Behind every great student is a great teacher. These teachers make spelling and vocabulary fun. They serve as spelling coaches, moderators and judges, but more often than not, they are simply motivators who encourage the students to be the best they can be. In the "Teacher Feature," we celebrate the men and women who educate the youth of our country.
Mrs. Martina Leslie is a middle school teacher of English Language Arts and Mathematics at Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy in Saginaw, Michigan. She's an artist and writer, publishing a novel for each of the past 10 years that highlights middle school students' writing.
She's also the school's spelling coach and watched with
pride as one of her students, Hannah Jackson, advanced to the Semifinals of the
2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Hannah (pictured with Mrs. Leslie and fellow student Andy Wong) was part of the school's spelling club led by Mrs. Leslie, which meets after school one afternoon per week. Hannah says that spelling club is very inclusive and multiple students participate - some of whom are not certain whether they even enjoy spelling!
"Mrs. Leslie makes spelling fun by using games and competitions to teach spelling," Hannah said. "Some students have no particular interest in competing in the spelling bee, but they learn a lot from participating in spelling club."
One of the more popular spelling club games is spelling hangman, but sometimes, the club simply divides into teams and spell words on the chalkboard. Students also play spelling guessing games and take written tests to prepare for the next level of the bee competition.
"The best part about Mrs. Leslie is that she cares about her students and wants them to learn," Hannah said. "It's wonderful to be in an environment where everyone actually cares about spelling."
The Scripps National Spelling Bee thanks Mrs. Leslie for her hard work and dedication to her students. The spelling and vocabulary lessons she implements today will help these students all their lives.
If you'd like to nominate a teacher for an upcoming teacher feature, let us know.