Henry Pepich
December 9th, 2023
For December, the RHS Newsletter conducted another survey of the student body to see who they felt should be recognized for their contributions to the campus and outstanding teaching. This month’s “Teacher Standouts” were Mr. Ingram and Mr. Martineau. We sat down and interviewed them both to find out more about them as well as their love for teaching.
Mr. Ingram: Mr Ingram began his career in education as a student teacher at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, and then began teaching at Ramona High School where he has been for 3 years. He currently teaches AP US History, but previously taught World History. We talked to Mr. Ingram about why he decided to become a teacher and he told us that it had not always been his plan, “I thought I was gonna become a businessman,” he said “But after getting my degree in marketing, I realized I wasn’t cut out for sales, and that it was really boring.” He continued by saying I realized he wanted to help people'' which led to him getting his teaching credentials.
When asked what his favorite thing about teaching was he told us that it was helping his students understand concepts and progress in their learning. “That look of glee and joy when a kid who doesn’t get something gets something is really why you do it.” He also detailed some struggles in being a teacher, saying that leaving his work at work and separating his job from the rest of his life was difficult, but that the breaks helped him a lot. Mr. Ingram told us a lot about his interests and hobbies outside of school, like his love for everything history, “I listen to [history] podcasts, read books about history, all that.” He also likes to golf, hike, and play board games, explaining that he “really loves anything that's outside.” At the end of the interview, Mr. Ingram told us some fun facts about himself, including that he can juggle and own his own lawn care company.
Mr. Martineau: Mr. Martineau has been teaching at Ramona High School for the past 2 years, but has been an educator for 17 years total, with his other 15 years spent teaching in Julian. He has taught a variety of different grade levels and subjects, but is currently teaching Agricultural Mechanics and Welding. When asked why he wanted to become a teacher, Mr Martineau jokingly said, “I saw the teacher lounge when I was a kid and thought it was pretty cool.” He continued, saying that it was an elective in high school that spurred him to become a teacher, “I took Future Teachers, so I actually went and taught classes.” He also talked about his 8th grade history teacher being an inspiration for himself, “He was really awesome, he would show up in costume to teach lessons, and I wanted to teach like him.”
Mr. Martineau went into further detail talking about why he teaches Agricultural classes, “It’s my family. Between my wife and I, we're related to 6 different Ag teachers in the county. It’s almost a family business.” We asked him about what his favorite part of being a teacher was, and he said that he loves the impact it has on his students, teaching them valuable life knowledge and seeing what they can do with it, “I love seeing where my students go. Seeing them succeed in what they do really makes it worth it.” We also talked a little with Mr. Martineau about some of the things he struggles with as a teacher. He told us that balancing fixing all of the different machines he uses in his class, making budgets, and getting grades in all at the same time was a constant battle. When asked about some of his hobbies outside school, Mr. Martineau talked about showing his cattle around California, fishing, and traveling. He said that his favorite place he had ever visited was Düsseldorf, Germany.
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