John McGowan is one of our amazing history teachers here at the School for Advanced Studies Northwest Arkansas.
Mr. McGowan is passionate about making history engaging and thought-provoking for his students. Learn more about what led him to a teaching career, and how he encourages his students to engage in deep discussions every day.
An early appreciation for art and history
Mr. McGowan is a Northwest Arkansas native, growing up in Fayetteville and graduating from Springdale High School. He has enjoyed painting and drawing from a young age, and even took lessons from a professional artist as a kid.
McGowan credits his parents for cultivating an early love of art, history, and other cultures. His mother, a medical malpractice defense attorney, often had to travel around the country, and John and his brother loved researching the places they visited. “We were fortunate to be able to travel and be exposed to a wider world,” he recalls.
McGowan’s love of history and current events led him to study political science at the University of Tulsa. During college, he embraced every opportunity to expand his worldview.
In the spring of 2010, he studied abroad in Ireland. “This was a formative experience for me. I lived with a family and attended a research course outside of Dublin. We traveled throughout Ireland, and I got to engage deeply with my heritage. This gave me a real sense of identity and an appreciation for my roots.” Later, McGowan completed an eight-week Spanish immersion course in Guatemala, attending a language school five days a week and becoming fluent in Spanish.
Making an impact through teaching
Upon graduating in 2012, McGowan decided to attend law school at Mississippi College in Jackson. With his fluency in Spanish and experience clerking for an immigration lawyer, he felt a passion for helping the Hispanic community that he grew up with in his hometown. However, he wasn’t sure that he was on the right path. “It was hard knowing that hundreds of people needed help, but I could only make a difference for one or two at a time,” he says. “I wanted to make a bigger impact.”
Moving back to Springdale, he contemplated his next move. He began substitute teaching, and suddenly all the pieces fit together.
“I saw immediately that teaching allowed me to engage with the community in a meaningful way,” he says. “I realized that I could make a difference more effectively as a teacher than I could as a lawyer.”
John obtained his Master’s in Teaching at the University of Central Arkansas. Before coming to the School for Advanced Studies, he taught in Springdale, Arkansas, as well as Greenland, Arkansas, where he led the social studies department of a local high school.
The value of seminar classes
When Mr. McGowan heard that a new charter school was opening in Rogers, he jumped at the opportunity. He recalls that in his second interview, he was asked to read and discuss an article about a Greek philosopher. “It was one of the most unique interviews I’ve ever had. I loved it!”
As McGowan learned more about the seminar discussions offered at the School for Advanced Studies, he was instantly hooked.
Looking back, McGowan realized that he had taken a course in college that had a very similar structure to the seminars at SAS. “That class gave me a deep appreciation for discussion,” he recalls. “Over the course of a semester, I learned how to craft an argument based on multiple texts, using references to prior content to support my points.”
McGowan loves that seminars encourage students to think outside the box and build their confidence. “I think that being a curious learner and promoting inquiry is a skill that transfers to all areas of life,” he says. “The place where you feel the least comfortable is the place where you have the most growth.”
McGowan is excited to continue developing his history seminars. “In our first year, we’ve cultivated a group of students who are ready to hit the ground running and push the limits of discussion and inquiry. We’ve built the car and now we’re going to drive it.”
Interests outside of the classroom
McGowan is not only a history buff—he’s also an accomplished artist in oils and charcoal. He is a resident artist at Mount Sequoyah and hopes to teach painting at the School for Advanced Studies in the future.
He is also passionate about weightlifting. Over the last decade, he has achieved notable success, placing third in the country at the 2024 Masters National Championship.
John and his family are avid Chicago Cubs fans who love traveling to new places, going on outdoor adventures, and building Legos.
The School for Advanced Studies is glad to have Mr. McGowan on our team! His teaching style is an excellent fit for our school, and we can’t wait to see how his history seminars continue to evolve.
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