Rose Martin

Director

I was born in Italy and came to the U.S. at the age of 3 ½. Having heard many languages when I was growing up might explain why I majored in French and Russian (as well as taking a smattering of Italian and Latin) as an undergraduate. But my first love was always stories. I discovered fairy tales in my local library when I was quite young and soon had read every collection of fairy tales they had. As I was growing up, the experience of entering into so many different worlds through the act of reading was an important part of my childhood. I always knew that what I wanted to do was to help children learn to read so that they could experience the magic of being transported by words into other worlds.

Life takes many unexpected turns and the road to teaching was much longer than I had anticipated. Before I began teaching, I got married, owned and ran the Ox Cart Bookshop in Rochester (which closed in 1983), and raised two children (ongoing). I was a Cobblestone parent before I was a Cobblestone teacher. And before Cobblestone existed I was involved, because of my need for my children to have a meaningful educational experience, in alternative forms of education. I have felt for a long time that education needs to be responsive to the real needs and interests of children rather than imposed from outside. When the three original founders of the school needed to add a fourth teacher, I jumped at the opportunity to be part of the teaching staff.

Beginning in 1985, I taught at both the youngest and the primary level. I also initiated an innovative storytelling program which provided children with the opportunity to experience literary language directly and allowed them to develop and express their own unique imagination. I was Director of Cobblestone School from 1996-2004. Being Director of the school felt like a natural extension of my dedication to teaching. But, instead of having just an individual group, my responsibilities expanded to include the entire school community; and beyond this, to help establish Cobblestone as an important educational model in the larger community. My belief in the importance of what Cobblestone’s existence offers to students, families, and the greater Rochester educational community is what has brought me back again to the position of Director.

To parents specifically: I would like you to know that as a long time educator, and as a parent too, I appreciate all the dilemmas, concerns, frustrations, decisions and joys of parenting and I hope I can be a helpful resource to you as you go through the challenging and rewarding adventure of being a parent.