Martha is Named Advocate of the Year

Martha receiving the SC CEC Advocate of the Year Award from State Superintendent of Education Dr. Mick Zais

Martha is Named Advocate of the Year

I'd like to take a minute to give Martha a shout-out for her recent achievement. . . . she was named South Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Advocate of the Year.   By the way, this is Robbie writing this one . . . . anyway, unbeknownst to her, she was surprised with this announcement on Saturday morning during the SC CEC Awards Breakfast.  She knew she was there to receive a certificate acknowledging her winning a $1,000 grant to buy her classroom some iPad . . . but she didn't know about this.  

Martha's principal, a district administrator, and her 2nd grade co-teaching regular education colleague all wrote letters of support for Martha.  The 2nd grade teache wrote:

Mrs. Compton is not just an advocate for exceptional children – she is an advocate for all children.  She actively seeks opportunities for advancement for her students.  She recognizes the need for integration amongst the students – both groups of children can learn from one another.  Lessons in character development, disability awareness, and of course, academic enrichment are priceless.

She works hard to ensure that her students are not recognized solely for their disabilities but for their abilities.  She treats each child as if he or she were her own.  I truly love working with Mrs. Compton.  She has an immense amount of passion and enthusiasm for this profession and her students.  She has inspired me in so many ways.  It thrills me to see the friendships and understanding that our students have formed for one another whenever they are together.

Through her efforts, Mrs. Compton is educating my students to be more aware of diversity in our school and in the “real” world.  It is my hope that these interactions and opportunities encourage my students to grow into caring, open-minded adults.  Through her, my students are learning that disability is a merely a matter of perception.

Martha Compton truly is a gem amongst teachers of exceptional children!

While the presenter was "listing the attributes" and talking specifically about the award recipient (Martha still didn't know they were talking about her), I started getting a little choked up thinking about how proud I am of Martha and all that she does . . . she is an phenomenal teacher and such a strong voice for a group of students who often don't have one.  I wouldn't wish "having a child with a moderate intellectual disability" on anyone, but if they do, they couldn't ask for a better, more passionate teacher.  

Here is a except of my letter of support:

I completely understand that to many people, the above incident sounds like a description of simply “what a great teacher does” - providing opportunities to expand skills and generalize these skills to multiple settings (including the community), and promoting awareness and acceptance; however, that’s what Martha is - a great teacher.  Martha uses every minute that she can to advocate for her students and all students with disabilities.  She is constantly looking for opportunities within her class, the school and the community to provide appropriate public awareness and acceptance for individuals with disabilities.  It gives me great honor not only as her husband, but also as a colleague within the special education profession, to recommended Martha Compton as the SC CEC Advocate of the Year. 

I know that I'm going to be "in trouble" for posting this . . . Martha is not one who likes this kind of attention . . . However, Martha, I love you so very much and am proud of you and for all that you do.  Congratulations . . . you deserve this honor and recognition.  

Not the best picture of me, but a great picture of Martha

I would also like to send a big thank you to Nana and Pop and Sara and John for making the trip to see Martha receive this award and to Nanny and FA for keeping the girls so we all could be together Saturday morning . . . thank you!