Goodwin in running for Tennessee Teacher of the Year
Julia Goodwin, a junior and senior English teacher, teaches during her sixth period class.
October 30, 2009 • written by Margaret Cross
Filed under News
The Tennessee Teacher of the Year is a prestigious award bestowed upon one teacher among thousands in the state of Tennessee. What an achievement it is, therefore, that our own Julia Goodwin is now one of nine finalists in that very same contest!
After months of preparation, Goodwin, who teaches junior and senior English, has become a finalist in the Tennessee Teacher of the Year Awards. She is one of only three high school teachers in the finals, along with three elementary school and three middle school teachers.
“I had to win the district, the region, and the grand division,” Goodwin said. “The grand division is the three divisions of Tennessee: east, west, and middle. There’s an elementary, middle, and high school teacher selected for each one.”
This means that Goodwin was considered the best of all the high school teachers in all of west Tennessee. Of all the hundreds of thousands of teachers working in Tennessee, Goodwin has fought her way into the top nine, a feat that—obviously—very few teachers can pull off.
“Her reputation as an outstanding teacher is well-known statewide,” principal Mac Hawkins said. “She really cares about the kids and the language. Mrs. Goodwin is a poet in her own right.”
If Goodwin wins Tennessee Teacher of the Year, she will have more to her name than just the title. Goodwin will also have the chance to represent Tennessee in the National Teacher of the Year awards, sponsored by Scholastic, Inc. and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Also, along with the other State Teachers of the Year, Goodwin will meet President Barack Obama. Both faculty and students believe Goodwin has earned these honors through her hard work and strong capabilities.
“Her teaching style helps the kids actually want to do the work and learn,” senior Lauren Levesque said. “She makes first period the best class of the day. It really starts all our days off right, all of her first period.”
The Blue Bell Ice Cream company feels the same way. On Oct. 29 they provided free ice cream to Bartlett’s students during lunch in Goodwin’s honor. They have done the same as well for the other finalists.
Goodwin has many qualifications and achievements under her belt, including her 30-plus graduate hours of English literature and language at Delta State University, the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and Middlebury College.
Goodwin’s teaching career began in Natchez, Mississippi in 1971. Since then, she has worked at four other high schools, including Cordova and Raleigh-Egypt, and a community college before coming to Bartlett. Altogether, she has taught English for 28 years. Also, at Cordova High School Goodwin was the sponsor for the literary magazine “Salmagundi” and taught creative writing, AP Literature, AP Language, and honors English.
“I started out when Cordova started,” Goodwin said. “I basically built the creative writing program.”
The Tennessee Teacher of the Year finals take place in Nashville Nov. 5-6. Both students and faculty wish her luck in the final showdown of the nine best teachers in the state.
“I think she’ll get it,” Levesque said. “I think she should: She deserves it. I think it’s truly possible.”
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