Citrus Heights teacher in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher

By Sara Beth Williams–
A local middle school teacher is among the top contestants in a national competition with a grand prize offering of $25,000 and a trip to Hawaii.

Riley Goode, who teaches English and history at Sylvan Middle School in Citrus Heights, has slowly been climbing in popularity in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher, thanks to support from her school community. Goode currently sits third out of the top 10 in her group as of Saturday. Community members can cast their vote for Goode at this link.

In an interview, Goode said she would love to use the prize money of $25,000 to take her students on a field trip to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose.

“Egypt is a very large unit in my curriculum, and I know students would love to see artifacts,” Goode said, noting there is a real mummy on display.

Goode also said she would like to pay off her student loans and car loan so she can begin saving for the purchase of a house.

The winner of the contest will also receive a trip to Hawaii and a special appearance from Bill Nye the Science Guy, who will come to the winning teacher’s school for an assembly. The winner will also be featured in Reader’s Digest.

Goode said her students, the school administration, and her school community have all been excited and supportive of her and have encouraged the community to vote through handing out flyers and sending out emails.

Goode has taught at Sylvan Middle School for two years and taught at a private elementary school in Davis for two years prior, before deciding that elementary teaching wasn’t for her, she said.

When asked about why she became a teacher, Goode said she wanted to become a support and an advocate for students.

“I realized during my own education that I had a privilege that many students across the United States do not have: a supportive and engaged adult at home,” Goode said. “I’m there to tell them I’m proud and, more importantly, to tell them, ‘You should be proud of yourself” when they overcome academic or personal obstacles.”

The winner of America’s Favorite Teacher is decided solely on votes from community members. All teachers in the running are placed in various groups, Goode explained, adding that her group started with 84 and then she made it into the top 20, based on the number of votes each teacher received.

According to the competition’s website, each week the list of teachers is reduced based on the number of votes received from the public. By March 28, the list will be cut to the top five, and by April 3, the list will be eliminated to one preliminary winner, who will advance to the quarterfinals round.

In the quarterfinals and all subsequent rounds following, votes are reset each time. The quarterfinals begin April 7 and will last 10 days. One winner from each quarterfinal group will move on to the semifinals round, which runs from April 18-24, and winners from that round will enter the final round of public voting, which begins April 25th and ends on May 1.

The grand prize winner will be announced on or around May 31, according to the competition’s website.