Following 23 years of dedication to her students, colleagues, and community, veteran PHS teacher and Princeton-Cranbury community member Martha Hayden is preparing to retire from teaching. Throughout her career, Hayden preferred real-world learning over textbook instruction, developed Spanish exchange trips to Peru and Cuba, and founded the Cranbury Arts Council.

Hayden didn’t originally intend to pursue teaching, but after her husband lost his job, she started working at PHS to support their family. For Hayden, teaching was a daunting task at first, especially given the difficult courses she was expected to teach.

“In the beginning, I really did not want to be here ... I [originally] wanted to go to teach fourth grade and then I was told ‘you belong in the high school’ ... so the first year was really hard because I was really nervous ... and I [wasn’t sure] if I could teach kids that were older,” said Hayden.

However, a powerful personal experience completely changed her perspective on teaching. Hayden had a student who refused to engage in class or with classwork. But when he mentioned he wrote poetry, she gave him an alternative assignment and challenged him to write slam poetry instead. Hayden was moved by his poetry, and compiled it into a book for him.

“Five years later, I was in the library ... and he tapped me on the shoulder. I said,‘How are you?’ and he said, ‘I’m doing really well. I’m a DJ for a radio station ... I just wanted to come by to tell you that you’re the only person that believed in me ... every time I feel bad about myself, I read my book, and I know that I can make it,’” said Hayden. “I think that was the turning point for me to understand that the reason why I was here as a teacher was not [just] to teach Spanish, that there are other reasons ... bigger than ourselves.”

Hayden also founded and organized of the foreign exchange trips between PHS students and schools in Peru and Cuba. Throughout the years, these trips began to incorporate community service along with cultural immersion.

“I honestly thought [the Cuba trip] was really nice [and] it was a really great experience. A lot of kids didn’t have toys [and] we also brought supplies to the kids in the schools — I thought this was a really nice way to give back to the community, especially because they need it so much.” said Valen Roden ’26, Hayden’s former student who attended the trip to Cuba.

Hayden emphasizes the fact that her classroom is “textbook-free” and focuses more on the applications of a language rather than technical aspects. Instead of relying on standardized lesson plans, she designed a unique curriculum exploring social issues and Latin American history.

“I don’t want to teach something that they’re not going to like. I always tell the kids you’re not going to get off a plane and they’re not going to ask you to conjugate the verb,” said Hayden. “They’re going to ask you, what’s your country like? What do you know about my country?”

Hayden also uses the arts to supplement her teaching — for example, “Latinoamérica” by Calle 13 is used to help teach Spanish IV Advanced students about environmental destruction in Latin America.

“Senora Hayden prompts us to connect with Latin American culture outside of class in various ways. The songs in particular get me thinking about their origins and Hispanic history when I’m listening to them outside of school,” said Thomas Basso ’27, a student in Hayden’s Spanish IV Advanced class.

Outside of PHS, Hayden and a friend, Susan Leson, created the Cranbury Arts Council around 30 years ago — a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to enriching the cultural and artistic experiences of the community by providing arts programs, workshops, and performances.

“I took a pottery class, and I was so good at it, I couldn’t believe it. And then I’m thinking, if I’m good, can you imagine how many people are good at different arts, but they don’t know it,” said Hayden. “So we started taking classes, and I said to [Susan], ‘Imagine how many people don’t know that they have a gift ... so why don’t we start an Arts Council in Cranbury?’”

In retirement, she plans to spend time with her family and continue organizing exchange trips. Though Hayden is leaving PHS, her impact on the languages department and the whole community will not be forgotten.

“If I could say one thing to her, I would say ‘Gracias por todo, Senora Hayden!’” said Basso. “Your dedication to teaching is something I will never forget, and I want to know that each and every one of your students are extremely fortunate to have you as their teacher whether they know it or not.”