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Teacher Honor Roll: The Nominations
Honoree: Diane Goodwin, Cambridge Amigos School
She Opens Minds in Two Languages
On some school days, it's difficult to distinguish Diane Goodwin's classroom from a yard sale. Making that distinction depends upon how many of the various trinkets, household, and novelty items she's dragged from the edges of the room to use as props in her lesson plan.
Goodwin teaches English as a second language at Cambridge's Amigos School, a dual-immersion public school specializing in Spanish for pre-kindergartners to Grade 8. Her tactile approach to engaging non-native speakers inspired students from her sixth grade class to nominate her for The BostonWorks' Teacher Honor Roll.
"It has to be visible and it has to be touched for them to remember," says Goodwin, a 53-year-old native of Cambridge. "If you can present a concept in a funny way that's meaningful to them, that's even better."
A public school kindergarten instructor for 18 years, Goodwin apparently has little trouble making her students laugh. But it's how seamlessly she compels them to learn that sets her apart.
At a bilingual school where only Spanish is spoken during half of each day and exclusively English words are uttered for the remainder, it's a challenge to keep the learning environment continuous.
"She's very human, very kind, and very intelligent and it translates to her teaching," says Maria Perez-Selles, now in her fifth year as principal of the Amigos School. "Diane believes that every child can make it with the right support and opportunity. She's always working to bring out the best in everyone."
Goodwin, who has earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Boston University and a master's degree in urban education, insists her teaching philosophy is more about high intensity than high tech.
"I think my background as a kindergarten teacher helps my understanding of bringing lesson plans to a level that's accessible to all," says Goodwin, whose Grade 6 class includes students from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. "I think I build a sense of confidence in the students by pointing out their successes as a means of proving to them what they already know."
Of course, that still doesn't explain why she thinks having stuff like a palm tree, an antique lantern, and stuffed monkeys scattered about the classroom is a good idea. The yard-sale method of teaching language vocabulary, Goodwin explains, is part of formal pedagogical terminology. In Spanish, it's called "realia," which translates to "real things."
The effect is like walking into "the eye-catching confines of an everyday house," according to Perez-Selles.
"In this visual culture we live in, today's students just don't learn vocabulary by rote like we did once upon a time," contends Goodwin.
It's difficult to take issue with the results. As is obvious from their group-effort nomination letter, Goodwin's Spanish-speaking students excel in English. As they so succinctly put it, "She can teach a rock."
When Goodwin missed seven school days this winter after a household fall left her with a fractured left elbow, the students downright clamored for her return.
"She expects a lot out of them and works very hard supporting them all the way through the process," says Perez-Selles. "She makes them believe that they can do whatever she's asking. For them to write so expressively about her and share her with the world that way, it's really quite amazing."
Goodwin owns an entirely different viewpoint. She says she is merely fulfilling the duties of her job description.
"My job is to help students understand," says Goodwin, who has the word "UNDERSTANDING" stenciled in all-caps along the border of her daily teaching easel. "I'm not there to emphasize what they don't know. I'm there to show them what they do know."
The Nomination Letter
Diane Goodwin teaches children who do not speak English well. She is an ESL teacher. Her name is Goodwin because she is a good person. She's a winner too. She taught me how to be brave and talk in front of class. She shares her life with us. She is a true teacher. She asks us about our lives and how we feel. She can teach a rock. She won't give up. She showed one how to have courage. She brings us to a new and higher level. She tells us to learn vocabulary not just for the 6th grade but forever.
Ms. Goodwin is an inspiration for doing well. Patience should be her middle name, but it's not. She helps us with understanding class work and homework. I came with no English and she helped me improve. She always tells us, "If you need something, I'll get it." In her room, she has books, words, and posters. We love the one that says "respect." Ms. Goodwin knows her priorities. She pushes us to write more. She is always encouraging us. She is like a flower blooming in Spring. Sometimes, I'm lost without her. She broke her elbow last month. She missed school for seven days and I was getting crazy. We are connected to her. She always respects us as we respect her. She definitely knows how to explain things. She has a sense of humor. We laugh with her. She acts out things like it is a drama or a play. She is the main character. She helps us "get it." She should be on the Honor Roll.
-Cheryl, Anny E, Annee B., Madeline, Karla, Catiria, students
