testimonials from former students

children

Here are some thank you notes from fifth graders I worked with (during a multidisciplinary residency at Whittier School in Oak Park, IL). The Oak Park Education Foundation had hired me to work with three classes at that school. The classroom teachers and I developed a multidisiplinary program that focused on animal migrations (butterflies, whales and caribou), which included poetry, visual art, music and performance. 

adults

"While taking Dan's class, I learned learned to become a better writer both in the sense of writing a paper more thoroughly as well as in great timing.  I really enjoyed taking his class. I can positively say my writing has improved throughout this semester. Before taking this class, writing a paper was very difficult for me; however, now it is easier as well as enjoyable.

"Creativity was also something that was reinforced throughout this course which I believe allows one to open up when it comes to write a paper. Another very important factor I came to learn is, to appreciate writing." -- Elizabeth Baltierrez

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"Mr. Godston's class was really great. He helped me to understand how this class relates to my major, and I enjoyed our class discussions about the books on the syllabus. I learned about many different aspects of culture in society today in his class. " -- Sam Bryer

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_"Dan created a curriculum that made his classes exciting and original, instead of playing things by the book. There were several creative ideas I took from his class that I would still like to expand upon either in the remainder of my college experience or even in my desired professional career as a filmmaker."     -- Casey Laarkamp-Tobel

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"While I was in Dan's class, I learned how to put forth the best work no matter how small the assignment is. I also learned how to integrate different writing styles in papers and not to always stick to one type of writing. I was able to brainstorm before entering this class, but the techniques that he taught us definitely made it more efficient.

"I not only enjoyed but found it also meaningful to share my writings with my classmates. Doing so went from being something no one looked forward to, to everyone wanting to read particular pieces of writing to the class. I also enjoyed the discussions that Dan would conduct in the class and assignments in meeting with other students to creates stories, schools and things of that nature. It allowed me write about what I know, but also to write about what I can imagine.

"I think Dan did a phenomenal job with our class. Everything was timely and organized. He allowed us to get personal with other classmates to the point where we knew each other’s names. I really appreciate that he understood students' needs and consistently offered help."     -- Aisha Jamal

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"I really enjoyed Dan's class.  I thought that all the books we read, the discussions we had, and the projects we did were very insightful and enlightening, and all of the instructions we had for the assignments and projects were very well explained and easy to understand. We always had conversations about the readings we were supposed to cover, and we also had a lot of conversations and did a lot of activities relating to class topics. I really enjoyed our discussions because most of them really got me thinking or taught me some things I didn’t know or had never heard of.  I was very lucky to have a fun and talkative class. 

"I also really enjoyed all the projects we did, because every one of those taught me something different about some form of artwork and also something about myself. While taking Dan's class, I learned a lot about myself and what I really want to do later in life after college." -- Allison Greenwood

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"I enjoyed Dan's class immediately. I truly enjoyed the accessibility to both the instructor and the other students.  The last time I went to college, I didn’t experience or realize this accessibility. I learned that I can do this and hopefully do it well -- which  was a big accomplishment for me, as this class was the start of my new college career. 

"Being in Dan's class reawakened my desire to write. Writing will carry me throughout my entire college career, as well as after I graduate from college. My goal is a B.S. in Business Management with a concentration in nonprofit management; I can combine the skills I’ve regained here with my background in nonprofit grant writing to help me in the rest of my college career." -- Matt Smith