Katie Salzman is an English teacher who teaches 10th and 11th graders. This is her first year at Centreville High School. Mrs Salzman had taught 8th graders for 14 years before joining CVHS; it is her 15th year of teaching. She was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia. For her education, she went to Robinson Secondary school and then to the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. She got her Master’s Degree at George Mason. When she was asked why she became a teacher, she said, “I always played “school” as a kid and lined up all my stuffed animals in front of a mini chalkboard, but it was my 12th grade English teacher, Gwen Smith who really spoke to me. She was passionate about her job and it passed to her students. Consequently, my daughter’s name is also Gwen.” For her, the best part about being a teacher is the relationships that are made with her kids and colleagues as well as the awesome books she gets to teach–and the summers off. Additionally, she loves to teach English as it has always been her favorite subject.

As a teacher, she loves for her students to be respectful of her time by being engaged and ready for class each day. Mrs. Salzman enjoys greeting kids by their name every day so that they can feel included. Also, she likes to be a lenient teacher, but will roast a student who talks over her. 

As a mother and a lovely wife, she enjoys reading to her two daughters and wrestling with her baby son. She loves to ride her bike, bake, read, and watch Netflix.  Her other hobbies are making photo albums online, working out–and of course, being a mom! Her biggest role model is her husband who is a police officer. Despite working long yours,  he always finds time to be with their kid, playing softball, and fixing things around the house. She says that she cannot live without her family and music.

To get to know her more personally, I asked her a series of fun questions. She says that in 10 years she sees herself doing the same thing, with the exception of her kids being more grown up. Additionally, she hates people who are lazy and people who lie. Her biggest pet peeve is when someone else is causing her to be late.  Mrs. Salzman is a middle child with one older sister and one younger brother. She has two old dogs and some fish in her backyard fishpond. If she could have any other job, she would love to work on something that has to do with layout– such as wedding albums, website design, etc. She loves sweets, especially anything with peanut butter and chocolate. Her favorite trip ever was Ireland, because of the kindness of the people, the beauty of the land, and the old-fashioned feel. 

I do not have her as my teacher, but after reading these responses from her, I can tell that Mrs. Salzman is an amazing  and fun-loving teacher. The Sentinel and the school are so happy to welcome her to our CVHS family!