Our Wildwood, Winter 2018, Volume 42

Q/ a

Q/ a

. ABRAMS: When you say they were “like my Wildwood teachers,” what do you mean? GOODFADER: That they really cared and were really excited about teaching. We visited a lot of schools. I could have talked with the [Wildwood] math teacher and science teacher all day. We had technically run out of time, and we were still chatting. It was 8:30 at night on a weekday, and I know they’re busy, but they still loved to chat about school. The dedication, the enthusiasm for teaching and for the kids, is great at Wildwood. Q/ a . ABRAMS: What are some of the constants that you have seen and what are some of the changes that you have seen in Wildwood? GOODFADER: Until you have a kid going to Wildwood, you don’t appreciate all that the school does to update the curriculum and change their approaches, and address issues that come up with kids today. That is what I like about Wildwood so much and what I appreciate. Q/ a . ABRAMS: It sounds like you were particularly attracted to the way the school changes with the times and addresses the needs of the children that are in front of them. GOODFADER: Exactly. Until you’re a parent, you don’t realize that every kid has issues or something they struggle with. And how you approach it makes a big difference. The Wildwood way of discussing and reading and that sort of deep attention is what I think is best for my kids.

. ABRAMS: What’s the most important Life Skill that you draw on today? GOODFADER: The Wildwood Life Skill that I think is the most useful that I still see today and I saw back then was the group projects and the way groups work together. You had a feeling at Wildwood that you weren’t competing with the other kids; you were all working together, so you drew on one another. All through high school, all through college, I automatically drafted my teams. I picked my project guys so that we would all work well together. I went to Tufts University, a very good school with very bright minds that far surpassed me, but I was usually the leader of the group because I could facilitate people together. Those were skills that Wildwood taught you that you don’t appreciate while you’re doing it, but it’s so important in life to be able to make a group work together and help a group facilitate. It’s almost more important than anything, not just academically but also in business or in family. Q/ a . ABRAMS: Are there things Ty is doing at Wildwood that remind you of when you were here? GOODFADER: He went to the La Brea Tar Pits this year and I said, “Oh, we must have gone there six times. I loved it. That was one my favorite places.” It’s kind of cool to have the same field trips, to explore LA like we did back then. Q/ a ABRAMS: I like that. That’s a nice kind of connection. What else do you remember about your time here? GOODFADER: I was a cocky little 6th grader. I do remember that. I thought I knew all the tricks of Wildwood by the time I left after 6th grade [laughs]. Part of why I love Wildwood for Ty so much is the social-emotional aspects that are so important. And looking back, I didn’t realize how important they were to me. WW

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