Being the youngest of four in a tight-knit family with three older brothers is excellent training ground for any would-be teacher. For second grade teacher Lisa Goodfried, this upbringing, in what she describes as “a big outgoing family,” sparked an early interest in leadership in education. At just 27, her path to a faculty position with LFCSA is one rooted in the basic philosophies of our school.
A true Southern California native, Ms. Goodfried grew up in Encino. As a UC Davis undergraduate she enhanced studies in Communication and English with six months of Spanish & Cultural Studies abroad in Seville, Spain. “It opened doors and my eyes to the big world out there, and the opportunities that were within my reach.” Then, before setting her sites on a career in teaching with her M.A. in Education and teaching credentials from Pepperdine University, Ms. Goodfried explored her commitment to “empower kids to write” through non-profit youth program management. As a program manager/director for the Young Storytellers Foundation, her contributions advanced their mission to increase literacy and self-esteem in grade four and five youth through the art of storytelling. It was here Ms. Goodfried honed skills developing curriculum and recruiting schools as partners with the non-profit. Her life-long “love of camps and letting kids be creative in everything they do” led to the position of volunteer coordinator for The Painted Turtle, a Lake Hughes camp devoted to youth with chronic medical conditions. Her M.A. in Education and teaching credentials from Pepperdine University with a stint of student teaching in second and fifth grades at a Van Nuys elementary school followed.
In the Spring of 2008, Ms. Goodfried attended the Los Angeles Charter Schools Career Fair. “I remember being drawn to it because it had a sock-puppet,” she recalls of LFCSA’s booth; “that was the moment I met Karin, Heather Newlin, and Nancy Martorelli.” On paper, Ms. Goodfried’s path to teaching—a well-rounded combination of program management, volunteer coordinator, an M.A., and teaching credentials—represents her unique potential for contribution to our children and our community. While in person, whether for just a few minutes one-on-one or experiencing her in action in her classroom, it’s clear she is a natural to teaching who has found her passion. “I love teaching them the process and letting them go for it,” she says. “I’m someone who likes to think out of the box. Here I can put my own spice and enthusiasm into things.”
Asked about her hopes for her future, she adds: “I look forward to being Mrs. Levy [Ms. Goodfried marries her fiancé Aaron on July 11, 2009] …and to getting more involved with building our school. [LFCSA] embodies a culmination of my goals. I know I can be the teacher that I’ve dreamt of being here…plus I get to work with my friends, everyday.”
This youngest of four and only girl in the family is clearly now…a little sister taking the lead.
