At Tyreek Hill’s lowest moment in the two years since his trade to the Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa had his back.
The Dolphins QB picked up No. 1 target Sunday after Hill lost a fumble that the Chiefs returned for a touchdown — a play that was ultimately the difference in a one-score Miami loss.
“As we came in [at halftime], we had a conversation, like hey, ‘Don’t worry about that, let’s get our guys going,'” Tagovailoa said post-game. “He was on the same page, and all our leaders were.”
What Tua couldn’t have known in the moment: That leadership and grace amid crisis became a teaching moment for Miami-area students.
Mary Martinez, a third-grade teacher at Pinecrest Elementary in south Miami-Dade County, began her daily class instructions with not a reading lesson, but a life lesson.
Martinez has become a viral sensation in these parts for incorporating the ups and downs of Miami Dolphins fandom with her students — and then sharing those moments to a wide audience via social media.
Local Teacher Incorporates Miami Dolphins’ Ups and Downs in Lesson Plan
“How do you think Tyreek was feeling in that moment?” Martinez asked her students Monday.
“Sad,” was the response.
She then continued: “Tyreek had a difficult moment when he fumbled the ball. And Tua, the quarterback, very easily could have been like, ‘How dare you? You fumbled the ball and it cost us! They scored six points!’ But did he?’
“[A reporter] asked Tua what happened in the moment, when Tyreek dropped the ball, what did you say to him?’ And Tua said, ‘It’s OK, don’t worry, let’s get our other guys pumped up, and you’re going to have to take this one, learn from it, and move on.’
“Tua’s a good guy. We all have difficult moments. Sometimes, we need people there to lift us up and say, ‘Hey, it’s all right, let’s keep moving forward.'”
Cheetah Update 🐆 First, we calculated Tyreek’s new totals. He now needs an average of 116 yards per game to reach his 2k goal… Then, we got down to business. We talked about the fumble. I demonstrated (poorly) what a fumble is to those who didn’t know, and then explained what… pic.twitter.com/PcWPqEwvHm
— Mary Martinez (@maryisbananas)
Martinez, who comes from a family of educators, then passed out notecards, and instructed her class to write down what they would say to a friend in a difficult moment to lift his or her spirits.
Mondays in Ms. Martinez’s class are a special time for her — and her students.
The lifelong Dolphins fan takes the first 15 minutes of her day going over Sunday’s game, charting Hill’s progress on his path to 2,000 yards, and using whatever she can to deliver life lessons for kids in the most formative time in their lives.
The project began as a lark last year as a way for Martinez to share her love of sports with her class. It’s since grown more than she could have ever imagined, drawing the attention of both local and national media — not to mention the Dolphins organization itself.
The Dolphins cheerleaders paid a visit to class one day. Bradley Chubb taped a video message. Jalen Ramsey interacted with Martinez on social media — and convinced her to start tracking his interceptions, too.
What’s more, Martinez will be a guest of the team at the Dolphins’ Week 14 prime-time game against the Tennessee Titans.
MORE: Pro Football Network’s 2023 Miami Dolphins Midseason Awards
“I love sports,” Martinez told PFN this week. “Sports is my passion. I tell other teachers, find your passion and share with the world. I wanted to be in sports, somehow, some way.
“… Mike McDaniel said [when he was a kid], ‘I want to be in the NFL.’ Sports is something that drives us. It’s something I can relate to. With teachers, they need to find their passion to learn and share it.”
Martinez’s inspiration comes as much from what the Dolphins coaches and players say as what they do. She was particularly moved by a recent McDaniel interview in which he talked about how impactful it was when he was a child that his mother told him he was special.
“This is a moment in their lives where they’re so fragile with the things that they hear and [it’s important] for them to know that I believe in them and for them to feel that from me.
I want my kids to say, ‘I did this because my third-grade teacher believed in me, and she saw something in me.'”
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