Martha West

Martha West has extensive experience in Mooresville's education system. She has served as a teacher and as a member of the Mooresville Graded School District School Board.

Q: How long have you been in Mooresville?
A: We moved here in 1968.

Great. And so…

Oh, so you want me to count up the years?
[Laughs] Oh, no, that’s okay.

And you’ve served on the Board of Education, correct?

Yes.

Great. How long did you serve on it?

I was on there for 12 years.

Do you remember what years you were…?

[Counting] I would say 1976 to 1988.

Great. And you were also a teacher in the Mooresville Graded School District.

Yes, that’s right.

What did you teach, and how long did you teach?

All right, I taught on the secondary level I’ve taught tenth and eleventh grade English and American History. In what was then referred to as “Middle School,” I taught fifth and sixth grade drama, and then I taught also at was what was, in those days, called “Junior High School” I taught seventh and eighth grade English.

That’s a broad range of topics. [Laughs] What was your favorite topic to teach, and why?

Oh, drama. That would be my favorite. Yes, because it’s creative and it’s fun and, I think as far as students go, it brings them out and gives them an opportunity to come before people, which is very important in life that you have to do. So it’s the “fun part.”

Are there any stories that you remember that…well, memorable stories that come to mind when you think of…[teaching]?

Probably, but that I would have to think upon, and right now…I’d have to think about that. Except that one of the – and this isn’t really a story – but one of the joys of teaching is that later on, when you run into students, former students that you’ve had, and you see the successes that they’ve had or the men and women that they have become, that – that’s not a story – but it’s the reward of teaching.

Do you run into a lot of your students here in Mooresville, or do you find that less and less have stuck around?

A lot of them are here, which is a neat thing.

In education – this is kind of a big question – but what changes have you seen in the Mooresville education since you were a teacher?
The largest change that I have seen – and this came through senior projects – when all of the students got computers, it made an even playing field, because up until that time, the socioeconomic groups were very evident, even though we have a wonderful library that is outside the school that provides things of that nature – still, students who don’t have the access at home, nor the financial means to get into that technical world…there was a great big difference. The computers eradicated a large, large amount of that. So to me, that was a big thing in our local system was the idea of computers for all the students.

What is a change that you’ve seen that you wish had not have changed? For example, some people say that the increase in technology is positive, like you said, but some say that too much technology is negative.

Oh, no. I’ll never go the “too much technology” route. [Laughs] Because that’s just, the world is changing that way. And our young people have to go that way – they are going that way! And, oh heavens, there’s not too much technology. No, no, no. Now, there may be some disciplinary things with the use of iPhones and iPads in the classroom when they shouldn’t be, when the students should be doing something else, but, oh no. Technology is a great thing.

Are there any other changes that you’ve seen that you think have greatly improved education in Mooresville?

Mooresville has always had a great interest in education, and when the school system was formed in 1905, that was the interest of the citizens that were there, and that interest, in my opinion, has never waned. And it just improves and gets better all the time.

As a citizen of Mooresville, what are some general changes that you’ve seen in the past couple of decades?

Now, are you talking about school-wise?
Just in the…
In the town?
Yes.
Oh, the primary change in the town is growth and how our town has expanded, from being the small, small town that it was when we moved here, which was delightful, but it has become a larger city and has expanded, not only just with people, but also with land area, but it has also brought us a lot of good things, too. A lot of new ideas. People moved in and brought new things that have been good for all of us.

Now, I have to ask you, are you a fan of NASCAR?

[Laughs] Well obviously, I live here, and I knew his dad, so I’m a Junior [Dale Earnhardt, Jr.] fan. [Laughs] So yes, from that standpoint. [Laughs]

So you believe NASCAR has been a good thing for Mooresville?

Oh, yes. Because it came in and took over because, when we came here, the primary business was textiles, and that was it. And textiles left. And so that was leaving a void here that, basically, NASCAR filled. So yes, NASCAR has been a very good thing.

What kinds of things do you see in Mooresville’s future?

Hmm…I see further growth that will have to be looked at and prepared for, and that’s one thing that will be continually affecting education is going to be the growth, and the numbers of students and the increases in the numbers of students. I see business opportunities there is going to be in the future, simply because of the location [in relation] to Charlotte will be one thing, and the [Charlotte Douglass] International Airport and things of that nature that just make it a growing metropolis. [Laughs] We don’t want to be a metropolis, maybe, but a growing town.

What are some factors that you think are most important in assessing these changes and determining the best routes to address them?

Hmm...I guess one would be feasibility studies of what’s needed and how to get there. The economics have to be looked at constantly. The sociological aspects – people needs. Energy; energy from a double perspective. Energy from heating and cooling and that sort of thing to also, a physical energy of people and an interesting in the town.

That’s awesome. What factors do we need to look at from an education standpoint, for the future?

Finances to provide for more students that they’re going to have.

Great. Do you have anything that you would like young people to know about Mooresville? Sorry, that’s a big question.

It is. [Laughs] For the young people themselves to know…I’d like for their parents to know that it’s a great place to raise young people. But for the young people themselves, I think the schools have always concentrated on good education, varied education, necessary for whatever the students want to do when they graduate here, whether they want to go on to colleges, whether they want to learn some things from a community college or, say when you mentioned NASCAR earlier, from the schools that provide those needs, those things, I think are going to be here as well as growing up, the town has always provided great recreational opportunities for our young people and…let me see…that’s probably about what I can think of at the moment.

Great. Well, do you have any final thoughts for anyone listening to this interview, or Mooresville in general?

Well, from a historical perspective, I’ll make one closing comment. When we came here in 1968, we came here because of the job, and that was in textiles in those days. Then, after a time period, my husband took a different job, which meant that we could live – we didn’t have to be living in Mooresville, we could be living in the general Charlotte area. But we chose to stay here because, primarily, of its school system and the opportunities for our kids, which we thought were great. And it turned out to be that way.

Great! Thank you so much for your time.