“Look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!”

Just kidding, it’s principal Carol Goddard. She may not be able to read your mind, but she can read your lips.

That’s right, Goddard can read lips. She can tell if you’re talking about skipping class or about the test you’re taking later. Goddard learned to read lips because her mom was deaf.

Her mother became deaf when she contracted whooping cough at 18 months old. “[People would] call her name and she wouldn’t pay attention–people thought she was mentally disabled,” Goddard said. 

It took several visits to many different doctors before one finally diagnosed her. Goddard’s grandparents then decided to move from Texas to Oklahoma because they had the best schools for the deaf.

Goddard’s mom learned sign language and articulation. “Sometimes you wouldn’t hear any voices in the house, we would all be reading lips, especially with my mom,” Goddard said.

Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Goddard had four sisters (one of whom was her twin) and two brothers. In addition to six siblings, Goddard grew up with dogs, cats, geese, rabbits and horses.

“My twin sister is the [opposite] of me, I’m very outgoing and she was very introverted,” Goddard said. Even though they are complete opposites, they are still best friends. They both went to the same college and roomed together, and even both went into education. Her sister, Cheryl Kelly, is now the school board president of Broken Arrow Public Schools in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Goddard’s mother was a star athlete and that was a huge inspiration to Goddard and her siblings.  Her mother played basketball and made it to the hall of fame for the deaf. She was also a physical education teacher, and before becoming an administrator, Goddard followed in her mother’s footsteps by teaching PE as well. Goddard’s brothers played football and she played many different sports from basketball to racquetball.

Prior to coming to Maryland, Goddard made an impact by starting several girls sports at two schools in Missouri, as well as coaching girls basketball, softball, and volleyball. 

She has been living in Montgomery County for 24 years, and she worked at Watkins Mill in the early 2000s.  After leaving the Mill, she went on to become principal of Gaithersburg Middle School. Now that she’s back at Watkins Mill, Goddard said that she enjoys speaking to students and wants to make Watkins Mill better than it has ever been.