Goodrich encourages students to be lifelong learners
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 Pat Goodrich has spent her entire teaching career in District 117, starting with a reading aide position in 1975. Thirty-five years later, Goodrich is retiring after having taught nearly every class offered by the English Department and serving as a sponsor for the National Honor Society, among other activities.
"Ambivalent" is the word she used to describe her feelings about her retirement.
"It's hard," she said. "I've been here my whole life. I will miss the kids and my fellow teachers."
Goodrich entered the world of education after first holding a retail manager position at Marshall Field's. Eventually, she would have been promoted to a buyer for the department store — a job that would require travel and not easily allow her to raise a family when that time came around. Because she had started her undergraduate studies in education, she only needed to finish two classes to become certified to teach. So, she did.
Goodrich said she hopes to volunteer during retirement, perhaps with school children. She also plans to read, work on oil and watercolor paintings, and sew. Recently, she completed sewing seven crocodile costumes for the students' in the dance class that her daughter teaches, and the costumes won first place in the category.
Goodrich takes special pride in her job as a teacher when former students come back to visit her to show that they're successful. She says that, as a teacher, she tried to set the bar high for students, and they "always met my expectations, and I like that." She has some words of advice for the students at LCHS: "You're never finished learning...Continue reading and being a lifelong learner." |
