Sharman Martin, West Blocton Native, Retires After 35 Years in Education
Special to the Press
Sharman Martin, a native of West Blocton Alabama, retired from teaching and coaching this May, with 35 years of service in the field of education. Martin is the daughter of Huell Lane and Larry Martin of West Blocton.
Martin began playing softball at age 11 and was coached by Donella Roberts of West Blocton, Alabama. When Martin entered high school, West Blocton didn’t have a girls softball team, but she continued playing softball in summer and fall leagues.
Her love for the game earned her a scholarship at Shelton State Junior College, where the team won the Junior College State Championship in 1984. Martin was voted Defensive Player of the Year in 1985.
Martin continued her education at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida where she was a member of the softball team. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, with honors.
Martin began her teaching and coaching career at Faith Academy School in Mobile Alabama, in 1989. She taught first grade, coached Junior Varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball, and was also the assistant coach of the Varsity teams in all three sports as well.
In the Fall of 1993, Martin was hired to be the head softball coach at Vestavia Hills High School, and she was a para-educator at Vestavia Central School. In the Fall of 1994, Martin was hired to teach 3rd grade at Vestavia Hills Elementary West, and she continued her coaching career at VHHS. Martin led the Lady Rebels softball team to the state tournament in Montgomery Alabama, where the Rebels placed 2nd in the state in 1994. Many of Martin’s players went on to have successful softball careers at universities and colleges in and out of the state of Alabama.
After retiring from coaching in 2000, Martin continued to teach at Vestavia West Elementary School. She transferred from teaching 3rd grade to teaching Physical Education in 2009. There, she taught Kindergarten through 3rd grade until the Fall of 2019, where she taught Kindergarten through 5th grade.
In 2013 she published her first children’s book about her 3-legged dog, Bo. The book teaches inclusion and fairness to all. Her 2nd book was published in 2015 and it tells the story of local war hero, Noah Galloway. Galloway lost his left leg and left arm when an IED exploded in 2005 in Iraq. Martin’s book tells Galloway’s story on a child’s level and teaches perseverance, patriotism, and loyalty.
In the Fall of 2023, Martin took on a new position as assistant coach to the girls’ varsity flag football team at Vestavia Hills High School. The team went 30-1 and earned the state runner up title.
Martin retires from the field of education with 35 total years of service, 31 of which were in the Vestavia Hills City School System.
Martin looks forward to “not setting an alarm,” spending time with family, reading, and singing more.
