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Business of the Month

September 2008

These words spoken by a child over 100 years ago, “Help me to do it myself”, has been the guiding focus of Gary Goodwin’s life.
Originally from Minnesota, he received his undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University in New York and holds a Masters Degree in Elementary Education and a Masters in Education Administration.
Gary always had a quest for learning and educating children. In 1967 while in the Peace Corp of India, Gary became involved with the Montessori Method of education which led to a lifelong dedication to the discovery of educational possibilities through Montessori Method of Education.
Gary is not only an educator but also an innovator and visionary. In 1976 he started the Montessori school in his home state of Minnesota. In 1979, he moved eastward to Chicago and started the Montessori County School and spent the next 17 years as Head of School.
Gary and his family moved to Rochester in 1997 as Head of Montessori School in Irondequoit which lead to his involvement in the city schools. He was a founding director of Franklin Montessori in Rochester.
He is on the leadership committee of the Rochester Children’s Zone, a committee for preschool and elementary education and serves on the board of Horizons at Harley, which is a National Summer Enrichment Program that assists city school children grades K -8th grades.
In 2007 Gary accepted the challenge as Head of School of Webster Montessori School where he stays active in the local community as well as in National programs, including Webster Chamber of Commerce, International Student Dinners, Summer Camp Fair, Annual Fund Raising and Auctions, Capital Fund Raising, Board of Rochester Children’s Zone and City Kids for Summer Enrichment.
Gary believes that by being open to learning alongside children, children understand that they have a partner in learning and become inspired by that partnership to help them do what comes naturally to them, “learning”.

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