Mr. Larry Martin has rested kindly inside my mind and heart as a fixture of creativity, consistency and curiousity since I was in his first second grade class nearly 3 decades ago. Last Friday, he passed away.

There is teaching. And there is Teaching. There are people for whom their entire creative energy space, human concern, heartful direction and hope are rested in their daily impact on second grader after second grader after second grader. In his classroom. students wrote for the “The Marvel News”, a newspaper he created. We had our own Mock Trial over broken toys. We performed our own play of “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?’” This is risk-taking, creating teaching. It was the big year of my parents divorce, and I was a little person. I felt from this teacher what I wish for every child to experience with loving adults in a classroom— a role model of a learner in a big, big world.

Here is the great news… his gentle presence is currently living inside 2 generations of kids and adults from his career at Belinder Elementary School. What a legacy, and what a contribution. He engaged with us from a place of playful curiosity, and I want to honor this beloved teacher, friend, and mentor in this moment. I will forever have his inspiration in my future projects, risk-taking, and with creative ideas.

He just won Teacher Jeopardy too, thanking his students as his inspiration.