A DESIRE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

One driving force throughout Dr. Lisa Fowler’s life has been her desire to make a difference.

She has carried this sentiment throughout her 30 years in education and never let it waver, from teaching sixth graders for 16 years to preparing University of Alabama teacher education students to lead their own classrooms.

“From a very early age, my goal has been to feel like I impacted someone’s life in a positive way,” Dr. Fowler said. “I hope that my time here has enabled me to do that, because if I can feel like I helped make the world a better place than what I found it, I believe my job is accomplished.”

During her nearly 13 years at the Capstone, Fowler, a clinical full professor of elementary and science education, has strived to make sure her students feel valued, supported, and heard.

“All of my research with identity-building starts with how can I help you develop agency, and how can I support you on your educational journey?”

Since she started teaching at UA in 2011, Fowler has helped undergraduates explore what type of educator they want to be through her Teaching Early Childhood and Elementary School Science course. The class gives students an opportunity to make decisions regarding educational assignments and activities, allowing them to develop that sense of agency before they go out to teach in their own classrooms – a vision Fowler and her colleagues share.

“We need to be willing to step out of our comfort zone and give some control to the people we are teaching so that they can give voice to the future generation of learners, even at the youngest and most vulnerable age,” she said. “That is how we develop problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and world-changers.”

Over time, the methods course has evolved into more of a workshop-style approach, with Fowler and the other professors taking the time to listen to the students’ needs and revise the course as needed while providing support and building relationships with them.

“I feel that my journey at UA has been one similar to that of our undergrads,” she said. “I had to find my place, my voice, and become an advocate for myself to help teach my students to advocate for what they need in their educational journey.”

As coordinator of the Elementary Clinical Master Teacher program, Fowler also works with in-service teachers, and she teaches master’s students, one course during the summer and one in the fall. She also serves as executive director of the Office of Interdisciplinary STEM Education Research (ISER) and has been collaborating with the Saban Center, providing her professional knowledge and helping procure the center’s STEM exhibits.

Growing up in a rural Alabama farming community, Fowler said some of the very traditional beliefs that she was taught didn’t set well with her, which led her to rebel at times.

“If you told me, ‘Girls can’t do that,’ then I was going to show you I could, and sometimes that got me into a lot of trouble,” she said laughing.

She even recalls one of her high school teachers telling her she would never amount to anything. But years later, when Fowler accepted her first teaching job after becoming a first-generation college graduate, she found that the very same teacher was now one of her colleagues, which was a rewarding feeling.

“I spent the rest of my life after that moment proving to her that I would (amount to something),” she said.

Her pursuit of a teaching career started a little later than some as she was married with a 2-year-old son and an 11-year-old stepdaughter. There were decisions being made at her stepdaughter’s school that worried her, so she expressed her concerns to the principal. His response was that if she didn’t like it then she should earn a teaching degree and do something about it, which is exactly what she did.

“I knew that day in that moment that, yes, I can come up here and complain every day, but nothing is going to happen, or I can go and do it differently and show others how to do the same.”

Fowler earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from UNA – at times working two and three jobs to do so and help support her family – and discovered that she was meant to teach. That is when she developed habits of a lifelong learner, and she completed Educational Specialist Degrees and her doctoral degree at UA, while teaching full time in North Alabama. She often left school at 3 p.m., drove three hours to Tuscaloosa, attended class from 6-9, then drove back to North Alabama in time to teach the next day.

“The great opportunity we are given as educators should never be taken lightly. There is not a career in the world that isn’t impacted by education,” Fowler said. “What we do as educators matters very deeply to the success and change needed in our country. It not only impacts the people who are in front of us but those who will follow for many, many years.”

On June 1, Fowler will bring her 13 years at the Capstone to a close, retiring from her 29-year career as an educator. But she said she plans to search for other ways to continue teaching, inspiring, and impacting others, particularly helping amplify the voices of women and young students as well as encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM.

“I've just been fortunate to have two dream jobs in my life,” she said. “It will be hard to turn in my keys and walk out that door, but I’m leaving (the College) in good hands and have great hope for our future.”

Shortly after she retired, Fowler felt compelled to return to the classroom. This time, she is teaching sixth-graders at Leoma Elementary School in Leoma, Tenn., making this her 30th year in education.