Mrs. Godin’s Lively Approach to Literature

By Chava Herniter ‘23
Walking into Mrs. Godin’s classroom, a student finds cheerful lights and colorful decorations that capture the joy she cultivates in her class. The newest addition to GOA’s Language Arts department, Mrs. Godin receives rave reviews from the student body.

Mrs. Godin has been an avid reader and writer all her life. As a child, she read many books with strong female leads, an influence that is reflected in her desire to teach books written by a diverse set of writers, namely female writers of color.
“I knew in 7th grade that I wanted to be an English teacher,” Mrs. Godin said. "My husband says I have to stop talking about work, and I say, ‘I don't think you understand—I love my job!’" 
A firm believer in picking a career in a field one truly loves, Mrs. Godin has been teaching since 2008. In the course of her career, she has taught in a variety of settings, ranging from middle school to college. Although mainly teaching English, she has also had the opportunity to teach History and Computer classes. At GOA, Mrs. Godin teaches eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh grade.
“I hope to offer some excitement in my classroom,” Mrs. Godin said. “To think outside of the box, not to teach to the test.” 
To accomplish this goal, Mrs. Godin assigns exciting projects such as song analysis, where students connect the lyrics of a song to the book the class is reading, and museum brochures which incorporated an element of film analysis in her eleventh grade class. 
Furthermore, Mrs. Godin allows her students to choose what book they would like to read and dissect, leading to her overall objective to make her classes fun and engaging.
Junior Tali Goldman said, “I appreciate that Mrs. Godin incorporates fun, unique projects into her syllabus, which allow us to explore our creativity and develop our writing and analytical skills. Our discussions in Mrs. Godin’s class are always lively and enjoyable…“I always look forward to her class and the atmosphere of enthusiasm that students find there.”
Mrs. Godin shares the same attitude towards her job. When asked what she liked about GOA, her excitement could not be contained:
“Everything!—the students, my colleagues are super funny [and] it feels like a family here. I also like how the school seems to genuinely care about everybody…this could be my forever school!"
Her enthusiasm makes a positive impact on her students, who agree that her class feels joyful and that she genuinely cares about their progress in the class as well as their lives outside of the classroom setting.
     Junior Izzi Zellan remarked, "Mrs. Godin is just so clearly passionate about both her students and what she's teaching, and it shows in her classroom. Her class is the highlight of my day."
    Even outside of school, Mrs. Godin’s passion for literature remains. She is currently reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. When pressed for her favorite book, a difficult decision for all readers, she chose the sci-fi novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. 
Mrs. Godin also has several artistic hobbies, including pour painting and jewelry making, in which she uses paint chips as abstract pendants. With her family, she loves to cook, go on hikes and visit museums. When asked her thoughts on the Netflix hit Bridgerton as a Pride and Prejudice lover, she proclaimed it her “guilty pleasure” show.
Mrs. Godin concludes with a final piece of advice. “Always be reading—read as much as you can and always be thinking.”