Meet Señora Gretchen Goodson
Spanish
Ms. Goodson has been teaching at St. Matthew’s for eight years. She has a BA degree in Elementary Education from Central College in Pella, Iowa and a double Master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) and Spanish from The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She holds a Reading Endorsement from Great Falls as well as a Spanish Bilingual Certification from The University of Houston. Before St. Matthew’s, she taught 20 years with Spring Branch ISD in Houston, Texas where she was a second, third and fourth grade Spanish bilingual instructor. She has been a literacy mentor in SBISD, creating reading programs for new second and third grade teachers. She has worked with multi-age students and served as both a bilingual reading specialist and a bilingual math specialist. Ms. Goodson also taught college level Spanish with FVCC and children’s Spanish classes with The Kid’s College at FVCC.
At St. Matthew’s Ms. Goodson teaches K-8 Spanish. She greatly enjoys the special programs that the upper grades put on during the school year from the 5th grade Las Posadas Program, the 6th grade El Día De Los Muertos altar presentations to the 7th Grade Spanish Fashion Show and 8th grade Spanish dialogos, entrevistas and cooking classes.
Ms. Goodson loves the excitement and enthusiasm the young grades have for learning Spanish. She enjoys teaching many different grades with a single connecting thematic approach. Each unit she offers generally connects with a lower and upper grade. Learning is contagious that way. Students always enjoy knowing what the others are learning. She is student-centered and likes a hands on approach to learning a second language.
Ms. Goodson is a competitive swimmer from many years back, a bike rider, runner, golfer, and reader of great books. She loves living in Bigfork on The Swan River with her two daughters. She gardens and is involved with The Bigfork Farmer’s Market during the summer months.