Artificial Intelligence Video

What a 63-Year Teaching Veteran Thinks of AI

By Caitlynn Peetz & Sam Mallon — September 24, 2024 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

If there’s one thing Martha Strever has learned in her 63 years of teaching, it’s how to adapt.

Strever has taught math at the same middle school in Red Hook, N.Y., since 1961, solidifying herself as one of the longest-tenured teachers in America. She’s seen transformation after transformation—from the introduction of the calculator to the emergence of artificial intelligence—and, at times, helped her district adopt and adapt to these new methods of learning.

Strever has also evolved herself, both personally and professionally.

See Also

Martha Strever, a math teacher at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, N.Y., addresses her class on Sept. 6, 2024.
Martha Strever, a math teacher at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, N.Y., addresses her class on Sept. 6, 2024.
Flynn Larsen for Education Week

Earlier in her career, she taught Linden Avenue Middle School’s highest-achieving math students, typically in honors-level courses. Now, Strever co-teaches the school’s students who tend to need more guidance and encouragement to master skills in math. It’s a change that Strever said has challenged her to learn and implement new ways of teaching.

Working with students is “the delight of my day, every day,” Strever said.

Along with her expertise, Strever brings a lot of character to the school, where the principal and a handful of colleagues are former students.

She’s known for her expansive wardrobe, and she very rarely repeats outfits. Strever only wears dresses or skirts to school (and to do yard work). She wears pants just one day per year, on field day.

She’s independent, and maybe a little stubborn, according to her colleagues at the school an hour south of Albany. Strever does her own yard work at home and shovels snow from the sidewalk, and she sets up her classroom prior to the first day of school, even when it involves standing on her desk to hang signs and posters.

Strever, who started her 64th year of teaching on Sept. 4, has no plans to retire. And school administrators want her to stay as long as she wants.

“She sometimes worries if she should keep staying or if she might get pushed out eventually,” said Stacie Fenn Smith, the school’s principal (who had Strever as a teacher when she was growing up). “But I’ve told her: I will not take your name off your board until you choose to take it off yourself.”

Related Tags:

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum Big AI Questions for Schools. How They Should Respond 
Join this free virtual event to unpack some of the big questions around the use of AI in K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Artificial Intelligence Can AI Improve Literacy Outcomes for English Learners?
The federal government is funding a project that will explore AI's potential to improve English learners' early literacy skills.
2 min read
Ai translate language concept. Robot hand holds ai translator with blue background, Artificial intelligence chatbot equipped with a Language model technology.
Witsarut Sakorn/iStock
Artificial Intelligence Q&A Want to Try AI With English Learners? Here’s Where to Start
An English-learner researcher discusses what educators need to know before using the emerging technology.
5 min read
3D Illustration of a red and yellow speech bubble overlaying a circuitry blue background. The yellow bubble is empty while the red bubble shows the letters AI.
E+
Artificial Intelligence From Our Research Center AI Has Taken Classrooms by Storm. School Operations Could Be Next
Generative AI tools could help schools with operational tasks like budgeting, transportation, data analysis, and even zoning.
7 min read
Custom illustration by Stuart Briers showing a wrench that is filled with a blue abstract tech image of lines and dots, adjusting a cracked yellow school building. The light blue background reveals a subtle clock image.
Stuart Briers for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence From Our Research Center Will AI Transform Standardized Testing?
AI has the potential to help usher in a new, deeper breed of state standardized tests, but there are plenty of reasons for caution.
10 min read
Custom illustration by Stuart Briers showing the silhouette of a female student wearing a backpack and with a tech dot matrix and ruler in the background. There is a speech bubble containing letters in different languages highlighted within a magnifying glass.
Stuart Briers for Education Week