Each Friday, The Citizen features someone in education from the Finger Lakes community in The Banks:
This week, we spotlight Valerie Sandlas of Union Springs High School.
Valerie Sandlas
Age: 44
Hometown: Liberty
Family: Husband, Jim and daughter, Morgan
Education: Bachelor's in English education from SUNY Oneonta and master's in education
Occupation: Union Springs High School English teacher
Hobbies: Reading, skiing, skating, horseback riding
Q. What is the most rewarding part of being an educator?
A. Interacting with students.
Q. What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A. Getting students to read out of class.
Q. What was your most embarrassing moment on the job?
A. When the principal came in one day to observe my class I mispronounced a word from an Edgar Allan Poe story, it was so embarrassing.
Q. What is the part of your day you could do without?
A. Grading papers.
Q. What's the best food item served in your cafeteria?
A. Definitely the turkey and gravy with the mashed potatoes and stuffing.
Q. If you had to grade your own performance, what letter grade would you give yourself?
A. B+, because I believe I prepare my students well, but everyone has bad days when the lesson doesn't come out as well as you like.
Q. If a student is trying to get on your good side, what would they have to do?
A. Always be respectful and complete every assignment on time.
Q. Kids say the darndest things. What is the funniest question a student has ever asked you?
A. I never really wear glasses and when I did one day a student said to me, “Are those your glasses?” So of course I had to say in a sarcastic voice, “No, actually I stole these from a student!”
Q. School year: Too short, too long or just right? Why?
A. Just right, because we have enough time to get things accomplished and everything covered, but we still have a long enough summer vacation.
Q. If you weren't teaching, what would you probably be doing? What would you like to be doing?
A. At this point I could not imagine myself doing anything else, however, I would enjoy working at an animal shelter.
Q. Fill in the blank. When I was in school, I had the toughest time in my _____ class.
A. Math. It was my least favorite subject.
Q. Fill in the blank. The best teacher I ever has was _____ because ______
A. Mrs. Catz, my high school English teacher. She actually taught writing instead of assigning it.
Valerie Sandlas
Age: 44
Hometown: Liberty
Family: Husband, Jim and daughter, Morgan
Education: Bachelor's in English education from SUNY Oneonta and master's in education
Occupation: Union Springs High School English teacher
Hobbies: Reading, skiing, skating, horseback riding
Q. What is the most rewarding part of being an educator?
A. Interacting with students.
Q. What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A. Getting students to read out of class.
Q. What was your most embarrassing moment on the job?
A. When the principal came in one day to observe my class I mispronounced a word from an Edgar Allan Poe story, it was so embarrassing.
Q. What is the part of your day you could do without?
A. Grading papers.
Q. What's the best food item served in your cafeteria?
A. Definitely the turkey and gravy with the mashed potatoes and stuffing.
Q. If you had to grade your own performance, what letter grade would you give yourself?
A. B+, because I believe I prepare my students well, but everyone has bad days when the lesson doesn't come out as well as you like.
Q. If a student is trying to get on your good side, what would they have to do?
A. Always be respectful and complete every assignment on time.
Q. Kids say the darndest things. What is the funniest question a student has ever asked you?
A. I never really wear glasses and when I did one day a student said to me, “Are those your glasses?” So of course I had to say in a sarcastic voice, “No, actually I stole these from a student!”
Q. School year: Too short, too long or just right? Why?
A. Just right, because we have enough time to get things accomplished and everything covered, but we still have a long enough summer vacation.
Q. If you weren't teaching, what would you probably be doing? What would you like to be doing?
A. At this point I could not imagine myself doing anything else, however, I would enjoy working at an animal shelter.
Q. Fill in the blank. When I was in school, I had the toughest time in my _____ class.
A. Math. It was my least favorite subject.
Q. Fill in the blank. The best teacher I ever has was _____ because ______
A. Mrs. Catz, my high school English teacher. She actually taught writing instead of assigning it.
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