English teacher brings travel experiences to the classroom

English teacher and cross-country coach, Martha Omar grew up in Kearney, Neb. Omar is well known throughout Central for her enthusiastic personality and her height, which is, 5 feet 2 inches. She has been an English teacher for 10 years.
Omar went to Kearney High School and involved herself in sports and clubs such as, cross-country, soccer, student council and speech/debate. When it was time for college Omar went to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
She always knew she wanted to be an English teacher. As a child she loved books and always played school with her friends, of course she was always the English teacher. “My parents would have to come in and steal my flashlight because I would be reading under the covers,” Omar said.
Omar attended UNL for five years. She has a bachelor’s degree in arts, and two master certificates in gender studies and a TESOL certificate (teaching English to speakers of other languages.) Though her certificates are not master degrees she is proud of them.
During her time in college she met her husband at a party. Three years later, in 2005, the couple decided to get engaged.
During the year 2012 the couple lived in China for one year. “We went to China to have an adventure,” Omar said. Her and her husband were both English teachers during their time in China and they lived in the Hunan Province. They have also traveled to Tanzania located in Africa, Canada, Mexico, Cambodia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Thailand and Vietnam. Omar learned Chinese but she also learned that, “no matter where you live, people are very much the same.”
She also feels traveling to many different countries is a humbling and beneficial experience. “You realize how small you are in the world but also how similar people are that you wouldn’t think are similar,” Omar said. During her time in China, Omar was searching for jobs at Omaha Public Schools and she remembered always being mesmerized by the building’s structure and size. She couldn’t believe it was a high school. Omar did some researching on Central and all Central has to offer. She was determined to land a teaching position at Central. Still living in China, she called the OPS TAC building trying to contact the person who hired OPS English teachers.
OPS decided to set up a Skype interview with Omar since she was still living in China. They were surprised with Omar’s determination to work at Central. “It was my dream to work at this school,” Omar said. A week later human resources sent Omar an email saying there was a position opening at Central and if she would like to have another Skype interview with Central officials, assistant principal, Tom Wagner and the department chair of English, Jodie Martinez. “I had the best conversation with Mr. Wagner and Ms. Martinez,” Omar said. Two days later Wagner emailed Omar offering her the position at Central.
Omar moved back to the United States in 2013 not only to start teaching at Central but, to announce to their family members her and her husband were going to have a baby. Omar began teaching at Central in August. She knew she was going to get lost all the time when she first arrived at Central. Though Omar loved teaching in Lincoln, Gretna and China she said, “Central’s the best.” Omar’s future goals with her family are to retire as young as possible and possibly move to Thailand or Vietnam. Omar also thinks about becoming a foster parent or becoming a house mom to foreign exchange students.