After years in the public school system, Mic Bowen said he took a position teaching science at Calvary Christian School six years ago so that he could focus on what he is passionate about.

“It’s nice to be able to teach what I like,” he said.

Bowen teaches science to the middle school students at CCS, as well as leading a Bible study.

Bowen, a third-generation teacher, said that after working in both the public and private school systems, he sees good and bad things with both. While at CCS he works with smaller class sizes and is able to give students more one on one attentions, he said the budget limitations can sometimes affect the amount of money that goes toward resources.

He said that in the field of science in particular, his biggest challenge is figuring out what to teach his students to give them the education they need now while at the same time preparing them for what they will need in the future.

“We have so much information now, and so much knowledge on science that it’s hard to teach it all,” he said. “Whether you’re in public school or private that’s a challenge because we don’t know. It changes so quickly that what may be a major field of interest in science right now may not be in 10 years.”

Bowen said that as a result science classes are becoming more and more student-driven, with time being given to try and engage with each student and find out what is important to them.

“I give plenty of time to kids if they bring up questions,” Bowen said. “I have one kid who loves paleontology. He loves dinosaurs and dinosaur bones, but somebody else wants to know about the physical body.

“You have to stop and teach them what they are interested in sometimes, because if you don’t you’re going to lose them.”

Bowen said his goal with each class is for the students to still love science even after the class is done. He said that unfortunately there is a pattern of students who love science when they are young, but by the time they finish high school they are burnt out.

He said he tries to take a broad approach to teaching, supplementing lecturing with videos, experiments and outdoor activities like gardening.

“There’s a lot of stuff that I do where I take my hands off,” Bowen said. “I say ‘here are the questions, it’s up to you to get them answered.’”

Working at CCS also gives Bowen a chance to incorporate his faith into his teaching, he said.

“My faith dictates everything,” Bowen said. “When it comes down to real things, to real life, I’ve been through it and my kids have been through it. When it comes to science, yeah there’s different beliefs but the bottom line is what you see around you — in my opinion — gives glory to God.”

Bowen said he believes that the more people learn about the earth around them, the more glory God gets.

“I don’t try to separate the faith of my kids from what they learn in science, I think the two can correlate just fine.”

When he isn’t teaching, Bowen said he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters who he lives with, as well as another daughter, son-in-law and grandson who live in Montgomery County.

Bowen also enjoys gardening, landscaping and working with his church, Christview Christian on Boonesboro Road.