One of the most well-known, legendary faculty members at the Pine is Daniel Snyder (known by students as D Snyds).  Being the most popular human geography teacher in the state of Florida, Mr. Snyder was proud to bring his talents to South Beach in ­­­­1997 from Upstate New York.   He has been influenced through much of his life by such people as Jared Diamond, famous for his theory of “Guns, Germs, and Steel,” and Ferris Bueller, mostly for being awesome.  I had the privilege of sitting down with D Snyds to truly get deeper into the Wonderful World of Mr. Snyder.

Q:  So before we begin, let me clear things up, there are rumors that you are distantly related to Vanilla Ice- true or false?

A: “ That is true.  As I understand it, I believe he is my mother’s father’s cousin’s nephew’s former roommate.  I’m not exactly sure what that makes me, but him and I go way back.  We hang out, we do some water-skiing here and there, and we hang out every Arbor Day.”

Q: That’s pretty cool to be so close with such a famous person.  Moving on, as you may or may not be aware, you are definitely a favorite teacher here at the Pine.  What is your favorite part about teaching?

A: “I love making sure I have the student’s featured in my hand and then crushing them to oblivion… no, that’s just a joke.  In reality, in the 15 years I’ve been here, I love being able to work with the students.  Every day I come here I never say ‘I’m going to work’ but rather ‘I’m going to school’.  I love what I do.  But the best perk about being here at Pine Crest is being able to see my daughter every day.”

Q: If you could have any super-power what would it be and why?

A: “That’s a great question.  Between physical prowess, keen detection skills, the ability to bantrum over other super villains, I would probably chose the ability to read Braille.  This would really help with multi-tasking.”

Q:  I have heard from sources that you were featured on a nationally televised program, “Daniel Snyder: A True American Hero”(as pictured above).  Could you elaborate on your segment?

A: “Yeah, the guys from PBS decided to come down and meet with me and… Well, that actually never happened.  That picture is just a cry from a very desperate man.”

Q:  Well, that’s unfortunate.  However, if you could compare yourself to any celebrity, who would it be and why?

A: “Well, I have had people tell me I look like Tom Green from MTV (I have no idea who that is), or the evil guy from the original Karate Kid, not the horrible rendition one.  But I would probably compare myself to the great Ryan Reynolds or Wolf Blitzer simply because they look good in a beard.”

Q:  One of the many highlights of your class is the end of the year Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Project.  If Mr. Snyder were to have a day off, what would it consist of?

A: “That’s an easy question.  First of all, I would wake up from my Lady Gaga-like cocoon, obviously.  Then, I would probably go out and swim with the dolphins, have some krill for breakfast, and then probably run a marathon, have some lunch at Tom Jenkin’s BBQ, watch Brave Heart just about three times in a row, and play croquet until the end of the day.

Q:  Last but not least, who do you have winning the Super Bowl this year: Giants or Patriots?

A: “I am a Cowboys fan, and it’s really a shame that we haven’t been relevant in the playoffs since 1995, but I would have to give the edge to the G-MEN.  I really don’t respect the Patriots, especially when you have a quarterback who openly expressed that he likes to wear UGGS.  I have to give it to the Giants 21-17, you heard it here first. ”  (Amazingly, he was one of the first to predict the score correctly)

A big thanks to Mr. Snyder for his interview!