Christopher J. Martin, the 2024 SISD Secondary Teacher of the Year, has received one of the highest honors for teaching excellence from the Education Service Center Region 19 (ESC19).
Martin, a teacher in the Practical Academic Skills (PAS) unit at Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, was named 2025 ESC19 Secondary Teacher of the Year during an awards celebration and banquet on Aug. 10 at the Starlight Event Center.
“I am so, so proud of Socorro (ISD) I could bust!” an elated Martin said. “And the support I got this evening was four tables of screaming people with cowbells. It was just awesome!”
Martin was inspired to teach after working for two years as a social worker at Child Protective Services. He completed Region 19's Teacher Alternative Certification program to pursue a career in education. Over the past 23 years, he has taught at various schools in Region 19, including Desert Wind School, and Socorro and Col. John O. Ensor middle schools in Socorro ISD.
“I’m just focused on trying to get better every day, every single day,” Martin said. “Like the football players say, ‘Next game, next day focus, just get better.’ And as long as you try to be a better person every day, things just seem to work out.”
Martin, along with the 2025 ESC19 Elementary Teacher of the Year, will compete for the Texas Teacher of the Year award later this year.
Twenty-three outstanding teachers from area districts and charter schools competed in a rigorous selection process to represent Region 19 at the state level. These dedicated educators were first selected as campus Teachers of the Year and then chosen to represent their respective districts. On Aug. 10, they competed for the Regional Teacher of the Year title.
As part of the competition, each teacher participated in panel interviews and submitted multiple essays detailing their teaching philosophies and achievements.