“I had an extreme belief in Santa Claus until 8th grade, and I told my siblings that I would record Christmas all night to prove Santa was real, and my older sibling dressed up as Santa,” says Mr. Joseph Sendzik, a history teacher at Landstown High School (LHS). “My entire childhood was great because of my family.”
Mr. Sendzik was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was raised as the youngest, stating, “Since my siblings are eight years older than me, it’s like I have five parents.”
Growing up, Mr. Sendzik’s role models were his dad, mom, siblings, and Jesus. Ever since he was a little kid, he wanted to become an elementary school principal or a nurse.
He was just like the students here: He went to LHS and graduated from here. He explains that his favorite memory at LHS as a student was “when I ripped my pants at homecoming, it was so funny.”
He went to Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently attending at Old Dominion University to become an elementary school principal. This is his fourth year at Landstown, and prior to this, his previous job involved personal training and watching children while their parents were at the gym.
What makes Mr. Sendzik enjoy being at LHS? Well, he stated that he “understands the kids” and that they “remind” him of himself when he was in high school.
Being a teacher here at LHS, Mr. Sendzik communicated his favorite memory was watching one of his former students graduate. Mr. Sendzik’s favorite part of teaching is “how every day is something new, it’s like a movie.”
A fun fact about Mr. Sendzik is that he and his dad work in this school together. He was questioned about what it’s like working with his dad, revealing that his dad is his “hero” and how it’s “always good to see your hero.”
Chase Jackson, who is a sophomore at LHS, commented that “Mr. Sendzik helped me remember topics before the test.”
“I had the lessons stuck in my brain, and I still remember the topics to this day.”
Jackson elaborated that Mr. Sendzik’s class has taught him how to “stay stoic.”
“I really love him as a teacher, and he makes school exciting for all his students and is very helpful.”
Students have described Mr. Sendzik as “ecstatic” and “nice.”
Sophomore Tiana Johnson, who is a former student of Mr. Sendzik, expressed her admiration as well: “Mr. Sendzik made a big impact on my learning by helping me understand what I was confused on.”
Johnson’s final comments were “I’d like to say how fun Mr. Sendzik’s class was and how I had never had fun learning until I was in his class. I even met my best friends through his class.”
While Mr. Sendzik has been a role model for some of his students, he’s also shown people what kind of teacher he is: kind-hearted, patient teacher who loves his job.
Anybody who has Mr. Sendzik as a teacher or has had him should feel lucky, considering how he has the ability to teach and make learning fun.
He’s always there for his students and also has an ear open if they need to talk and has truly made an amazing impression on all his students.
Sendzik’s final advice to students is a quote by Seneca: “While we wait for life, life passes.”
