239 Connie Goddard: Writer and Independent Scholar: Intertwining Labor, Learning, and History

Connie Goddard has reimagined who she is for her entire life. One thing remains constant: her love for writing and for history. Connie lived in Chicago for most of her life; she writes about the city's history, that of the Dakotas where her family is from, and New Jersey, where she now lives. Industrial education programs in all three places are the subject for her current major project: a book called Learning for Work, which will be published next summer by a major academic press.

A few years after receiving her Ph.D. at age 60, Connie joined the Peace Corps, where she taught English to children in Romania. Afterward, she resettled in New Jersey and taught at a community college; there she had an opportunity to teach English and history to incarcerated men, an experience that inspired her book. From 1980 until 2009, Connie wrote for many national publications and worked as an administrator and adjunct professor at several prominent Chicago-area colleges and universities.  

As a scholar, Connie is primarily interested in schooling during the Progressive Era, particularly the work of Chicago's Ella Flagg Young and her colleague John Dewey. Both were leaders who changed the way people thought about schools and the meaning of education. Connie claims that, though they worked together over a century ago, their insights remain pertinent today, especially as our society is rethinking the necessity of a college education for all.

Today, Connie cares for her husband and utilizes a room at the back of her house where she concentrates on work that totally involves her. She doesn't anticipate ever running out of projects: as a volunteer, they include heading education programs for her local branch of AAUW and raising money for Covenant House, which offers assistance to homeless youth in her community. 

“I do not anticipate ever running out of projects involving research in the areas I am interested in.”

Connect with Connie:

Website: https://ConnieGoddard.com

Email:  conniegoddard@gmail.com