Niwot Elementary School Teacher Profile Hanna Sandoff

2019 Niwot High School graduate Hanna Sandoff has made it full-circle, and is now a first grade teacher at Niwot Elementary School. Not only was Sandoff a NHS graduate, she also spent her fifth grade year at NES.

"I naturally care very deeply for the people around me and teaching is a profession where you get to build long lasting relationships and make a small amount of positive change in the world," Sandoff said. "I like teaching because it is my little drop of goodness."

Sandoff has known since her senior year of high school that she wanted to pursue teaching, specifically in the St. Vrain Valley School District. She then decided to pursue her passion and attended the University of Northern Colorado.

Although one of Sandoff's goals was specifically to teach first grade at Niwot Elementary School, she did not expect to realize that dream fresh out of college. Her first teaching position ended up being her dream job. She is now going into her second year of teaching first grade at NES.

Not only does Sandoff enjoy teaching as a whole, she enjoys the community that comes with it. "One thing I love about the Niwot community is the support everyone offers for each other," she said. "Anytime there is a need in Niwot, there is someone willing to jump in and help." The Niwot community was one of the things she missed most while away at college.

The Niwot school system made a strong impact on Sandoff in both her personal and academic life. Sandoff reflected on her time at NHS, saying, "I had great relationships with many teachers and other staff at NHS. These people supported me through really challenging times in my life, some of which none of the adults who supported me knew about at the time, yet they still made an immense difference in my life."

Sandoff is not only an outstanding community member, she is an amazing teacher alongside the other staff members of Niwot Elementary. NES is consistently recognized for its ability to meet each student's unique needs.

"Niwot is unique because of our passion to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every student," said Sandoff. "While challenging, I think this is one of my favorite parts about my job. I love learning about each student in my class, the things they are interested in, their strengths, and their areas of need and tailoring my instruction to best support each student."

During high school, Sandoff worked for a single moms program and observed local elementary classrooms. That cemented her love for changing the lives of children and their families, "I knew how my teachers made an impact on me throughout my academic career and I wanted to give back in hopefully the same way," she said.