Mr. Bowden is a well-known social science teacher for a reason; his psychology classes are intriguing and his knowledge about rap music makes students look forward to his class every day. There is a collective agreement between his current and former students: Mr. Bowden is a favorite teacher for anyone who has him. I interviewed Mr. Bowden to learn more about his path to acclaim as a Lincoln-Way Central staff member.

   Mr. Bowden went to Northwestern University, which his students might recall from the Northwestern Snuggie he wore for spirit week. When asked about the school’s environment, Bowden comments that Northwestern was “very competitive” and that most people focused on studying while he was there. Mr. Bowden has been a teacher for fifteen years, starting his career at Rich East High School. He says his interest in psychology is derived from his curiosity as to  “what makes people crazy.” Bowden says that if he wasn’t a teacher, he would like to be an accountant because he likes math, even adding that he studied accounting in grad school. His advice to students going to college is that the school must be the right fit. As for students who want to pursue a career in teaching, Bowden recommends taking a lot of different classes, so that information can come back and help students when they become a teacher. Mr. Bowden is also notorious for being a rap music connoisseur. His all-time favorite rap group is Public Enemy, although he says that he enjoys Kanye West as well.

If you are interested in psychology or like talking to teachers about rap, sign up for an AP Psych class when January rolls around, and maybe you’ll end up having Mr. Bowden for a teacher.