The Life And Times

Of Martha Blakley

an Oral History

By Julie A Blakley

I The Early Years

Martha Faye Smith was born in Barren County, Kentucky on February 8, 1946. She was born at home as doing so at that time was customary. She was named after Martha from the bible and her middle name, Faye, was given after one of her aunts. Her years growing up were much simpler than times are now, and she can remember how before the TV came along, they would play different games and talk with each other. "Kick the Can" was the favorite game of the neighborhood as well as all sorts of games they made up, using whatever they had to play with. Martha's favorite and most prized possession as a child was her rag doll.

School was always somewhere that Martha liked. She attended Liberty Street School and walked there each day. "School was very strict." Says Martha. "It was no nonsense and students were there to learn and not be entertained." Her favorite subjects in school were Language Arts and Reading. Her least favorites were Social Studies and Geography. She was very quiet and shy in school and not a very outgoing student. Martha never played any sports in school but did belong to some clubs such as, FTA - Future Teachers of America. Her favorite teacher in school was one of the people who influenced her most to become a teacher. "Dr. Clark was always very hard on me and would not let me just slip by; he constantly demanded that I do my best work." The teacher attended the same church as Martha but would not allow that to interfere with what he expected out of her. Another person who influenced Martha to be the person she is today, was her preacher from her childhood. He took Martha under his wing and became a father figure for her. This preacher taught Martha how to hold her head up and have pride in herself when she walked. Growing up, Martha always wanted to be a teacher, and it was these positive influences on her life that enhanced that desire. "I wanted to be an influence to others as Dr. Clark was for me."

Visiting her grandparents in Indianapolis was a great enjoyment as a child. One particular visit with them, when she was about five, they took her to the state fair. "I will never forget, Cisco Kid and Poncho were there, and my grandparents handed me over the fence, and I got their autographs."

The high school years were marked by many fads. One fad in particular that Martha remembers was wigs. The wig was white and was also worn as a hat. "I remember everybody had those wigs." Martha remembers, laughing. One potentially serious accident also happened to Martha while she was in high school. She had ridden with some friends to a ball game in Tompkinsville and a couple of boys started drag racing. The car she was in went over a cliff. No one was hurt in the accident.

Later in her high school years, she met her future husband, Arnold Blakley. Arnold was extremely popular and very athletic. "He excelled in every sport he tried." They knew each for years before they ever dated. She formally met him when she had to hide him from his girlfriend's mother. The girl's mother hated Arnold and wanted her daughter to have nothing to do with him. They began talking after that, but it was a while before they had a date. Their first date was Martha's ring banquet in which Arnold escorted her.

Martha Graduated high school in 1964 and went on to college at Western Kentucky University. She had always been an average student in school, but found that college was not as difficult as high school had been. Martha went on to succeed in college and graduated in 1968 with a Bachelors degree in education. She later returned to school and obtained her master's degree and her rank I.

II Family Life

During her second year of college, she became Martha Faye Blakley. She and Arnold were married in Celina, Tn. on September 3, 1966. They came back to Glasgow for their honeymoon but Arnold's car had torn up so they had to borrow Martha's brother's car. They went to a few motels, looking for a place to stay, but they were all booked up because it was labor day weekend. They drove to Cave City to find same problem. They drove around through Glasgow trying to figure out what they were going to do. Finally, there had been a hotel just outside Glasgow that had a no show, so they were able to get the room. They honeymooned at the Pace's Motel. The next day they began life as husband and wife and have been doing so for almost thirty-five years.

After being married for seven years, Martha found out she was going to have a baby. "I was never sick, but Arnold was sick the whole time." On April 27, 1973, Martha and Arnold had a son, Arnold Jason Blakley. Being a parent was very rewarding and satisfying for Martha. She found the little things most memorable and amazing. "He was ambidextrous so he could write and throw a ball with both hands." She was also amazed at how much he loved reading. "I would not change a thing in how I raised him because he turned out pretty good." The most rewarding thing about being a parent for Martha, was seeing him grow up and become an adult. "It is very rewarding when he comes to me for advice as an adult and seeing him in such a rewarding profession with a family of his own." The hardest part of parenting for Martha was watching her child get hurt when he was playing football and when he was hospitalized with appendicitis. Seeing him in pain and it being out of her control was difficult for Martha.

Jason was married on October 7, 1995, to Julie Aileen Scott. In January the next year, Martha found out that she was going to be a grandparent. "I remember being very excited when the two of them came down to tell us." Martha smiles remembering. "It was like a miracle for us because the doctor had told Julie that she might not be able to have children." October 2, 1996, Christopher Alexander Blakley was born. Two years later October 1, 1998 Katherine Anne Blakley came along. Martha's advice for raising their children was always to keep them involved in church and other activities like sports. "The more active they are, the less likely they will get in trouble."

III Teaching

There was never a time in Martha's life that she wanted to be anything other than a teacher. Other than working a few summer jobs, teaching has been her only job. During her first few years of teaching, Martha strived to do everything by the book. It was only when she had her own child that she relaxed some and realized that there are no "textbook children" just textbook answers. Controlling her classroom was never a problem in years of teaching. "Times were different then and the children were different; they came to school knowing how to behave." She feels that it is not like that anymore. She began her teaching career in 1969 which was at the beginning of integration which had formally begun in Glasgow Schools in 1965. She does not remember ever having any problems with the children at school, but when civil rights activists would come to Glasgow from Chicago, the students would get stirred up because of what was going on at home.

Martha has always felt that she was an effective teacher. The key to her effectiveness was having a child at home and watching him developing through the different stages. Behavior problems were never a major problem in her classroom. Her philosophy was to encourage good behavior and to realize that there is a reason behind misbehavior. A child may be experiencing something at home that may be triggering the misbehavior. Keeping children interested in learning was also a big factor to effectiveness. "I made them active participants in their learning by calling out names and making eye contact with them."Martha would never allow students to just there and take in what she was saying, she made sure they were putting back out as well.

The most memorable teaching moment for Martha was when she had a child in her room that was in the middle of a custody battle. The father had obtained custody of the child but the mother came and ate lunch with the little girl at school. After eating lunch, the mother tried to get Martha to allow her to take the girl home. Martha went to the principal and the principal would not allow it. Weeks later the little girl came up to Martha and explained that the reason her mother came to school that day was because the divorce had been finalized and the father had gotten custody. The girl went on to explain that a few days later, she had been traveling in the car with her mother, when the mother opened the car door and tried to shove the girl out.

Being a teacher is something that Martha has never regretted. At age 50, Martha became eligible for retirement. She retired that year after finding out that she was also going to become a grandmother. Martha did not leave the classroom totally however. On many days, Martha finds herself back in the classroom as a substitute teacher. Her greatest moments in teaching are the times when she sees her former students as successful adults and has them tell her what a wonderful role she has played in their success. The worst part about being a teacher is how teachers have become afraid to reach out to a child or hug a child. Her advice for someone that is becoming a teacher is to love children. Also, start your day out each day with the bible or a daily inspirational. "Seeing a child's eyes light up when they grasp the meaning of something I have taught them, makes me very glad I became a teacher."