Romances with Schools: A Life of Education

by John I. Goodlad

Overview

John I. Goodlad has been an unflagging voice for humanistic ideals in education for more than six decades and has helped reframe the modern discourse on the role and function of schools. For Goodlad the goal of public education is to help children become free and full participants in a democratic society by instilling them with a love of learning and a sense of civic responsibility—goals that are incompatible with our present system of schooling that teaches to standardized tests.

In Romances with Schools, John Goodlad steps out from behind the public persona of distinguished scholar and advocate for public schooling to offer a moving personal account of a life devoted to educating the young. He deftly interweaves fascinating personal details with reflections on many of the larger issues in education that he has explored throughout his career.

John’s early encounters with formal schooling began just before the Great Depression in Canada with the humble North Star School. From there we are taken through sixty-plus years in education, starting with John’s first teaching job as the sole instructor of a one-room schoolhouse through his years as an education activist, dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education, and national voice for educational renewal. Along the way, he treats us to vivid characterizations of the men, women, and above all, children who shaped him as a person and inspired his thinking on education. Romances with Schools is both a poignant memoir and a persuasive argument for the need to renew public education to fit the demands of a free society.

Stephen Goodlad, John’s son, has written a moving Prologue to the book that provides behind-the-scenes insight into John’s life. An Epilogue by Roger Soder, a long-time colleague, places John’s work of school renewal in the context of political change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475804256
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/18/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	350
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

John I. Goodlad is the author of A Place Called School, the groundbreaking study of the effectiveness of the American system of education. For over sixty years, he has been a leading force in improving public schooling in North America. John died in November 2014.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Prologue by Stephen J. Goodlad
Part One: As a Pupil
Chapter 1: The Early Years
Chapter 2: The Middle Years
Chapter 3: The High School Years and a Little Beyond
Chapter 4: Becoming a Teacher
Part Two: As a Teacher
Chapter 5: Chalk Dust
Chapter 6: Promotions
Chapter 7: Loss of Innocence
Part Three: As a Hybrid Educator
Chapter 8: The Higher Learning
Chapter 9: Renewing School Cultures
Chapter 10: Nourishing Educational Belief
Chapter 11: Tidying the Mind in an Untidy World
Chapter 12: Toward Schools Commonly Good
Afterword
Epilogue by Roger Soder
Notes

Editorial Reviews

This is a memoir of respected writer and researcher Goodlad's educational career from his attendance at a multigraded classroom in British Columbia to his distinguished service as a classroom teacher, writer, and researcher. On a wider scale, it is also a memoir of education in the 20th century that traces developments in educational theory and practice from the 1930s to the present. Using his experiences as examples, Goodlad points out what was and is good in education and in the concluding section proposes ways to improve what still needs improvement. He also incessantly points out that the fundamental improvement needed in education today means less reliance on standardization and more emphasis on designing schools and curricula for the needs of students rather than the convenience of adults. While this book is an excellent summary of education in the 20th century, at times it bogs down in the minutiae of Goodlad's experiences. In addition, his vocabulary, writing style, and assumption of familiarity with various theorists make it difficult for all but advanced students in education and educational researchers to follow his argument completely. As a result, his book is highly recommended, but only for academic libraries supporting education programs.-Mark Bay, Cumberland Coll. Lib., Williamsburg, KY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Throughout this book Goodlad presents himself as the smart, sober voice in the room. He keeps us grounded, reminding us of the key issues, the monsters in the night, the things we must remember. One chapter is titled ‘Tidying the Mind in an Untidy World,’ and this is what Goodlad does in his writing. All educators have their own romances with schools. It is difficult to read this book without recalling our own experiences as educators and relating our experiences to his. He takes on the issues that we educators—whether novice or seasoned—have struggled with and will continue to face, and shows us how to fight and win. This book marks the vitality of these ideas, shows how important they are to our democracy, and elucidates how quickly they might slip away. We always recognize the fear of change. The danger of not changing, however, should be the greater terror, and that is the moral imperative the thoughtful reader of this book must take away.… Romances with Schools is a fitting paean to his life’s work: the education of our youth and those who teach them.

Mid-Western Educational Researcher (MWER)

[Goodlad’s] reminiscing is interwoven with a deep understanding of changing educational policy and reform movements, substantiated by learning theory. His work, Romances with Schools: A Life of Education, represents more than one person’s account of his education; it is an argument for democratic schooling that captures students’ imaginations and acts as an invitation to educators to engage in continual inquiry into the purposes and practices of schooling, what Goodlad refers to as ‘educational renewal’…. For those who are familiar with Dr. Goodlad’s work on educational renewal, this book provides a nice perspective on the work that came before his national network…. [T]his genre-crossing book that chronicles the hybrid career of an educational innovator deserves critical engagement, wherever one should choose to place it in their collection.

Education Review

Honest, revealing, occasionally acerbic and always thoughtful. It may be that age and vast experience allowed him this luxury, but the rest of us stand to gain immensely from his boldness. Reading his educational autobiography, tracing the changes in schools and all that went with them over almost 90 years through his own experiences offers a rare treat: the people, ideas, passing fads, and vivid stories, stories, stories. When last had I read a book to match his for vivid recollections of childhood schooling—his memories of each and every teacher, of fellow students, the smell of chalk, the daily traumas, his early teaching experiences in Canada’s one-room schoolhouses and reform schools, as well as his many years of focused attention to what democratic schooling is all about? A tour de force—and in his way, a call to arms! I loved it.

Deborah Meier

One of America’s leading school reformers. .. [a] humane, sensible, and creative educator. He was a formidable philosopher on wheels.

Carl F. Kaestle

Throughout his professional life, John Goodlad was a ‘drummer for alternatives,’ always asking ‘Why?’ In Romances with Schools, the gentle professor recounted intimate details of his journey (from humble beginnings in British Columbia to international renown) and shared what he learned along the way. Insistent upon the moral dimensions of teaching and learning, Goodlad reserved his scorn for those who would base all educational decisions on so-called ‘scientific research.’ Most of what passes for educational reform, he said, is mere ‘monkeying around,’ and this trivialization threatens the foundations of our democracy. Romances with Schools, John Goodlad’s gift to his many admirers, ought to read by everyone who cares about public education.

John Merrow