Welcome to MarkGodi.com
Teacher | Author | Speaker | WASC Coordinator
Hi, I'm Mark!
Teacher, Author, Speaker, WASC Coordinator...
and the person called when accreditation is on the line
and uncertainty
is winning.
I offer workshops, keynotes, and coaching for schools, districts, and organizations. My work is focused on helping educators and leaders build sustainable, student-centered learning environments that prioritize depth, relationships, and real growth over hustle culture.
If you’re ready to bring workshops, keynotes, or coaching to your campus or district, let’s talk.
My mission is simple:
help schools, teams, and individuals trade “hustle culture” for results, depth, relationships, and real learning that lasts.
About me
For the last twenty years I’ve worked in public schools as a teacher, administrator, and turnaround specialist. I’ve taken campuses from “possible probation” to celebrated WASC models, led credential certification for future teachers through University of the Pacific, and keynoted statewide conferences on the evolving landscape of college and career readiness.
As a teacher, I built a thriving art program from the ground up, helping students find confidence, their voice, and their creative agency. I have mentored hundreds of teens navigating the tangled path toward adulthood.
Credentials
- San Joaquin Delta College
- University of the Pacific
- Master’s in Digital Journalism — National University
- Temporary Professor → San Joaquin Delta College
Experience
- 20+ years in public education
- WASC Coordinator and School-Site Visiting Commitee
- Keynote speaker at 2025 NorCal WASC Conference and statewide events
Your pace is your power and no one does it alone.
Slowbuilt
Education, Growth, and Grace
Release date: January 2026
ISBN: 9798263584757
Slowbuilt: Education, Growth, and Grace (January 2026) is the book I wish someone had handed me the day I walked into a classroom. Part memoir, part field guide, it’s everything school never taught us about becoming who we were meant to be for students, for teachers, and for leaders.
Slowbuilt is not a book about being smart, gifted, or getting ahead. It’s about what happens when school, success, and identity quietly miss a large group of thoughtful, capable people. Blending lived classroom experience, personal reflection, and clear psychological insight, Slowbuilt explores how curiosity gets buried, why so many students and adults feel “behind” despite doing everything right, and what growth actually looks like when it isn’t fast, flashy, or rewarded on time.
This book doesn’t promise shortcuts. It offers something rarer: language for what you’ve felt but couldn’t name, and a steadier, more humane way forward.
Reviews
"Author Mark Godi digs deep into his own memories and realities as he learned to navigate education and life as someone who felt he never quite fit anywhere. Godi's realizations are relatable. He celebrates his own victories while ensuring those who are facing similar challenges understand that there is no such thing as the "right path." Instead, he affirms that forward is a motion that we can all achieve, no matter how quickly or how 'slowbuilt' we are. This is an excellent memoir for students, but also for educators embarking on college teaching. It provides a real, unfiltered reflection of navigating educational experience against the backdrop of self doubt while giving cues for how educators can help students find themselves in the world they do. 'Slowbuilt' is an excellent read."
Tara Cuslidge Staiano Berkeley-Educated instructor and award-winning journalistic publication advisor at San Joaquin Delta College (more than 20-years in education)
"I love each page of this nice to read book. It caused me to really reflect as a school counselor and parent how I view and hold space for my students who are like Mark. It was inspiring and caused me to really stop and think. I will use these ideas in my life and at work."
AnneLisa Butcher Veteran counselor at Stockton's Lincoln High School, the largest high school in San Joaquin County
"You have a powerful personal story. I can see you presenting your personal story to (future teachers)."
Dr. Charlane Starks Assistant Professor (retired) of The University of the Pacific’s Benerd School of Education in Stockton
“I loved it!!! Such a fantastic perspective. I love how you connect your own experience and the emphasis on “seeing” students through more than assessments and assignments. Your classroom always reflected that insight, but to be able to share it with others is invaluable.”
Lori Ruegsegger Executive Director of Instructional Services for Lincoln Unified School District
"In Slowbuilt: Education, Growth, and Grace, Mark Godi weaves personal stories that challenge educators to rethink how we measure growth, reminding us that flat lines often signal unseen context rather than failure. Drawing from my five decades of experience in education, I see this book as an important resource for school leaders committed to equity and sustainable progress—it's a call to replace urgency with discernment, fostering environments where students and teams can build steadily and authentically."
Dr. Barry R. Groves Stanford-Educated Education Leader with 50 Years Shaping California Schools, from Teacher to WASC President
"Slowbuilt is a remarkable and deeply moving read. Journeying through the author’s insecurities and triumphs prompted me to pause and reflect on my own, offering a fresh perspective on my growth, vulnerabilities, and accomplishments. The message resonates profoundly: ‘Keep going, not because you have a grand reason, but because each layer matters. Your life is a vessel in progress—uneven, sometimes invisible, but real. Keep shaping it.’ It is a reminder that our lives, with all their complexity, are worth tending to with patience and care."
Kimberly Nelson, English Teacher/STEM Advisor at California Military Institute (PUHSD)
Slowbuilt Workshop
Growth, Without Panic
A companion workshop series for the Slowbuilt book.
What is it?
Slowbuilt is a four-session workshop series designed to help students, educators, and school communities rethink how growth, progress, and potential are understood. Rather than motivating through pressure or addressing disengagement with compliance-based fixes, Slowbuilt helps participants reinterpret progress accurately, recognize misalignment instead of failure, and regain agency without urgency.
The workshop is experiential, reflective, and psychologically safe. It does not use diagnostic language, require public sharing, or promote one-size-fits-all solutions.
How it works
The series consists of up to four sessions, each lasting 75–90 minutes. Each session is built around an anchor activity that ties to the bigger ideas and reflection.
Let's Connect
I'm available for speaking engagements, consulting, and coaching. If you're interested in working together or learning more about my work, please reach out.
Subscribe to my Substack blog below for a fresh take on education each week!
