Great Day Houston and Ashley HomeStore surprise Pomeroy teacher with Red Apple Award

Great Day Houston and Ashley HomeStore surprise Pomeroy teacher with Red Apple Award
Posted on 10/29/2019
Great Day Houston and Ashley HomeStore surprise Pomeroy teacher with Red Apple Award

​KHOU11 and Ashley HomeStore surprise Pomeroy teacher, Alejandro Martinez, in his classroom.

Red Apple Award

By Reesha Brown
PISD Communications
Every adult remembers a special teacher who made a difference in their life. For Fabiola Acosta, that teacher was Alejandro Martinez of Pomeroy Elementary.

Martinez taught Acosta 16 years ago, when she was a first grade student and the following year when she was a second grader at Pomeroy. Acosta, now 22-years-old, still remembers the impact Martinez made in her life. In honor of his outstanding dedication to students, Acosta nominated Martinez for the KHOU 11 Great Day Houston and Ashley HomeStore Red Apple Award.Every adult remembers a special teacher who made a difference in their life. For Fabiola Acosta, that teacher was Alejandro Martinez of Pomeroy Elementary.

“Whether you were falling behind, whether something was bothering you, or you just didn’t get something even if it was a simple thing, Mr. Martinez is the type of person to be there for you and do his very best to help you as much as he can, without losing patience or belittling you,” said Acosta.

KHOU11 and Ashley HomeStore surprised Martinez in his classroom with a Red Apple trophy, along with $500 in gift cards and $2,500 for Pomeroy Elementary to remodel the teacher’s lounge.

“I had no idea it was happening.” Martinez said. “For me, it is a surprise for everybody to share.”

During the surprise visit, Cristina Kooker, KHOU11 reporter, showed Martinez an old class photo from 2002-2003 and pointed to a little girl. The girl in the photo was Fabiola Acosta.

Acosta was afraid Martinez wouldn’t remember her. But to her surprise, this was not the case.

“This is Fabiola Acosta,” Kooker said while pointing to the photo. “Yes, ma’am. She wanted to be a doctor,” Martinez responded, recalling the little girl’s dream.

Kooker stepped aside revealing Acosta who was hiding behind the reporter. Acosta had returned to Pomeroy to talk to Martinez once again.

“After all that time, she remembered [me]. I can’t believe it,” Martinez said. “I remember a long time ago she said she wanted to be a doctor. And I told her, if you want to be a doctor, you will be a doctor. Don’t let people tell you otherwise.”

Martinez started his 22-year teaching career in Pasadena ISD as a paraprofessional, before returning to Mexico to finish his degree in education. When he returned, he worked as a PE teacher for two years before working at Pomeroy. For 18 years, he has been teaching various grade levels at the school, including third grade dual language.

It was no surprise to Pomeroy Principal Steven Harding that Martinez had been nominated for the recognition.

“He’s an amazing teacher and a wonderful role model for these kids,” Harding said. “He builds relationships with them. When they told me the person nominating was a former student from 16 years ago, it didn’t surprise me because you can tell that he has that kind of impact on kids.”

Red Apple Award

Red Apple Award

Red Apple Award

Red Apple Award