#4: James Lowe, 33 years

American history teacher James Lowe graduated from Altoona and received his bachelor’s degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Lowe has always taught at the high school level and loves teaching his students. 

“[My favorite part of teaching is] teaching the students about the great history of the United States and sharing my passion for history with them. History is truly an intriguing subject with so many life lessons built into it,” Lowe said. 

Along with his love for history, Lowe is also involved in other activities. 

“I am currently the co-adviser for the Patriotic Student Alliance. I also supervise after school detention for the principals. Previously, I was the coach for the Mock Trial Team when we won both a state and national championship. I also coached baseball for 15 years,” Lowe said. 

Lowe appreciates his teachers from when he was a student including Gene Conrad and C. Richard Shaffer. He also appreciates his dad. 

“The two most impactful persons on my career were my dad who taught me about having a good work ethic and my high school history teacher Dick Shaffer who epitomized what a good teacher is,” Lowe said. 

According to Lowe, there are many changes from when he first started teaching from paperwork to technology. 

“The biggest change is the excessive amount of work required of teachers that does not contribute to one becoming a better teacher or better educating the students. Another significant change has been the prevalence of standardized testing,” Lowe said. “Finally, when I started, computers were a novelty item that might be located in an office and rarely used. Today, every student and teacher has a computer and so much of what we do is based upon computers and technology. My instructional media class when I started focused on how to make overheads for an overhead projector and how to load a film strip.”

Lowe has many great memories from his many years of teaching.

“My best memories are the activities that allowed students to gain an appreciation for history. I always share that I’ve been blessed with the best students and they make this career worthwhile. I would also add that the support I received during my first transplant in 1997 and my second transplant in 2018 can’t be properly expressed in words here, but I am forever grateful,” Lowe said. 

According to Lowe, anyone who wants a teaching career should do it for the right reasons. 

“I recall the long-standing joke of people wanting to be teachers to get their summer off. You have to believe in yourself that you can make a positive impact on your students. That you can make a difference. That will allow you to do this career for an extended period of time. Not every day is going to be easy, but as I always say, keep your glass half full,” Lowe said.