Motivational Leadership

Mrs. Lynda Martindale

As the sound of the tardy bell rang, I made my way into the classroom. The special education students were all seated and ready to learn from their teacher, Mrs. Martindale. I would often leave my administrative responsibilities and enter her room to watch her teach. The activity served as a refuge and reflection time for me from the constant pressure of running a school. It also allowed me to watch Lynda Martindale connect with and motivate her students. 

 A remarkable teacher, she was recognized and honored as the McNairy County Teacher of the Year in 1990. Mrs. Martindale was such a practical and common sense teacher. She had great insights into human behavior and motivational techniques. She demonstrated these qualities as she taught students who struggled with learning. She was very spiritual in her philosophy of life and she embodied this in her interactions with each and every student. 

You need to know--at this time, which was in the early 1980s, the State of Tennessee Proficiency Test was the only accountability test students were required to take. It was routinely administered in the ninth grade and, if need be, in each subsequent year through the twelfth grade if it had not been passed previously. Those who passed the test were qualified to receive a high school diploma (as opposed to a special education diploma or a certificate of attendance) at graduation, provided they had the accompanying credits. It wasn't uncommon for her students to fail the test in the ninth grade. They were often frustrated, discouraged, or embarrassed. Some would want to quit trying to pass it and settle for a special education diploma at graduation. Mrs. Martindale was determined to keep that from happening, insisting that they work hard on their areas of academic deficiencies until the test was administered again. 

So, as I said, I had come into the classroom to observe how she would apply her skills this time. The master teacher began. Since the test was a constant challenge for her students, this day her lesson was to be one of motivation. She began by asking her students, "If someone from Fort Knox were to call you and say that there are five gold bars just waiting for you, but you will have to travel to Kentucky to receive them, would you go?" They responded, "Oh yes we would, Mrs. Martindale!" She prodded further, "Would you care how you traveled there?" They enthusiastically exclaimed, "No, no, we wouldn't care!" She went on, "Or would you care if you went by plane...or train... bus...? The students: "It wouldn't matter!" Would you go in a car...on a bicycle...in a wagon... or even on foot?" "We would DO IT," they eagerly agreed. Her students were now totally engaged and could hardly wait to answer, "Mrs. Martindale, we would not care HOW we got there!" 

After a brief pause, she said, "Well, this is the point! Many of the students here at AHS will get their five gold bars, i.e. meeting all the requirements for a regular diploma, quickly like flying. Others will achieve the goal at various speeds, some faster than others. It may even be that you will have to walk to reach it. But you can do it!" Then she added, "If you listen to me and work hard you will get your high school diploma if you do not quit." Wow--what an example! She had done it again--she had just presented another great motivational lesson, one of perseverance in terms that they could understand. During her time as a teacher at Adamsville High School,  she never had a student to fail the State Proficiency Test.

The parents of one student, whose name was Greg, travelled from Wayne County to bring their son to be taught by Mrs. Martindale. They came over 40 miles one way each day.  When he entered our school, he was so far behind that Mrs. Martindale recommended that he be retained a grade. In time Greg eventually passed his proficiency test and graduated with a high school diploma. Another student named Dennis took 15 hours to pass the math and language arts sections of his proficiency test. There were no time limits for special education students who took the state test. Dennis passed the test and he, too, received his high school diploma!

Her students persevered. She would not let them quit. She wanted them to get the gold at Fort Knox. Great leaders can motivate others. What made her so effective was her ability to connect with students who were discouraged academically and sometimes socially. She had experienced struggles and disappointments in life herself, but her faith in God and her refusal to quit were the stepping stones to her success.

I believe today that the gold at Fort Knox analogy which she gave to her students that day was reflective of the motivation in her own life. She was willing to do what it took to get the gold by walking and not fainting. Her challenge was not in academic deficiencies but in the hardships and struggles of her early life. She was an effective, motivated leader because she had learned for herself the attribute of never giving up.

I slowly rose from my seat in the back of the classroom and returned to my regular responsibilities, reflecting on what I had just witnessed. It was a profound lesson that continues to go with me even to this day.

Remember, I believe we are all leaders regardless of position.