If you’ve been paying attention to the calendar, you’d know that Teacher Appreciation Week has recently passed.

Despite this passing, I believe it’s still important for you to know the person behind teaching Bethel High School’s incredible journalists: Ms. Teelia Lowery.

“I’ve always been drawn to storytelling,” Lowery said, an English and Journalism teacher at Bethel High School. “The idea that words have the power to inform, challenge, and change how people see the world.” 

Her background in communications and accomplishments as a published author helped her become the amazing teacher she is today, equipping her to share that knowledge with her students.

Ms. Lowery served in the U.S. Army and worked in communications. After retiring, she wished for a career that would allow her to influence and educate the next generation.

“There’s a multiplier effect in teaching that you don’t find in many other professions — every scholar I pour into goes on to influence dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of people. That kind of reach is something I take seriously and feel deeply honored by.”

Her classroom is always filled with laughter, and she’s only ever as strict as she needs to be. She knows that all of her students have the potential to be great, and it shows in all she does.

Ms. Lowery shared that the most rewarding part of her job was watching scholars find their voices.

“When a student writes their first strong lead, conducts their first real interview, or sees their byline on a published piece, something shifts in them. They stand a little taller. That moment of confidence is something no rubric can capture, and I get to witness it regularly.”

Ms. Lowery encourages students striving to be in her shoes to “consume everything” and to “get your own experiences outside of the classroom”. She explained that the best journalism teachers she’s admired weren’t just teachers; They were journalists before anything else.

She encourages everyone to never stop learning and to be patient with themselves. Great teaching, like great writing, is a craft you keep refining until the end of your days.

Being part of her class has helped me grow into a better writer and person simply because of the positive vibes she brings to my life and to the lives of all my classmates.

“The most powerful story I will ever tell is the one written in the lives of every scholar I’ve poured into.” -Ms. Teelia Lowery | Educator | Multimedia Journalist | Veteran