Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Lang

This time, Sophiana and I decided to interview Mrs. Lang, who taught us both chemistry in our early high school years. Never was there a day she didn’t greet us positively (get it?) when we stepped foot into her room. Our conversation with Mrs. Lang explored a wide range of things, from a love for Adam Sandler movies, to a distaste for snakes, and a giraffe’s purple tongue. 

 

If you want to discover more about peculiar topics, and then some, keep reading!

 

Sophiana: So, how did you become a teacher at LBHS?

 

Mrs. Lang: So, I was at Stonybrook and I was a bio major, and then I changed my major to chemistry after taking organic chemistry, and then… I always knew I wanted to teach, but I thought it would be bio, not chem. Then, I ended up doing my student teaching at North Shore Middle School and High School, and one of the teachers there knew the director here, and said there was a job opening. He said, ‘you should apply.’ So I did, and I got the job on Saint Patrick’s Day! That’s when I got hired: Saint Patrick’s Day. Well, for the following school year.

 

S: And how long have you been teaching?

 

L: This is my ninth year.

 

S: Wow!

 

L: Yeah, and that’s how I became a teacher at LBHS. 

 

Elizabeth: So, what do you teach, and why do you like it?

 

L: I teach Pre-AP and AP Chemistry, and I love it because I think it’s challenging, and I think that it challenges students. I like helping them get through that challenging course, and hopefully at the end have them feeling better about having gotten through it and challenging themselves. 

 

S: Alright, so what’s your favorite thing about teaching at LBHS? Like a memory, or like a feature of the school, a specific room that you like. 

 

L: I think I like forming relationships with different types of students. I think that… I taught different courses over the years, it’s not just Pre-AP and AP Chemistry but, I’ve taught pretty much every level of chemistry and different electives in science, and I think that I like forming relationships with students from all grades. I was a class advisor for four years, and I think that was fun too, as I got to know students that I wouldn’t normally teach, who didn’t maybe take honors Chemistry when I was teaching Honors Chemistry (now it’s Pre-AP), and that was fun because then I see them in the hallways and I can say hi to them, even if I didn’t have them as a student.

 

S: You advised Class of 2020…3?

 

L: Yeah I advised… no, Class of… 20… yeah.

 

S: 2023, right?

 

L: No, because they didn’t graduate last year, they graduated the year before. 

 

S: Yeah, I think that was 20…

 

L: Oh yeah, because this year’s technically 25. So yes, 2023. I’d think I would know that!

 

E: Okay, so who’s your favorite musical artist or genre of music?

 

L: Ooooh… that’s a tough one. Um… I’m gonna say… I really like Billy Joel. I’m like a Billy Joel fanatic. I don’t really have a favorite genre of music; I like all random kinds of music. Yeah, I like… I’ll listen to stuff on the top 100, and I’ll listen to Stevie Wonder. I like all different styles of music, but if I had to pick a favorite artist, I like all of Billy Joel’s music in general. 

 

E: No, I’m the same way.

 

S: No, I’m like the exact same way, I’ll listen to anything.

 

L: To a lot of different things.

 

S: What’s your favorite movie, or favorite movie genre?

 

L: Comedies.

S: Comedies?

L: Yeah, I need a laugh. I think that all day I’m doing serious work, like, I need to just relax and laugh when I watch a movie.

 

S: Do you have a favorite comedian?

 

L: I love Adam Sandler’s movies.

 

E: I love Adam Sandler!

 

L: Yeah, just give me an Adam Sandler movie, like Happy Gilmore or something; I just love Adam Sandler movies, ‘cause they’re just so silly!

E: Yeah, I just finished watching Grownups.

 

L: Oh, so good.

 

S: I’ve actually never seen an Adam Sandler movie. I mean I must have seen one, but I don’t remember seeing one.

 

E: That’s crazy.

 

L: They’re like, all on Netflix. So good.

 

E: What is your favorite coffee or drinks place, and what do you order?

 

L: Oh, I get the same thing every single day. I come in every morning, with an extra large coffee from Dunkin Donuts. Regular coffee, with milk and a Splenda. 

 

S: A Splenda?

 

L: Every single day, and it’s the same order, and now they know my order, and it's, like, pathetic.

 

E: Consistency!

 

L: Yeah, I am consistent! Predictable!

 

S: What is your biggest fear?

 

L: My biggest fear in school is poor grades for my students on an AP or Regents exam. These are the things I think about. My biggest fear in life: I’m terrified of snakes.

 

S & E: Really?

 

L: I’m deathly afraid of snakes. Like, even if I see them on TV I have to shut it off.

 

S: So, if I left like a plastic snake on your desk…

 

L: If it looked real, yeah, I’d probably freak out.

 

E: What is your favorite animal?

 

S: We know it’s not snakes!

E: Yeah, we know what it’s not!

 

L: It’s not snakes! Um, ooooh… that’s tough… I really like giraffes.

 

E: Me too! 

L: I think they’re really cute!

E: Wait, I’ve always loved giraffes since I was a kid!

 

L: Yeah, I just think they’re adorable. And then, like, at the petting zoo you can, at those farms, you can feed the giraffes.

 

S: You can?!

 

L: Yeah. And it’s the coolest thing ever. I take my daughter, and she loves it.

 

S: I forget who it was, but I think it was me… it like, licked my head or something.

 

L: Yeah, I don’t want them to touch me, I just want to look at them.

S: They’re so weird looking, like why do they have those necks?

L: Yeah, they’re like, huge. And giraffes have [idk what this word is], and my daughter has a few, and they’re so cute!

 

E: They have purple tongues!

 

S: Oh yeah, the purple tongues! I forgot about that! 

 

L: And elephants! I like elephants too, they’re so smart!

E: Right!

 

S: I love elephants!

L: Really good memories.

 

E: Really sweet.

 

S: Okay, so our closing question! What is some advice you have for students at this school, whether it’s a senior applying for college or a freshman just coming in?

 

L: Number one is don’t procrastinate. I even do that sometimes. But, I think if I’ve learned anything over the years, getting ahead makes you more confident moving forward. So don’t procrastinate, and don’t be afraid of challenging yourself and working hard. So, just because you’ve heard a course is hard, which we know I think that chemistry always has that connotation.

 

S: Yeah. 

 

L: Don’t not take it or not challenge yourself with the level you think you’re at, because of what you’ve heard. So I think in general, even just in life, not even school right? Always challenge yourself, to do better, be better, work harder.

 

E: Yeah, I think that’s something that really applies to me. I feel like both of us.

 

S: Yeah.

 

L: The procrastination, or the challenging yourself?

 

S & E: Both.

 

L: Both!

 

S: But that’s why I loved those, what were they? Unit planners? They were so useful because I would do all of my outlines for the week and then I’d just do like the worksheets as they came.

 

L: Yeah! And then you don’t have to procrastinate and like, wait until the last minute, then you feel better moving forward! So those are my pieces of advice!

 

E: So inspirational!

 

L: Thanks!

 

Thank you Mrs. Lang for taking the time to answer our questions! Stay tuned for the next teacher spotlight…