Meramec professor discovers the joy of teaching, motherhood and marriage
BY: TYRA LEESMAN
Print Editor-in-Chief
In the high canopy of the rainforest, tied with secure rigging and equipped with a canteen, a blonde woman
with a notebook observed frogs. She takes notes, samples, pictures of a special, easily-overlooked species
She did not consider for a moment that she would one day be standing before a lecture hall, putting her heart into understanding the students who had come to learn what she could teach them about her experiences
Dr. Jody Martin-Atkins is a Meraemc professor of Biology, Animal Behavior, and The Biology of Human Sex. Students who have taken her classes have often praised her out-of-the-box style and passion for education.
“She’s like that teacher from [The] Magic School Bus. The way she gets excited about the material is contagious, and she always has something funny to say about it,” said Marshall Greer, a former student and STLCC alumnus.
Martin-Atkins said she loves research and always considers it to be the passion to which she will return. After spending five years obtaining her master’s degree at Saint Louis University, spending years in the rainforests of Puerto Rico and working with animals at the zoo ranging from cheetahs to polar bears, she came to a point in her life when she knew she had to get a paying job.
“It was two weeks before I got my degree. I thought, ‘I gotta get a job,’ and I knew I could either continue on with my research or get into teaching,” said Martin-Atkins. “My mom was a thirdgrade teacher; my sister teaches second. My niece teaches fourth. My dad was an engineer, but taught college. They always said I would be a teacher.”
When a job post came up at a school in St. Louis, Martin-Atkins applied. She received an offer within 24 hours.
However, Meramec was her first choice, so when an interview was offered the next day, she did not respond to the first offer.
On the Meramec campus, MartinAtkins recalls the friendliness of the students. The job was again offered to her the very next day and she didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.
“I thought, ‘I’ll try it for a year and then go back to research,’” she said. “It’s really the energy that I get from my students that keeps me here.”
As Hurricane Florence was approaching last week, the newlywed and her husband made their way to the site of the marathon they had been training to run on the East Coast, ponchos drawn tight, to pre-run it in its entirety.
“I love running. It’s something we do together; also, gardening. I have so many things in my garden. […] We have this amazing kitchen, and we have friends over and I love to cook,” said Martin-Atkins.
Among the greatest joys of her life, however, is being a brand-new mom. In marrying her new husband, she gained a son.
She finds great joy in going to baseball practices and experiencing motherhood in general, just as much as teaching, said Martin-Atkins.
Dr. Martin-Atkins said she hopes that her students understand they do not have to fit into a box, and how an education is a gift no one can take away.
“In terms of teaching, I’m a bit outside that box. I don’t think I’m good at it, but life is a journey. The day you stop working at it, trying to get better, is the day you need to walk away from it,” she said. “You can’t do something every single day unless you thoroughly enjoy it.”
