This month we're excited to feature Franklin Central High School teacher Liz Bowman. Huge thanks to Liz for sharing some of the exciting things she's doing in the classroom!
"I earned my BA in Secondary English Ed from Ball State and have completed post grad work through IU since then. I plan to continue my post grad work through Indiana’s “Teach Dual Credit” program (the Communications coursework), earning my Master’s degree through the University of Indianapolis.
I started out in middle school, but when the Title I funds I was hired with changed in 2017, I moved to high school. I spent 7 years at Lawrence Central, teaching English 10, English 11, Speech, Women’s Literature, and Hip Hop Literature. Writing the curriculum for the last 3 courses was a creative challenge for me, of which I am very proud! The class closest to my heart is probably Women's Literature--I structured the single-semester course around 4 units that are rooted in the historical "waves" of feminism. Every semester started out differently, based on what the students told me they were most interested in exploring (one class decided to go all the way back to Greek mythology, while others were more focused on the Victorian era) prior to 1920, when the first wave ended. I loved giving students the opportunity to explore passages from novels, tv shows, speeches, etc. in order to come to their own conclusions about how and why the writing of women and non-binary folks has and has not changed over time. It felt like the most important kind of work that I had always aspired to when I was a young and naive college student.
I was also an assistant swim coach for 3 years (2016-2019 at LC), head golf coach for 2 years (2019-2020 at Belzer MS), and was asked to start a Speech and Debate program at LC in the fall of 2020. Learning about the forensics community and events alongside the kids during a global pandemic was WILD and I enjoyed getting to work with a whole new side of the student population. That has really turned into a lasting passion in my career as an educator. I now serve on my district committee for the National Speech and Debate Association. Last year I moved to Franklin Central High School, teaching English 10 and Speech. I coach the Speech and Debate Team at FC as well.
Legend has it that as an immature 5th grader, I decided to become a teacher because I “seemed to like telling people what to do.” In high school, the humanities were my greatest area of interest and my love for helping others and serving my community grew deeper, so I knew that teaching was the right path for me. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I decided on English.
My favorite book so far this year has been Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. It's one of the few books that I've read for fun that was not part of the book club I do with my in-laws. They love thrillers and this novel provided a sweet break from the darkness that I definitely needed! As a new mom, my recharging activities have changed a bit this year. I am reading as much as I ever have, but it's almost exclusively audiobooks. I am also a knitter, which I used to do while watching tv, listening to an audiobook, or even just during faculty meetings. However, my yarn stash is sitting idle these days--babies and knitting needles just feel like a bad combination. Most of my energy comes from baby smiles and giggles now, but if the pictures of my daughter posted all around my classroom just aren't doing it on a given day... there's always coffee." -Liz Bowman Thanks again to Liz for sharing her teacher story! If you have a colleague you think would be perfect for an ICTE Teacher Feature, email us at indianaenglishteachers@gmail.com!
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