532 - Fall 2013.pdf

Faculty Profile
Joan Goessl
English Chair Challenges Students
to Read, Write and Think
Joan Goessl is in her fourteenth year at Sandia Prep and she
can’t imagine being anywhere else. Teaching English as well
as Journalism & Media Design classes, serving as chair of the
English department, and serving as the Newspaper adviser,
Goessl knows this is where she is supposed to be.
Goessl didn’t take the typical routine to become a teacher.
“Unlike some of my colleagues who have the teaching gene
embedded in their DNA, I took a circuitous route to the
profession,” Goessl said. Before entering the education field,
she was a journalist for The Associated Press.
Growing up in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, Goessl played basketball
and swam in high school. She was also Student Council
president and a writer for her school’s newspaper. She went
on to receive her bachelor’s degree in political science and
journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
followed by a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from
the College of Santa Fe. Finally, she attended the University of
New Mexico and gained her master’s degree in education.
As a teacher, Goessl enjoys helping young people grow and
develop in their educational careers. Teaching students to be
deep readers, articulate writers, sophisticated thinkers and
global citizens with expansive world views is something she
finds gratifying. Although she faces the challenge of keeping up
with teenagers’ ever-changing language, Goessl loves working
with students. “Young people have nothing but potential, and I
love their energy, their fresh ideas, and their willingness to take
academic risks,” she said.
Goessl and her husband, Mark Holm, have three children who
all graduated from Sandia Prep. Being an educator gives Goessl
a broad perspective and also more patience. “My husband says
he looks at childrearing through a close-up magnifier while I
look through a huge picture window,” Goessl said. Their oldest
child works out of Washington D.C. for the U.S. East Africa
Geothermal Partnership. Their second oldest is in graduate
school at UNM in Occupational Therapy. And their youngest is
an undergraduate pursuing a degree in political science.
In her spare time, Goessl likes to read, cook and work out at
the gym. She also enjoys traveling, going to the movies and
spending time with her family and friends.
Sandia Prep is known for its sense of community and
commitment to working with students. “We understand the
importance of a solid academic foundation and of living with
integrity and open-mindedness,” she said. Along with that,
Goessl loves the atmosphere around the campus. Her favorite
spot is the Quad because the energy is contagious. Students
can be eating lunch, tossing a football, drawing or talking to a
teacher in this area. “It’s just an uplifting, slice-of-school-life
environment,” she said.
Her dedication to student’s success has made these last
fourteen years at Sandia Prep very memorable. The happy
memories vary from playing trivia games over dinner with
her advisory to the newspaper students winning a statewide
journalism contest. “I’d be thrilled if they [students]
remembered me as someone who challenged them, listened
to them, and enjoyed their company,” she said. As her students
move on to their college careers, Goessl hopes they remember
that when they don’t have a ready solution to a problem, they
possess the tools to figure it out.
- Bianca Martinez
13 532 • Fall 2013