With the new school year starting, we also have new teachers starting at Chamblee High School. Travis Gower has been teaching for 20 years although this is his first year at CHS. He teaches world history, primarily to 10th graders. Gower has only been at Chamblee for a few weeks and is getting adjusted to the new environment.
“I’m getting used to a new place and getting used to a new county with all the different systems. I ended up in a trailer. It’s kind of nice to have a room that’s separated and totally air conditioned, but it’s also like I’m not in the middle of anything,” said Gower.
Although there are some positives to being in a trailer, such as having his own room away from all the chaos inside the school, Gower is also aware of the negatives.
“Trying to get to know new teachers or getting to know other teachers is a little rough,” he said.
Gower worked at some unique jobs throughout college before deciding to pursue teaching.
“I worked at REI and other [places] when I was younger, but I’ve been teaching since I graduated college,” said Gower.
Gower’s working at REI wouldn’t come as a surprise to many, considering his hobbies include spending time outdoors and going on road trips.
“I enjoy spending time with my wife and my dog, being outdoors, hiking, running, biking, and camping. I haven’t had a lot of time for road trips lately, but during COVID, I drove across the country because there was nothing else to do. I love being out and seeing new places,” said Gower.
Being a teacher also includes taking part in the school community by attending school functions, coaching sports, sponsoring clubs, and more. Gower coached cross country and track at the last school he worked at and may want to do this at Chamblee in the future.
“I’m kind of just taking a little break [from] coaching and getting used to teaching here. I can definitely see myself coaching again in the future,” said Gower.
As people grow up, their interests and goals in life change. This is true for Gower too, as he admits that he hasn’t always wanted to be a teacher.
In fact, Gower said, “Before college, that [a teacher] was the last thing I wanted to be because both of my parents were teachers, but after a couple years of being in school, my affinity for history made me decide being a teacher was probably the best move. You never really know what you want to do. Even when you think you do, it still may change.”
Gower graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in social science education. The reason he enjoys world history is because it explains past and present.
“Everything is relevant to our modern-day world and where we came from. For world history, I really like the Middle Ages for some reason, not sure why, I always found that kind of stuff interesting as a kid. I like all of it, it’s just different peoples’ stories, ” said Gower.
Every teacher has their own style of teaching or ways of doing things in their classroom; whether it be lectures, hands on activities, or group work, each teacher has a preference and Gower wants students to be more independent of their own learning and progress. “I want to get kids involved and for them to take ownership of their learning. I really just want to help facilitate the story and not be the storyteller the whole time,” Gower said.
With both of his parents being teachers, Gower followed in their footsteps in more ways than one.
“My first year teaching was my dad’s last year teaching and my sister’s senior year of high school, and we were all at the same school. My dad was the head cross country coach and I was the assistant cross country coach and my sister was a senior on the team. So we had most of the family stuck together,” said Gower.
Gower’s students believe that Mr. Gower isn’t too strict, but also isn’t too laid back.
Mali Hemric (‘26) said, “Mr. Gower is definitely on the stricter side of teachers, but he actually teaches very well. He explains everything when we get our notes, and most of our activities right now are independent study ones where we use a book.”
Kaley Puri (‘26) explains that because she doesn’t like world history, Gower’s class has caused more anxiety for her.
“He’s fine, he’s pretty nice, but sometimes his class can be stressful,” said Puri.
Gower’s students explain that Gower elaborates and explains the topics they are learning well and in a more advanced manner.
“I would say his teaching style is a little bit more like a lecture style, something you’d probably find in a college. He does a lot of talking and then sometimes he shows a few videos,” said Mali.
Although Gower isn’t too strict, he also expects students to be attentive and ready to learn in his class, as do most other teachers.
“This one guy was sleeping and then [Gower] hit his desk with a gavel, it was pretty crazy,” said Aiden Armstrong (’26).
Mr. Gower’s advice for his students this year is to try to understand how everything relates to us today.
He said, “Put your phone away and realize that what we’re going over, all the specific details, you’re not gonna remember per se, but it all connects to where we are today and that’s the point of learning history is just to understand where we came from.”
