“I joke sometimes that I decided to become a teacher during my fifth year of teaching because that’s what I told myself,” Sandberg said. “I would give it five years, and then I would decide if that was right for me.”
It was right. Sandberg continued to teach for an additional 35 years and has decided to retire at the end of her 40th year.
Sandberg taught at many other schools before her 37 years at West Delaware High School. One of those was Buena Vista University, which allowed Sandberg to determine her future goals.
“I always wondered if I would like to teach college, but it showed me that high school is where I belong,” Sandberg said. “I’ve taught from sixth grade to college, and I just think high school students are really interesting.”
Sandberg takes pride in teaching her students.
“It’s such a cool time of life because you’re sort of figuring out who you are,” Sandberg said. “It’s an honor to be a part of that process.”
Throughout her career, Sandberg has taken students on 15 trips. Some of these places include France, Québec, and Spain.
“I think the neatest thing for me was that when students traveled, they learned a lot during the trip,” Sandberg said. “You go into a shoe store, you come back with a pair of shoes, and you didn’t speak any English at all.”
There was a running joke between Sandberg and her students when they first landed in another country. They would say to each other, “Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore,” to prepare themselves for the new world they were about to experience.
“They would see something that you would not see in Manchester, Iowa,” Sandberg said. “And I tried to train them to just look. You’re not in Kansas.”
One of Sandberg’s most memorable moments was when she and her students were included in the annual Window Walk. While there, Sandberg received a call saying she had achieved a National Board Certification.
Her students shared this special moment, celebrating their teacher’s success.
“I just remember thinking, this is exactly what a teacher should be doing,” Sandberg said. “It’s just so fun to be there with my students.”
Sandberg hopes to keep these memories with her when she retires. She also hopes to carry on with foreign languages by learning new ones during her free time.
Most importantly, Sandberg hopes the French program will survive in the future.
“Kids that I have now in French, I would love to see them be able to continue,” Sandberg said. “That’s pretty important to me.”
Sandberg hopes to make the most of her final days as a teacher.
“I just want to create some more lovely memories, every day,” Sandberg said. “This is an awesome way of living. It really is.”
