Goodman: Family man, dedicated educator

Craig Goodman is one of the latest additions to the West Florence staff. He had a rather unusual path to his teaching career here at WF.

Goodman was born in Decatur, Illinois. He attended college at Illinois State, where he majored in and received his bachelor’s degree for English. He later went on to become a professor at Illinois State, and then came to South Carolina to teach at Clemson University. After six years of college teaching, Goodman pursued a career in the field of parks and recreation in Hartsville.

After his work in parks and recreation, Goodman decided to go back to his educational roots and enter into the PACE (Program of Alternative Certification for Educators) program, which after completion, will give him teacher certification for public school.

Now at West Florence, Goodman teaches Mythology and English 2. Though making sure his students fully understand and grasp the material he teaches is his priority as a teacher, he doesn’t find it to be the most beneficial thing to them.

“I want them to not only gain knowledge about the subject of English, but also just life skills as well,” he said.

When it comes to Goodman’s personal life, it’s quite family-oriented. He loves spending time with his wife and two kids, and goes on mini trips with them just about every weekend. When asked about his goal in life, he didn’t hesitate to say that it was to have a successful family.

“There’s something self fulfilling about raising a family,” he said.

This is an understandable answer considering his role model is his father, who is a Vietnam veteran and has taught him the values he still carries with him today.

Besides being with his family, Goodman enjoys reading and watching sports whenever he has the time.

One piece of advice he has for students is: “Be prepared to be a lot more independent after high school whether it be in college or in the workforce.”