“Get ‘er done” – Mrs. Goodenow

If you were sitting in her classroom right now, you best believe she says this phrase often.

Mrs. Goodenow is a magnificent calculus teacher here at Sahuaro. From personal experience, she is one of the few teachers I’ve had in the 11 years of schooling that is genuinely passionate about her job. Something I love to see. If I could describe Mrs. Goodenow’s personality, it would be bubbly. When asked what students would be surprised to find out about her, she beamed, “I love to sing, play cards, and board games, but most of all, Marie Kondo [Japanese organizing consultant] has nothing on me organizationally!”

Oh, how life can be quite draining. In Mrs. Goodenow’s case, however, working from home has provided her a lot of time. She says that she and her husband use their time after work to take long hikes every day. She admits that “A nice walk does wonders!”

The thought of pet-peeves can be VERY irritating. I asked Mrs. Goodenow what her worst pet-peeve is, and I snorted out loud. She explains how she tends to get annoyed when her kids play Roblox.  Yes, Roblox. “In one of the games, an alarm is set off and it is the WORST sound ever. I get so angry when I hear that annoying alarm sound.” Let’s hope and pray that her children, in the future, don’t read this part of this article.

If anyone wants to remodel their home in the future, let Mrs. Goodenow know, because she might be willing to help out. Mrs. Goodenow expresses that she has always wanted to become a teacher, for teaching is amazing. “But I imagine if I had a second career, I would love to flip houses. I enjoy refinishing woodwork, painting, fixing things, all kinds of house-related projects. I pop in my earbuds, listen to an audio book, and can paint walls for hours. It’s my Zen.” We love an ambitious queen.

From learning that Mrs. Goodenow truly enjoys mathematics — even though many shun the subject — and cares dearly for her kids, I knew she had picked up some wisdom throughout her life. “Don’t stop taking math. Students often think they can stop math classwork because math is not required, but later end up changing their major which changes the math requirement. When you stop learning math, you lose the skills, so keep ‘mathing’ until you are completely done!” I trust her word and so should you.

If you know Mrs. Goodenow, you know she always has her “Joke of the day” prepared, ready for class. When interviewed on what is the funniest joke she has ever heard, she responded, “The ones I tell during class everyday of course!” Well, guess what Mrs. Goodenow? I have a math joke as well. Old relationships are a lot like algebra… have you ever looked at your x and wondered y? I looked that one up.