Tommy Goodeaux
9-29-08
EDTC 100-K
Dr. Lewis
The Life of Tommy Goodeaux
Lee Iacocca, author of Where Have All The Leaders Gone? once stated, “In a
completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us
would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one
generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility
anyone could have.” Well, the society that we live in is definitely not a completely
rational one. On the other hand, I am not the “best of us.” However, aspiring to be a
teacher has become a major part of my being. Not only do I desire to be a teacher, but a
great teacher.
I suppose Maria Callas said it best when she said, “That is the difference between
good teachers and great teachers: good teachers make the best of a pupil’s means;
great teachers foresee a pupil’s ends.” I aspire to be that teacher who makes a major
positive impact on each and every life that I touch. I hope that upon reading this short
autobiography the reader will feel that they know a little more about me, and have just
a little insight to the desire inside of me to make a difference in the lives of young
people.
My name is Tommy Joseph Goodeaux, Jr. I was born in Sulphur, Louisiana at Cal-
Cam Hospital on the 30th of November, 1985. Seeing that it was a nice community, my
parents chose to raise me in Sulphur. I am the eldest of two with a sister younger by
four years. That is another story in-and-of itself. I am sure anyone with an opposite sex
sibling could relate to that story. On July 1, 2006, I married my best friend and the most
beautiful girl in the history of the human race, Brittanee Hand. She as well is working
towards her degree in education. We share many common interests. One of those
interests or hobbies is singing. I absolutely love to sing. I started singing at a very early
age. My father is a minister. So, singing at a young age in front of hundreds of people
just sort of came naturally. At the age of 15 I began leading worship for the young
people at youth services. At Sulphur High, where I attended High school, in my senior
year I was the President of the choral foundation. I have sung in many weddings as well
as an Acapella Choir. Anyone who knows me very well knows that singing is an integral
part of my life and who I am.
Another hobby of mine has become traveling. I thoroughly enjoy seeing other
places, cultures, and beautiful sites. I have visited several different states including:
Texas, Tennessee, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Caronlina, South
Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. My wife and
I often speak and dream of visiting many other countries, such as Italy, Hawaii, and
especially New Zealand, just to name a few. Some other hobbies of mine are: reading,
playing a good game of racquetball, riding my motorcycle, swimming, riding jet skis, and
the list could go on and on. However, between a full-time school schedule as well as a
full-time work schedule, there is little to no time for leisure.
Work has never been something that I was afraid of. Coming up in my family,
hard work was a major part of every day. My father has owned a business since I was
very young. I began to work for him at his full-service station somewhere around the
age of 11 or 12. I would work for him on weekends, as well as when I got off from
school. From there my work experience branches off into many different areas. At the
age of 16 I began working for a rental company. It was my distinct honor to wash off
every single piece of equipment or machinery that was returned. Mud, grease, grass, it
didn’t matter. That piece of machinery had to be ready to be rented again to someone
else, and it had to look just like new. When I was eighteen I worked for an industrial
supply company. I would make purchase orders as well as pick up and deliveries. I had a
company truck and would make almost daily trips to Houston, Tx. for supplies and
deliver them to various refineries. I have also waited tables as well as sold automobiles
for Billy Navarre Chevrolet. My work experiences have taught me many things. One of
the most valuable I think however, is the ability to relate and conduct business with
many different types of individuals. One area of concern I see in my generation is the
inability to effectively relate and impact anyone outside of his or her immediate mind
set or social standing. I am very thankful that I have learned to get on people’s level
regardless of his or her social standing or any generational gaps.
My experiences outside of work related issues, I believe, have also prepared me
for a career in education as well. I have already mentioned that I began leading worship
at the age of 15. So, being involved with youth beginning at an early age has taught me
many things about dealing with young people. I have also for many years taught at our
local assemblies Vacation Bible School, in the classroom as well as directing the choir.
Now directing the choir is no small task let me tell you. There are around 70 kids ranging
from the age of 4-13. Everyday I got them for an hour to teach them specific songs, and
we would have one big performance for their parents at the end of the week. You could
imagine I’m sure, just a few of the obstacles that would arise from that situation.
However, it was always the highlight of my summer. My wife and I are also teachers for
a ministry that we call children’s church. After Sunday School on Sundays all the kids
ages 5-12 go to Children’s Church. We sing kid songs and teach valuable lessons to a
group of about 60 children. Being so involved with kids and young people, I have been
exposed to many different cultures and their ways of doing things. In teaching and
mentoring young people I have sometimes had to even cross language barriers. While I
am no expert on different cultures. I have definitely been involved in dealing with them
from time to time.
I do not believe that a person’s life, much less their career, can be a true success
without goals. Goals are what drive human beings to accomplish and be more than they
are at any given moment. Goals will make you a better person and a better teacher. My
immediate goal, of course, would be to graduate. When I graduate, I plan to start
teaching right away. However, I am a firm believer in life-long learning. I plan to
continue school to achieve my Master’s degree as well as hopefully my P.H.D. It has
been said that in the Chinese culture, attending school well into your sixties and
seventies is a common occurrence. I think that is incredible. By continuing to further my
education throughout my lifetime, I hope to inspire the young people I teach that you
are never too old to learn something new. You should always try to better yourself by
learning something you have up to this point not known. Life-long learning will help
make you the most effective human being you can be.
Why teaching? You may ask. As a very young person teachers, whether in a
church or school setting, have impacted me. Every now and then you will have a teacher
that will spark something inside of you. A spark that challenges you to be something
more! A spark that says, “ You’re worth something. You can be somebody. You can
make a difference!” From that moment your life takes a completely different direction. I
long to have that kind of impact on the lives of young people. So many people just write
younger generations off. They see them as different and unfamiliar territory. What they
should do instead of shunning them is to embrace them and realize that they are the
future of all that is. I suppose I just want to make a difference that will carry on till long
after I am gone. To sum it all up I would like to reflect on the words of W.B. Yeats who
said, “Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”