes” and for seeming so energetic during morning classes.
“I feel actually kind of proud for him,” Emma said, referring to Martinez’s award.
Outside the classroom, Morgan said, Martinez stays involved in ATC’s student council and has organized a talent show and blood drives. His seventh grade students are now conducting fundraisers to help residents affected by wildfires burning across New Mexico.
Speaking of his Golden Apple award, Martinez said, “I hope it shows my students if they work hard, believe in themselves, they can do whatever they want in life.
“We’ve all earned it,” he added, “and it’s where it belongs — with the students and all the teachers of ATC.”