Martha “Marty” Kendall is the Coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Center at San Jose City College. She says, “I feel privileged to be able to support the excellent work of our outstanding faculty and staff. Please contact the TLC with ideas or suggestions about ways we can help you and your students succeed.”

Marty grew up in Rochester, New York. After earning her B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa) in English and Spanish at the University of Michigan, she moved to California where she earned a Master's in English at Stanford University. She began teaching at SJCC in the mid 1970s. When an opportunity arose to teach Women in Literature, she jumped at the chance. To prepare, she enrolled in a course on Women in American History at San Jose State University. That experience served as a catalyst inspiring her to get a second Master's degree, this one in Social Science with a Concentration in Women's Studies.

Over the years, Marty's teaching has broadened to include English as a Second Language. She has written and produced three video/book series designed to help non-native speakers and developmental students succeed in college. Inside America , The Real Thing , and More of The Real Thing are used at colleges and universities across the United States and overseas. She regularly presents at state and national conferences for teachers of English to speakers of other languages.

Marty has coordinated the Learning Communities Program at San Jose City College since its inception in 2000. She also chairs the English Department and the Staff Development Committee.

Long an innovator in teaching, she has led many workshops on student-centered instruction, classroom assessment techniques, and ways to increase students' commitment to their learning. She serves as Executive Editor of College Teaching , an interdisciplinary journal published in Washington, D.C.

Marty writes children's books and teacher resource books. These include Failure Is Impossible: The History of American Women's Rights (named Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association), Conflict Resolution , The Erie Canal (due for release Spring 2006 by National Geographic), and numerous biographies, including Steve Wozniak: Inventor of the Apple Computer , Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Herbert Hoover, Susan B. Anthony, Nellie Bly, John James Audubon, and For the Love of Chimps: The Jane Goodall Story .

In her spare time, Marty sings and plays bass, guitar, cello, and fiddle. She often performs with her husband, Joe Weed.