A lot of people know Mrs. Zeleznik as a teacher, not many students know and appreciate her as a person.
Question: “What is your favorite book in the library that you have read?”
Answer: “In this library? Well that’s actually easy, surprisingly, for me to say because I put the book in the library because I loved it so much. It’s called ‘A Man Called Ove.’ It’s Swedish. It’s by Fredrick Backman. … I love it because it is a story of a grumpy old man and you learn why he is grumpy but also learn to love him and his grumpiness. He also goes through a little bit of a transformation because of people around him and his community. These people become his family.”
Question: “Tell me one thing about yourself you wish more people knew about.”
Answer: “Maybe some people know this, but not everybody. That I truly care about people getting what they need.”
Question: “If you had a free Saturday, how would you be spending it?”
Answer: “I would exercise. I would read and then I would have my neighbors over to play games.”
Question: “What is one trend that is popular among teens today that you really like or really do not?”
Answer: “I feel like this time more than ever people can wear whatever they want and at least I don’t see people commenting negatively about other people’s clothing like I did when I was younger. I mean maybe they do and I just don’t see it, but I would like to believe that anything goes.”
Question: “What would you do if you were given a check for a million dollars tomorrow?”
Answer: “I would put back enough money for my kids for college, I would put back money for a wedding that we might pay for one day. Then I would do stuff to my house and landscaping that I’ve really wanted to do, and if I had money left over I would take a vacation to Alaska. If I still had money I would invest it and donate some to something to do with books.”
Question: “What is one thing from high school that you really miss?”
Answer: “I was in the show choir and I loved it because I loved dancing and singing. Dancing first; I was always front and center because I could dance really well, but I never had a solo because I’m a better background vocalist than I am front and center, but I loved that.”
Question: “If you could go back and tell your sixteen year old self something, what would you say?”
Answer: “I would actually tell myself to pay more attention in class and do my work because I could have done a lot better. The subjects that I really loved I put effort into but if I didn’t like a subject I kinda just didn’t care. I now wish I had some of that knowledge that I would have learned back then that I didn’t pay quite as much attention to.”
Question: “Why do you think reading is important in a high school student’s life?”
Answer: “There is this whole library thing where it talks about providing books for students, books that are mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. These mirrors are books that help [students] see themselves and books they can relate to that help through tough times because of a character going through something similar. Books are windows which allow students to see other peoples lives and what they might be going through or different cultures or just even different scenarios that they may never experience but others might. They help them build empathy for other people. The sliding glass doors are where they get to the point where they can understand somebody else’s point of view or situation. So I think it is really important that students read to build that empathy, but also just as an escape from their own life and to help see themselves reflected in literature so they know they are not alone.”
Question: “If you could choose how people remember you, what would it be?”
Answer: “I just want to be remembered as somebody who made a positive difference in the lives of others, even if it is only for a few people. That’s what matters to me. I believe we are all here to make life better for other people.”
