Hello Falcons!  My name is Martin Blanco. I am married to a very special woman named Melissa. Together we have two wonderful sons, Christopher and Will.

I have had the distinct privilege of pursuing two careers simultaneously that I have a deep passion for, the United States Army and teaching. I joined the Texas Army National Guard at the young age of 18 and after 32 years of service I retired. I spent 12 years of various active duty assignments before converting to a reserve status so that I could start teaching. I came back on active duty status in 2006 to be deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom and spent 5 more years serving my country. In the fall of 2011 I left active duty and started teaching here at Fort Settlement. My military career ended successfully with a retirement rank of Lieutenant Colonel. I enjoyed the military and was able to be fortunate to see many different places and cultures in the world.

My teaching career has also been special. I have mostly taught middle school but have also taught high school summer school government and economics. I have taught in Spring Branch ISD and Fort Bend ISD with a total of 29 years of teaching experience. Besides social studies, I have also taught 4 years of integrated physics and chemistry to 8th grade honor students.  Along with teaching, I also have 16 years of coaching volleyball, basketball and track.

I come from a military family and moved around a lot as a child. I graduated from Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas and the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, TX. I have a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and History. I double majored and minored in physical sciences.