Teacher Feature

Teacher Feature

Before Mr. D.J. Bowen came to teach at Armijo, he spent four years teaching at Will C. Wood and one at Pittsburg High School. He actually graduated from Will C. Wood in 2007, as seventh in his graduating class of over 700. I was the first male; there were only six girls with higher GPAs than me!” Mr. Bowen said. He’s been at Armijo, for four years. He currently teaches Statistics and Business Math, but he has also taught Math 1, Math 1A, and Math 2. “I love my department,” he said.

After graduating from Wood, Mr. Bowen got accepted to every school he applied to, including UC Davis and UC Berkeley, but I went to Saint Mary’s College in Moraga and graduated in 2011 with a B.S. in Mathematics and minor in Economics,” he said. I lived in the honors residence hall and had a connection to my Resident Director who helped me become a student leader on campus by being a Resident Advisor, choosing the right classes, and eventually switching to becoming a math major.

I got hired to teach on my 23rd birthday, so I haven’t had many other grown-up jobs,” said Mr. Bowen. He has had a handful of side jobs. “I’ve driven an Uber and announced PA for many different college athletic contests, including UC Davis, St. Mary’s, Cal Berkeley, and American River College,” he said.

I became a teacher because I love math and saw it as the best way to help a community. Everyone gets an education and if a kid can have an impactful teacher in their high school career, it may be just enough to steer them in the right direction,” said Mr. Bowen.

Teaching is not for everyone, though. Mr. Bowen suggested that future teachers are sure that they are doing it for the right reason and have patience and a love for specific age groups. It doesn’t hurt to feel comfortable in the surroundings but there’s always room for improvement. “When I taught at Wood, I got the chance to teach in a brand-new building, so I would ensure that Armijo had brand new buildings to teach and learn in. Just to show how old the campus is, my great-grandfather attended elementary school in the ‘annex.’

While work is important, Mr. Bowen also finds time to have fun. He is a huge sports fan and his favorite teams are the Raiders, Warriors, San Francisco Giants, and Arsenal FC. He’s even been a season ticket holder for the Warriors for the past years, including years before they made the playoffs.

Not only does he enjoy watching sports, but he also enjoys coaching. At Armijo, he has coached different sports, “including three years as the varsity girls’ basketball coach and a year as a JV assistant for football,” said Mr. Bowen.

“I also take my two dogs on walks – a 4-year old Corgi and a 14-year old Lab,” he said. Lastly, he said that he likes to play single-player games on PS4.