The science department at B-A will never be the same after 2024. That’s because, for the first time in three decades it will have to proceed without the services of earth and space science teacher Mr. John Goodman.
He is this week’s feature teacher. Mr. Goodman has been teaching here at Bellwood Antis for 29 years. In total, he’s been teaching for 33 years.
Mr. Goodman may be best known among the faculty for his sense of humor and penchant for practical jokes. After this school year, Mr. Goodman plans to retire.
“I have mixed emotions, but I feel mostly good about my decision to retire,” he said.
After he retires, he plans on traveling, doing some writing with his travels, and completing several projects. He also plans to finish an advanced scuba program he began a few years ago.
Mr. Goodman has already been to Europe and most US states, and this June he’s going to New Zealand and Australia, where his daughter Miranda is studying abroad.
Mr. Goodman’s favorite thing about teaching is having fun interactions with students, and he enjoys joking around with the students who have a good sense of humor.
“Teaching gave me the opportunity to be creative and work with young adults,” he said.
Mr. Goodman says he’s going to miss the people who work here as well as the students.
Mrs. Alice Flarend, a physics teacher here at BAHS, is one of Mr. Goodman’s closest colleagues and best friends, and she realizes how much B-A will miss when Mr. Goodman departs.
“As a fellow teacher, he is inspiring in how he strives to help his students understand the world. He is building strong smart adults who can evaluate scientific information,” she said.
Mrs. Flarend said she will mostly miss his stories of his weekend and summer adventures of traveling, and she hopes he continues his Halloween mystery parties as well.
Mr. Goodman says his favorite memory is one that he shared with Mrs. Fisher, one of his colleagues in the science department in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“We got into a practical joke battle, on Earth Day. She put a pile of dirt on my desk and I rigged her full size skeleton to jump out at her from the back room,” Mr. Goodman said.
One thing Mr. Goodman says he’s not going to miss is the ever changing schedules, and the last minute interruptions that teachers encounter throughout a school and week.
