SINCLAIRVILLE — Coaching can be a lot like teaching — both require patience, knowledge, and dedication. But students and athletes are not the only ones that benefit from good coaching.

When it comes to quality coaching, one Chautauqua County native is among the best of the best across the nation – at coaching the teachers themselves.

Lindsey Martin Criss, formerly a resident of Sinclairville, was recently awarded the 2022 ACTE Teacher Educator of the Year honor at a national awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

“It’s kind of surreal at this point,” Criss said. “I have this odd position that people don’t think about, where I’m training the teachers.”

Criss is the daughter of Vicki and Kevin Martin of Sinclairville. She is a graduate of Cassadaga Valley Central School. Criss holds a Master of Arts in Business Education from North Carolina A&T State University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management from Gardner-Webb University, and an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Cleveland Community College.

Criss now serves as the CTE Curriculum and Instruction Management Coordinator at the Alamance-Burlington School System in Burlington, North Carolina. She acts as an instructional coach to approximately 100 instructors in some capacity. “It can be exciting, that’s for sure,” Criss joked.

Coming from a family with roots in education as well as athletics, it makes sense that Criss would merge the two into a career – though she never would have guessed it.

“I’m an accidental teacher. My sister was always going to be the teacher,” Criss said.

In North Carolina, Criss has acted as a softball and cheerleading coach, while her husband is a basketball coach. She believes an athletic coaching background helps her be successful when relating to teachers.

“That perspective gives me some insight. It’s a lot of the same principles. In coaching, you can’t make somebody do something. You just have to show them ways how to be successful,” Criss said.

The focus of Criss’ instruction is in the field of career and technical education (CTE). She was awarded the Teacher Educator of the Year through the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) at the state level in North Carolina, then advanced to a regional competition, which she also won. After winning regionals to become a finalist for the national award, she traveled to Las Vegas where she finally won the national award.

“It was kind of unexpected at the end. Being in the process so long, you never quite know where you stand and how many people are involved,” Criss said. “With ACTE run from a national perspective, you’re not really sure how much they know about you or your background. It’s a little daunting just with all the people involved.”

Although the road to get to the highest honor was long, the process has been rewarding for the Chautauqua County native.

“The connections and being able to see a broader perspective of CTE across the nation,” Criss claimed as the best part of the process. “The same issues I have in my district in North Carolina are issues all across the country. … Being able to network with people across the nation to problem solve together and celebrate some great things happening in education is so rewarding.”

And like any good coach, Criss knows that her award is not just about filling her own trophy case.

“Now I’m able to talk about what I do because of the recognition I’ve gotten. I can talk about how I impact teachers and students in CTE,” Criss said.