LA HABRA : Special Ed Teacher Is Honored by Peers

Sara Lee Martin, a special education teacher at Las Lomas Elementary in La Habra, has been named the school district’s Teacher of the Year.

Martin moved to La Habra in 1969. She left teaching after 11 years to spend more time with her family and returned to the classroom in 1985. In addition to her duties in La Habra, Martin also teaches part time at Cal State Fullerton.

“The most important relationship is the student-teacher relationship,” Martin said. “These are the lives we touch; these are the lives we can change for the better. By the end of the school year, the students in my classroom think they are wonderful.”

Selection of the Teacher of the Year is made by other teachers. “To me, the real honor is to be chosen by your co-workers,” Martin said. “If you are doing a good job, they know it. If you are not doing a good job, they know that too.”

Addressing the Board of Education recently, Martin said: “I feel that the most important professions in our society are teachers and doctors. Doctors can extend life, but we (teachers) determine the quality of life.”