Dr. Sandra Wallis served as an outstanding reading specialist 

Distinguished 28-year educator/reading supervisor joins Hall of Fame

Dr. Sandra Wallis was born and raised in Bel Air and attended Dublin Elementary School and Bel Air High School. She knew from a very young age that she would be a teacher, and her dream came to fruition. Her grandmother was a teacher at the turn of the century, and she says she was born to teach.
 

“My sister said she was tired of going to school before she even got there because I would line the kids up on the porch in the summer and teach them,” recalls Dr. Wallis.

After graduating from high school, Dr. Wallis earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education from College Park in 1967, and continued her education by earning her master’s in Reading from Towson State University in 1975.

At first, Dr. Wallis wanted to be a U.S. History teacher. Within two years of teaching, she discovered she was meant to be a reading teacher. Dr. Wallis had great empathy for children who had trouble reading. She remembered being an avid reader as a child and knew that reading shaped her life and was her way of learning. She realized there were children who didn’t have access to all the worlds she did through reading, and she felt truly compelled to help those who struggled to read.

Dr. Wallis began her career with Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) in 1969 as part of the teaching core at Bel Air Junior High School (now Southampton Middle School). In 1973, Dr. Wallis became a Reading Specialist, teaching sixth through eighth graders who had difficulty reading. She also worked with teachers to come with ideas and strategies to help teach their students to read. In 1989, Dr. Wallis was promoted to Supervisor of English/Language Arts and Reading.

By helping other teachers, Dr. Wallis was able to reach more children than just the ones she worked with directly. In 1989, when Dr. Wallis became a supervisor, the teachers then became her children, she said. She worked intensely with teachers in the classrooms and provided regular staff development. That year, she was awarded Outstanding Reading Teacher of the Year for Maryland by the State of Maryland Reading Council.

“Sandy is a true intellectual adventurer,” said former colleague Kristine Scarry. “In the field of reading, it is essential to know the latest research, and in all my years in education, I have never worked with someone who stays as current and who has such an in-depth knowledge of reading and reading instruction as Sandy.”

Nancy Longnecker agrees with Ms. Scarry, calling Dr. Wallis’ contributions in the name of Integrated Language Arts and Reading “legendary.”

As a supervisor, she continued to impact children by her work with the teachers. She didn’t give up the kids to be a supervisor – she just worked with them through the teachers. “The way to reach the most kids is to give them the best teachers they can have,” said Dr. Wallis.

Dr. Wallis retired from Harford County Public Schools in 1998 to tend to family needs. She is currently coordinator of the graduate reading program at Goucher College, still working with teachers to this day. She develops graduate reading classes and works with faculty. She also teaches reading classes at the University of Las Vegas during the winter months.

In 2000, Dr. Wallis earned a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction Literacy from the University of Delaware. Her doctorate work focused on early intervention programs for children struggling with reading, and specifically a program called ReAch (reading achievement) that she co-founded. ReAch was an early intervention program for first and second graders in Title 1 schools. The program was a huge success and received much recognition beyond Harford County. In fact, Dr. Wallis presented her work in the program at several national conventions.
Dr. Wallis has seven children, five living in Maryland, one living in Pennsylvania and one living in North Carolina.