CUIN Alum Comes Full Cycle in His Career - University of Houston
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CUIN Alum Comes Full Cycle in His Career

P. Tim MartindellReflecting on his own educational journey, Curriculum & Instruction (CUIN) Alumnus P. Tim Martindell realized that his most powerful educational experiences came not necessarily from direct instruction, but when teachers facilitated and coached his learning.

Recently retired as coordinator of secondary English language arts in the Fort Bend Independent School District, Martindell has come full cycle in his career and reentered the middle school classroom as a fifth grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher at the Village School.

“The College of Education offered me access to a vast network of local educators at the school, district, and academy level,” said Martindell.  “This UH centered network has allowed me to be a critical consumer in choosing the schools, districts, and non-profits where I have been privileged to serve.”

Martindell has held numerous teacher leadership positions at the local, state, and national level.  He is the past president of the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (TCTELA), past president of the West Houston Area Council of Teachers of English (WHACTE), as well as a national facilitator and Critical Friends Group coach trainer for the School Reform Initiative. 

Martindell served as field supervisor to two cohorts of Master in Art of Teaching students as an adjunct faculty member at Rice University.  Prior to his recent work in the Fort Bend ISD, he spent six years with the Houston A+ Challenge as a program coordinator and assistant director of teacher leadership. At Charles R. Drew Academy in Aldine Independent School District, Martindell served as a teacher leader, department chair, and Critical Friends Group coach. 

Early in his teaching career, Martindell taught English and Speech at Nimitz High School in Aldine and Wheatley High School in the Houston Independent School District. He also wrote curriculum for the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Post.  Martindell holds current certification as both a writing and a reading trainer for Abydos Learning International, formerly the New Jersey Writing Project in Texas.  He presented sessions on peer coaching and literacy issues at numerous state, national, and international conferences, and participated in “The Portfolio Group,” a long-standing teacher knowledge community shepherded by CUIN professor, Cheryl Craig.

Craig reignited Martindell’s passion for learning and helped him find his voice as a teacher leader.  “Her thought provoking questions, research guidance, and coaching provide ongoing professional nourishment,” he said.  “Dr. Craig’s personal invitation to join the Portfolio Group . . .  was the launching point for me to continue my studies as a teacher.”

“Tim Martindell’s career trajectory is marked by two major themes:  quality literacy instruction and positive school change,” said Craig.  “He has successfully intertwined these interests in ways that have led to the personal and academic growth of all those with whom he has worked:  students, teachers, administrators and the public at large.”

CUIN clinical associate professor Margaret Hale worked with Tim Martindell in the mid-1990s at Drew Academy in Aldine ISD.  "I have observed Dr. Martindell as he has moved from classroom teacher, to teacher leader, to school reform consultant, to district curriculum leader, and back to classroom teacher," she said.  "Through all of those avenues, Tim has worked to lead by example and advocate for both teachers and students in the area of literacy."

Martindell completed his Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction with his dissertation, A Narrative Inquiry into the Influence of Coaching Methodology on Three Specific Teacher Knowledge Communities (2012).  He has a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston (2004), a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Communications Education from Miami University (1982), and a lifetime Texas certification in secondary English, language arts, and speech communication.

Martindell plans to continue his teacher research and writing, focused in the areas of teacher leadership and peer coaching.  “Being back in the classroom, with the additional toolkit of a curriculum specialist and teacher leader, allows me to better nurture and grow the new generation of teachers with whom I work,” he said.