Romances with Schools: A Life of Education

(Paperback)

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

Reviews

[Goodlads] 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 persons 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. Goodlads 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 *
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 educatorswhether novice or seasonedhave 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 lifes work: the education of our youth and those who teach them. * Mid-Western Educational Researcher (MWER) *
One of Americas leading school reformers . . . [a] humane, sensible, and creative educator. He was a formidable philosopher on wheels. -- Carl F. Kaestle, University Professor of Education, History, and Public Policy, emeritus, Brown University
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 Goodlads gift to his many admirers, ought to read by everyone who cares about public education. -- John Merrow, Former Host and Executive Producer of National Public Radios The Merrow Report
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 schoolinghis memories of each and every teacher, of fellow students, the smell of chalk, the daily traumas, his early teaching experiences in Canadas 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 forceand in his way, a call to arms! I loved it. -- Deborah Meier, senior scholar at New York Universitys Steinhardt School of Education and MacArthur Award-winning founder of the Central Park East School in East Harlem and the Mission Hill School in Boston

Author Bio

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.