Colleague Teaching Reviews
Colleague Teaching Reviews
COLLEAGUE OBSERVATION REPORTS and REFERENCE LETTERS, UNIVERSITY AND SCHOOL TEACHING
Class Observation Report, Composition & Interpretation of Literature, Bernard Baruch College/City University of New York
Joanna Goodman...is a wonderful teacher of literature as well as an exciting poet.
I have the good fortune to know her in both roles. Joanna is a winner of Discovery-The Nation, a poetry contest I founded and still coordinate. Three prominent poets selected her poems from a pool of more than one thousand applicants. Consequently, her poems were published in The Nation and read at the 92nd Street Y. And no wonder. Joanna Goodman is a poet of extraordinary accomplishment. I've had the pleasure of reading her new book, Trace of One, which succeeds far beyond a first collection in its technical mastery and accuracy of emotion. The book displays a range of knowledge both of the outer world and of the self.
As if her gift and her education were not enough, Joanna Goodman is a marvelous teacher. I know this at first hand. Before she won the Discovery-The Nation award, before I knew her, and quite by coincidence, I was assigned to observe her teaching at Baruch College. I had thought of the assignment as routine, having observed countless adjuncts for years on that enormous faculty. Not so with Joanna's class: She exhibited a rare combination of charm and knowledge, and the students responded to her with an energy I'd never seen.
In short, she is excellent.
Grace Schulman
Distinguished Professor
English
Class Observation Report, Composition & Interpretation of Literature, Bernard Baruch College/City University of New York
"A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us."
The epigraph [above] that Joanna wrote on the board from Kafka certainly seemed apt enough, not the least of all because his "Metamorphosis" proved an excellent ice-breaker for discussion. Starting with questions about the ending --why does Gregor have to die? what is the effect?--the discussion touched on a host of perspectives and points of focus.
Joanna told a moving story of William Styron's reaction to his mother's death: how, a paper boy, he road his bike out to the lake, threw the papers in, and sat on the bank watching them sink slowly one by one. Rapt, the students responded almost chorally to the question of what was most striking and memorable about that story: the image of the sinking papers, they said. Having given them this little lesson in the power of the objective correlative, she urged them to attend to specifics in their own writing and that of their classmates, then turned them to peer review of drafts in progress.
The Styron story is a good example of Joanna's ability, not just to make points, but to make them seem compelling. Another was when she physically acted out the concluding description of Gregor's sister stretching out, demonstrating that it suggested the emergence of a butterfly from a cocoon. But the focus was actually more on the students, what they could contribute. They were encouraged to approach the issue of Gregor's fate from a variety of perspectives, for instance: Gregor's, the author's, the reader's -- even Jane Smiley's (who, in a companion piece, offered a version in which Gregor does not die -- "That's nice," said the student who summarized it, "but that's not what happens"). There were many regular contributors, but less active participants gocalled on, so virtually everybody had something to say.
"The Metamorphosis" is a wonderful story for pushing students to see the necessity of interpretation: it not only prompts the question Why? but subverts it (since, as Joanna helped them tosee, Kafka makes Gregor oddly unreflective about his transformation). The crucial thing is that the students were not just consistently challenged to interpret but to anchor their interpretations in evidence -- sometimes seeing that crucial clues could be as slight and yet as key as a single word (the apple thrown at Gregor, his being splayed, spread-eagled in consequence, etc.).
It says something that many of the students have followed Joanna from her section of ENG 2100 last term. She certainly has a substantial cadre of students who are, for this early in the term, unusually disposed to venture into sustained and risk-taking interpretive comments. She gives them some rein -- and praise when it's due -- but she is very much in control.
George Otte
Chair
English Department
Class Observation Report, Creative Writing, Franklin & Marshall College
"Joanna has shown herself to be a gifted teacher and the kind of teacher we look for and esteem at F&M...Students seek her out, actively, because of the way she challenges them-upends them, you might say. What she leads them to is discovery of language. I've often thought, walking by her office, that she must have taken on several independent projects at once, so frequently are students sitting with her, the written page in front of them, heads down, working on some piece of writing with attention."
Patricia O'Hara
Professor of English
Franklin & Marshall College
Class Observation Report
Mercy College
College program for individuals in recovery programs
Making the most of a challenging environment Ms. Goodman converted a small storage room into a classroom, bringing in chairs and a portable writing board. The subiect of the class at the time of the observation was the composition of definition essays. Effectively using the writing board to outline her thoughts and record her students' contributions, Ms. Goodman led the class through an initial brainstorming, then outlining activity on writing a five paragraph essay defining respect in a marriage. Each student was involved in the process, their enthusiasm a display of the love for learning and writing Ms. Goodman inspires in her students.
Student Letter
Franklin & Marshall College
… It was the start of my senior year, and though I had formed friendly relationships with my professors, I had yet to feel that I could pinpoint a professor/student relationship as pivotal to my college life. My experience with Joanna, beginning in Writing Poetry, changed this viewpoint entirely...Joanna was not only my professor, she was, and still is, a person I look up to and respect for her warmth and energy. I felt that she truly cared about my success as a student, as well as my success past her class. Because I felt this way, I worked harder than I had in any other class; I wanted to prove to her that I was capable of being the best.
That semester she also encouraged me to think beyond my current classes and apply for a fellowship at the Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets, as well as the two creative writing awards F&M offers, The Barbara Nelson Award in Creative Writing and the Academy of American Poetry Prize. I was probably more surprised than anyone when I not only won a fellowship to Bucknell, but both poetry awards. I attribute these successes to Joanna's enthusiasm for my work, which motivated me to improve my craft and my self-esteem. My mind has opened up to poetry and embraced it. I have realized that I want to keep writing and working as part of a writing community for the rest of my life…
For these reasons, I owe Joanna a wealth of gratitude. She was the most influential professor I had at Franklin & Marshall.
Elizabeth McDonnel
Former Student
Franklin & Marshall College
Student Letter
Franklin & Marshall College
I have known Joanna Goodman for three years and have no hesitation in saying that she has had the most profound effect on my positive college experience at Franklin& Marshall. Not only has she been an inspiration inside the classroom but an invaluable mentor, helping me overcome individual obstacles and planning for my post-graduate work.
…Joanna is often referred to as inspiring, unique, passionate, and brilliant. In the spring of 2006 (my junior year), I took Professor Goodman's "Writing Poetry" course. Within the first week of the course, I knew it was unlike any other I had taken during my time at Franklin and Marshall. The classroom dynamic was extremely comfortable while still demanding and involved. Each class, Joanna had a radically different set of exercises that inspired us to become familiar with our own voices as well as certain mechanics of poetry....The variety of Joanna's activities inspires her students to tap into a part of themselves they otherwise might not know they have. I am extremely grateful for taking this course as it has solidified my desire to pursue poetry for the rest of my life; I came out of it knowing I had found my passion. I know I would not have been so confident in my decision were it not for Joanna's teaching and consistent support.
Currently, I am doing a semester-long independent with her. We meet once every week and alternate our focus during the meetings. During one week we discuss readings I have done on fixed forms, mechanical devices, and sound. We also review
poems by classical and contemporary poets- discussing certain techniques that appeal to me. During the next week, we focus on editing and discussing my own poems. During this independent, Joanna has been incredibly supportive. Simultaneously, she demands a great deal from me and challenges me to work on areas that I know are my weakest and which initially feel uncomfortable. I can see my writing improving greatly and Joanna never hesitates to remind me how proud she is of my progress.
Over the three years I have known Joanna she has become more than a professor: she has become a mentor and a friend. Above all things, her devotion to her students as individuals is invaluable. She is extremely receptive and supportive. After one of my "Writing Poetry" classes, I was frustrated with being unable to articulate myself in one of my poems. Any other professor might have just told me not to worry and gone on with the rest of their day but when I returned home I had an email from Professor Goodman. The last line read: "I just wanted to let you know that you should be proud of yourself for digging down deep into the heart of what matters."
…It is rare that you come across someone that talented who is also devoted to her students as individuals. She never hesitates to believe in her students, even when they cannot believe in themselves.
Sincerely,
Saskia Everts
Teacher Reference
Bronxville Middle School
Joanna Goodman has been the poet in residence at Bronxville Middle School since 1996. At that time, the English department received a grant from the local Bronxville School Foundation for the teaching of poetry. We interviewed several poets by phone and in person, and Joanna Goodman was clearly the most outstanding candidate.
Although we knew her warm personality, creative ideas, and unique teaching techniques would reach our students, we had no idea to what extent. Her arrival has transformed the way poetry is taught at Bronxville. Before, teachers had students read poetry, analyze it for figurative language, research the life of a poet, and maybe write an original poem. Joanna has expanded our understanding of poetry through a multi-disciplinary approach that includes looking at art and photography and listening to music...The moment she enters the classroom, the whole atmosphere changes. There are verb lists hanging on the walls, pictures, photographs stuck on cabinets, music inviting students into the classroom. Each day, student poetry is displayed in the classroom, giving students immediate recognition. The rich environment encourages students to see their world differently, and to be willing to take risks.
Students and faculty look forward to her visits each year. She is a treasure that we hold dear. We hope that she will continue to bless us with her energy and enthusiasm for poetry.
Mary Schenck
English Teacher, 8th Grade
Bronxville Middle School
Teacher Reference
BEPT Teacher Center Consortium
Professional Development Course
Joanna Goodman has a unique way of inspiring new material, and of encouraging all her students, at all levels of ability and experience.
As a teacher myself, as well as a director of professional development, I believe I have a good sense of what makes a "good teacher." Joanna has that natural ability to nurture, teach, and inspire that leads to the best learning environments. Based on the evaluations I received from the other adults in her class, I can say that she was unanimously received as an excellent instructor.
Linda S. Miller
Eastchester · Pelham · Tuckahoe · Teacher Center Consortium
Pelham Memorial High School
Participant
Teacher Development Course
BEPT Teacher Center Consortium
I have had experience with Joanna Goodman as a poet and teacher in three different forums. Several years ago, she was a poet-in-residence in one of the elementary schools of the Pelham School District for which I am the Public Information Coordinator. I was so impressed with the work written by the children in her workshops that I did a story on one session. I was mesmerized by the way she used paintings, music and poetry to stimulate ideas in seven-year-olds. Joanna just seemed to have some magic potion to turn on their imagination and use of language. Based on that experience, I recruited Joanna to do a workshop for high school students. It turned into a group of girls only, ranging from experienced writers to novices such as my daughter. She was delighted with the experience and I still remember her comment. "I always wanted to write poems like this .* The workshop culminated with a visit to the Museum of Modern Art where the students wrote a series of poems based on paintings.
Last month, I had the joy of participating in one of Joanna's workshops. Joanna brings much to a class. She used a variety of exercises that resulted in every one of us completing several poems. She is very encouraging because she sees so much in a draft, pointing out styles and images, helping us to develop concepts and techniques we were totally unaware we were using. I also liked how she shared her own insights as a poet and writer. She is so well read and gave us wonderful material. All this naturally enriches her classes.
I highly recommend her.
Angela Iadavaia-Cox
Pelham School District--Elementary, Middle, High School
Personal/Colleague Reference
American Poetry Review
Guest Editor
I’m writing on behalf of my dear friend and colleague Joanna Goodman, whose intelligence, language skills, imagination and ability to work collaboratively are in my experience simply unparalleled.
I know her best as her collaborator on a literary project that brought into play all of her abilities—and more...as a clue to her character, one learns only very gradually—because she never boasts—the breadth of her experience as an editor as well as her literary talent and accomplishments. She is also one of the very brightest, most talented people I’ve ever known. It gives me genuine pleasure to be able to recommend her with no qualifications whatsoever.
Sincerely yours,
William Kulik/ Adjunct Professor of English/Temple University
and Contributing Editor, American Poetry Review (1975-present)