T here’s not a lot of love these days for the English major. One doesn’t often run into edifices devoted to that subject or language arts in general, for instance, but it’s hard to miss STEM buildings and programs, where that E is for Engineering and not for Essay.
That does not mean the hugs and congratulations offered to Martell Huntley were any less heartfelt and enthusiastic.
Huntley, a man of letters, i.e., with a major in English and language arts, was selected as the Pine Bluff district’s Teacher of the Year. He learned about the honor at a banquet where there was, drum roll, please, a countdown to the announcement of the winner.
“I’m just grateful, grateful and humbled,” he said. “We had a lot of candidates who were well deserving of the award, and I’m just thankful. Anyone of us could be chosen, and I’m very thankful for it.”
Huntley hails from St. Louis, and has only been teaching for three years, all of them at Pine Bluff High School, where he teaches sophomores — who, we might add, are by their nature not the easiest class to entertain with lessons on Shakespeare and Poe.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Huntley’s principal, Ronald Laurent, knows what he has in his top teacher.
“He gets the best out of his students simply because he gets the best out of himself,” Laurent said. “As a result, our scores have gone up, our children look forward to seeing him, and when they walk into his room, they’re going to learn.”
We can’t think of a nicer characterization for a teacher: Disciplined but engaging, direct but compassionate — and above all, he keeps students’ interest.
Huntley had been putting his criminal justice degree to work at UAPB not long ago, but he’s glad to have made the switch to teaching.
“Changes are always good,” he said. “A lot of the changes that are going on at Pine Bluff High School, we’re trying to grow this school and make each student the best version of themselves. So I look forward to the changes we are implementing at the high school, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
And to that point, Mr. Huntley, we imagine a lot of others in your orbit are grateful you are part of it, as well.