Math teacher Martha Strever has seen educational trends come and go at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, Dutchess County. From the metric system in the 1970’s, to modern math and common core, over the years the only constant in the classroom has been Strever herself. That consistency hit a milestone this fall when Strever celebrated 64 years as an in-service educator — all spent in the Red Hook Central School district where she started as a student teacher in 1960. And as long as her health allows, the Red Hook Faculty Association member has no plans to retire.
“I really love all the kids, even the troublemakers,” said Strever of what keeps her coming back. “I want to turn them around. The reward is seeing students accomplish when they’re struggling, or when they don’t like math.”
Strever is NYSUT’s longest serving in-service member, the longest serving teacher in New York state and might be the longest serving teacher in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records is checking that out, said April Montgomery, Red Hook FA president, explaining that building principal Stacie Fenn Smith, a former student, nominated her for the publication in the categories of longest teaching tenure in a single school and longest-tenured math teacher.
“I’ve been teaching for 21 years, and I remember I was a newer teacher when she hit 45 or 50 years,” said Montgomery, who calls Strever both an inspiration and a resource for she and fellow educators. Strever was one of five New York State Teacher of the Year finalists in 2011 and is considered a master teacher within the district.
“She was the math department chair for 40-plus years and every teacher that came into the math department went to her for leadership,” Montgomery said.
But when it comes to offering teaching tips, Strever lets younger colleagues take the lead despite her experience and willingness to help. “I don’t push them to do what I say or say, ‘do it this way’,” she said. “Once in a while I’ll say, ‘could I recommend something,’ if colleagues ask.”
A favorite memory is starting the district’s accelerated algebra program for eighth graders in the early 1980s. “A student knew all the material in eighth grade and wanted to move beyond that curriculum, so she did it as an independent study her year,” said Strever of the class that continues today under the leadership of a different teacher. “It was something new we brought to Red Hook, and it was such a joy to see students get into the class and then compete for 90s and 100s.”
Another career highlight was teaching the district’s first computer classes. “They put a Radio Shack computer on my desk in 1982 and said I was teaching it,” quipped Strever who took classes at Radio Shack, Ulster BOCES and other sites to self-educate. “I never got a certification for it, but I learned.”
Strever was also the Red Hook FA’s first treasurer; the local formed in 1973. She remembers the early days when contract negotiations were simple affairs that didn’t involve surveys, research deep dives and strings of negotiation meetings. “Our main objective was to get our salaries up,” she said explaining that she made $4,400 annually — the equivalent of roughly $31,196 today — low compared to other area districts. Today the median teacher salary in the district is $82,000. Another early win was putting an end to mandatory attendance for teachers at Parent Teacher Association meetings. “They would watch you, even taking [teacher] attendance.”
After years as an upper-level math teacher, post-COVID Strever dialed back her schedule at the suggestion of building principal Stacie Fenn Smith, who worried that a full-time teaching load didn’t provide her with enough downtime. She’s currently a .8 instructor co-teaching special-needs students with colleague Christopher Wood, something she loves and considers a “new adventure.”
For now, Strever is simply enjoying the well wishes from former students and colleagues that continue to pour in, including a profile in Education Week and a congratulatory phone call from NYSUT President Melinda Person. “I don’t want to be a showoff, but it’s a wonderful honor.”
“Congratulations Martha, we’re proud to count a dedicated educator like you among our membership,” said Person. “You’ve impacted generations of students for the better over the course of your 64 years in the classroom. Your commitment to the profession is an inspiration.”