January Top Notch Teacher

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Physical education classes give kids a chance to get active and try new things.

The teacher you’re about to meet makes sure every student gets in the game no matter what challenges they face. And that’s what makes her this month’s top notch teacher.

One by one Martha Tymeson, better known as Mrs. T, straps her students into their skis. It’s the kind of one-on-one attention her students come to know over their years with her.

“Where a lot of classroom teachers may only have a student for one year, or two years if they loop, I get the advantage of having them for many years. So I can really see and develop kids’ skills,” she said.

Mrs. T is a Specially Designed Physical Education teacher for the La Crosse School District.

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“It’s a long name for an adapted physical education teacher. So, basically what I do is I teach physical education for students with disabilities.”

And in her 30 years of experience, she’s developed a strategy. Tymeson “I believe in the three R’s — and it’s not reading, arithmetic and writing… It’s relationships, rigor and relevancy. And with those three things, you can take kids a long way.”

Which is exactly what Mrs. T likes to do. These kids may be practicing in a hallway now, but sometime soon they’ll be on a cross-country skiing field trip.

With a little encouragement and a lot of love, she knows these kids can do anything.   

We’d like to say a big thank you to Debbi Olson and her 11-year-old daughter Makayla for nominating Mrs. T.