Alumni Spotlight: Nick Goodspeed

Nick Goodspeed has been in early childhood classrooms since 2019. However, if you asked him four years ago where he would be in his career, this would come to him as a complete surprise.

After college, Nick elected to work for an advertising agency in Chicago. “I was one of those people who didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to go to college and get a job after but wasn’t sure of what was next.” 

Not feeling fulfilled in his job at the agency, he felt pulled to teach instead – he had always been a fan of kids and had prior experience coaching. Nick decided to leave advertising and applied for an assistant teaching position at Latin School of Chicago, an independent PK-12 school. His plan was to give himself a year there and figure out if teaching was the right pathway for him. “Luckily, it did work out and I love what I’m doing now,” he says with a smile. 

At Latin, Nick had wonderful mentors who encouraged him to get his teaching license and Master’s degree. This was quite a new endeavor for him, as he had never taken a teacher preparation course before. He’d heard great things about National Louis University’s National College of Education and in his second year decided to apply for the Year Long Internship: a unique field experience model where MAT candidates can be hired as a full-time paid Teaching Assistant for an entire school year instead of doing a traditional student teaching placement. Thanks to NLU’s Internship model, Nick was able to stay at Latin while developing as an educator. 

Nick, now a Jr. Kindergarten lead teacher at Latin School, feels exceptionally prepared for this new role thanks in part to his experience as a Year Long Intern with a supportive mentor. 

“I created relationships and built trust with students and teachers during my Year Long Internship, which would have been difficult if I had started half way through the school year. I was also able to connect my tangible experiences in the classroom with what I was learning in my NLU courses which expedited my learning. I’m especially thankful for the lead teacher I was with who was open to answering any of my questions and prepared me well. She would ask if I felt comfortable taking on a lesson and that built up my confidence in the classroom. The Year Long Internship solidified my desire to become a teacher in my own classroom.” 

His time as an intern wasn’t without its challenges. While Nick was in the middle of his MAT program, he and his wife welcomed their first child. He had to learn how to balance school, work, and a young family. “There’s a lot of time in a day, but it doesn’t feel like that when you are immersed in those aspects of life. That year, I learned to maximize my time with my school work, students, and family.” 

As for what’s next for Nick, he wants to continue in his early childhood classroom and keep growing by taking advantage of the professional development opportunities offered by Latin School. He is also considering becoming a mentor teacher himself to prepare future teacher candidates, much like his lead teachers supported him. 

For those MAT students considering doing the Year Long Internship, Nick has this advice: “Take advantage of the opportunity to spend as much time in the classroom, developing relationships with students, and learning from lead teachers who may have different teaching styles.”