Andrew Goff, CNCC’s lead instructor for our Early Childhood Education (ECE) program has almost 20 years of teaching experience. He spent 12 years of teaching young children with disabilities, 9 of which were in public school district classrooms. He then left public k-12 schools and he entered higher education to completed his doctorate in early childhood special education leadership. In 2019 Andrew joined our team at Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) as the lead instructor and coordinator of our ECE program. During that time, he has become a leader in the field of ECE who continually strives to improve the educational field he is so passionate about. His greatest satisfaction, however, comes from helping change and influence each student he has in his class.
Dr. Andrew Goff, CNCC Early Childhood Lead Faculty
Andrews passion, knowledge, and expertise are expressed in the classroom with his ECE students. “Over the years, I discovered shared leadership between teachers, parents, administrators, and children is the key to high-quality, meaningful inclusive education for all children,” he states. This discovery has guided his work as a researcher, author, teacher, and learner and he takes pride in sharing this with his CNCC students. Andrew has enjoyed the flexibility that CNCC has given him to push this program to be the best it can be, stating “the leaders at CNCC have encouraged me to follow my research and ideas in the creation of an early childhood program as good as any in Colorado and the surrounding states.”
CNCC’s ECE program is the only program in the state that offers accelerated courses virtually. Additionally, CNCC courses are smaller than most other colleges which, among many other uncommon supports, means Andrew gets to know his students, their families, friends, roommates, and pets. He loves how CNCC students bring their lives and experiences to the virtual and online classes. Whether they are the experiences of a 17 year-old high school student, or a 70 year-old grandparent, every student brings a voice that strengthens the learning community. These unique experiences lend to an ever-evolving classroom environment and push our students to grow in many ways.
Andrew and his family exploring the beauty Colorado has to offer!
Some of Andrew’s favorite moments in the classroom are when a student’s eyes light up because a topic in class helped them make sense of something important in their life that they had never understood. Having them share their discovery with the class often helps others make similar connections. “This leads to authentic, meaningful discussions richer than anything I could plan. It happens once or twice in each course,” he explained. Andrew describes that teaching begins with the right mindset. He encourages students to look at their interactions with young children, as a babysitter, childcare provider, parent, sibling, or teacher – understanding that each of these interactions are critical for the development of the child. Seeing children uniquely as one within their family and community who learn by exploring and experiencing a world in which they are loved and cared for is the basis for early childhood development. It is an important component for students to understand prior to and during the program. Andrew explains that in order to be a successful ECE student, it’s more than the grades you get in the program. As long as your priority is to learn and grow as a person who interacts with young children within a college virtual or online classroom community, you will succeed. It is a student’s growth and commitment that means everything to those families and children who you serve.
CNCC is so proud of Andrew and his dedication to the ECE field. His commitment to excellence, and continual improvement within the profession is evident in everything he does. He recently published a memoir titled Love Is a Classroom about his year teaching when he discovered that, if correctly done, the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classroom was the best for children with and without disabilities, their families, and the school. He also hosts a podcast with the same name that shares the stories of other people who made the same discovery.
In Andrew’s spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family. He also enjoys running in the outdoors, reading, writing, and working on the next challenge to bring awareness to the education of children. He has a bachelors degree in child psychology, a dual masters degree in early childhood education and early childhood special education, both from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. As well as his doctorate of education in early childhood education leadership.
