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Locals return to their alma mater to teach, reflect on changes



Brett & Taylor Bowen

After finishing college and returning to their alma mater to teach, East Lincoln High School graduates Brett and Taylor Bowen say a lot has changed about their school since they were students there not long ago. 

The Bowens first met in seventh grade, and began dating as high school sophomores. After graduating from East Lincoln in 2012, they both attended Appalachian State University, where Brett proposed. They were married in October  2016. Now, Brett is a math teacher and Taylor teaches science at the school. 

Brett said he started teaching because his mother was a teacher at Iron Station Elementary for more than 30 years. 

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a kid,” he said. “The bus used to drop me off at her school and I would hang out in her classroom.” 

Taylor’s path to teaching was a bit different. After pursuing a career first as a pediatrician, then as a physical therapist, she realized her true passion was working with children. She looked into the state’s lateral entry program, a route that allows qualified professionals outside the education system to become teachers, and took advantage of it. 

“I really like it, and I don’t plan on leaving teaching now,” she said. 

Brett said he found plenty of familiar faces when he returned to his alma mater. Fellow teachers like Jason Dragoon, Mark Shanklin and Matt Gallagher all worked at the school while he was a student. His sixth-grade teacher, Jennifer Huskey, is now an assistant principal at East Lincoln. 

“East just feels like home,” Taylor said. “It doesn’t bother me at all that we’re back here teaching.” 

But while much about the school remains familiar, the Bowens said they’ve also seen some differences. 

“I think there’s a big change in the amount of support students get at home,” Brett said. 

When he was a student at East, Brett said his mom would be “on his butt” about his homework and his grades. Now, he noted, parents of some of his students don’t push them to do well academically, so they have to take initiative on their own. 

“Kids have to be independent and take some ownership, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “But some kids decide not to do that, and they can fall through the cracks because of it.” 

Taylor said the biggest change she has seen is the amount of effort some of her students put into their schoolwork. She said it seems like some of her students are more interested in what grade they get and not what they’re learning.

“It’s so hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that sometimes kids just don’t care,” she said. “They want the easiest way to get that ‘A’ with the smallest amount of work.” 

To accommodate students who may not be as motivated as others, Taylor said she tried to incorporate a lot of hands-on activities in her lessons and that a lot of her students have an easier time learning visually, rather than her explaining a particular topic. 

“The learning process can be difficult with 30 to 35 kids in one classroom though,” she said. 

Taylor said one thing that has pretty much stayed the same is the amount of time high schoolers spend on social media. Facebook and Twitter were among the most popular platforms to use while she was in school, but Instagram and Snapchat have taken over now, she said. 

“They don’t text anymore, they just chat on Snapchat,” she said. “I don’t understand why you would use Snapchat when you could just text someone.” 

Highschoolers now are not shy about posting private or inappropriate information online, Taylor explained. She said numerous students have been disciplined because videos of them doing something inappropriate have been circulated on social media. 

“There’s just videos out there of them doing things like that right here on school grounds,” Taylor said.

She added a lot of bullying occurs on social media. During her sophomore year at East Lincoln, she recalled there being a physical altercation between students at least once a week. While the fighting has subsided, she said some kids have just shifted to bullying people behind a screen. 

“Fights are way down,” Taylor said. “I think it’s because students sit behind a computer and put their dirty laundry online, and then when they come to school, they don’t confront each other.” 

Although much has changed at East Lincoln since the Bowens were high school students, they said a lot has remained the same. Both teachers said being in a familiar environment, surrounded by former teachers who are now close friends is enough to make them want to stick around and have a positive impact on their students. 

“We really do care,” Taylor said. “All of the teachers here at East Lincoln, we just want what’s best for our students.”

One response to “Locals return to their alma mater to teach, reflect on changes”

  1. Sandy Smith says:

    So proud of you two! Brett, you were always one of my favorites among Kyle’s friends. Thanks for always being a great influence for your fellow students and now for your own students! And, you were a joy to watch on Football Friday Nights!

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