When the juniors at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro are instructed to “put it in writing,” they rise to the challenge thanks to AP English teacher, ACT Test Prep instructor and writing coach, Matthew Marlatt. For five years running, Marlatt’s students have registered the county’s highest scores for 11th grade persuasive writing. And it’s not just advanced students who benefit from Marlatt’s effectiveness in the classroom; “at-risk” and special education students also benefit from having him as a writing coach who prepares them for success both on assessments and in life. Marlatt, who holds a master’s in curriculum and instruction, was selected to attend Tennessee Standard Awareness training in order to prepare educators across the district.
As chair of his school’s Component II Belief, Mission, and Vision Committee for school improvement, Marlatt responded to new statewide requirements to teach media and logic in language arts 9-12 classrooms by creating a workshop and presentation for colleagues. In order to make students’ summer reading assignments more valuable, Marlatt developed an evaluation strategy shared by fellow educators across the district. He serves as a Core Group Leader for teachers at the school's Summer Writing Academies, as well as a member of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and Scope and Sequence Development Committee. He has represented the county multiple times for the Tennessee Writing Assessment Scoring Committee. He mentors student teachers at Middle Tennessee State University and new teachers during their first three years at Siegel High through a combination of training, observation, and feedback. One recent addition to the faculty cited Marlatt—her former teacher—as her inspiration to enter the profession. Marlatt hails from a family of educators including his wife, an elementary school teacher. Currently, Matt previously worked on an ACT Test Prep project with another former Milken winner in the hopes of helping high school students better prepare for the ACT English Exam.
Now, Mr. Marlatt works as a school Instructional Coach and Curriculum Lead. In this role, not only does he continue to impact the lives of students school-wide, but he continues to make powerful teaching, passionate learning, student relationships, and solid instruction that is rigorous and relevant for ALL students his passion and priority.
I am happy to say that I truly love what I do. I aspire to teach every student I encounter by offering whatever I can to push them to do their very best. I strive to learn new ways of teaching content and curriculum, as that keeps my classroom teaching rejuvenated and exciting. I teach with the premise that if I am excited about what I am teaching, my students will pick up on that energy; I hope it is contagious.
1996 marlattm@rcschools.net
