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Virginia Bower - English Instructor
By Terra L. Sowards
Virginia Bower
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When Virginia Bower started college, she never thought she would be teaching English.
She said that she went to college to become a Biology major and during her sophomore year at St. Andrews College, that idea changed.
"I had to choose a major so I began to look at the classes I had taken and it turned out the ones I liked the most were my English classes," Bower recalls.
After graduating from St. Andrews, Bower went on to graduate school at Appalachian State University.
Now she teaches freshman English and is in charge of the Mars Hill Writing Center. The Writing Center is where students can take their papers and have other students look over and edit them. About 250 students went there for help during fall semester.
Bower has not always lived in North Carolina. She was born in Ohio and, at the age of 15, she moved to Boone for ten years. She then headed out west to New Mexico for 12 years and then returned to Asheville, where she lives now.
"I'm a very eclectic person," said Bower when asked about her music interests. She loves many types of music - everything from world music, to jazz, to female singer/songwriters. She often plays classical music to her classes as well as at home when she is trying to wind down in the evenings.
She claims herself to be a very domesticated person.
"I like to cook and take care of my house."
She also loves the outdoors, not only working in her garden and yard but hiking as well.
Going along with the domesticated side of this English professor is a chef. And she has been known to invite her classes to her house for breakfast in place of a class period.
One of her favorite meals to cook is Polenta.
"It is basically Italian grits," Bower explained. There are many ways to make Polenta but her favorite way is "Cinnamon Chipotle Chili Butter." This is basic grits with added kicks of smoked jalapenos and lime juice.
She is a regular at Malaprops, a bookstore in downtown Asheville. She loves to go and hear the "assortments of people" that Malaprops often has to speak.
Since she had been to New Mexico for a few years, when asked about her traveling experiences, she mentioned that she would love to visit Europe one day. Also, because of family roots, she would love to visit Scandinavia.
"I have a friend that gives tours of Costa Rica," Bower said. She went on to say that she hopes that one day she will be able to get in on that tour, as well.
Considering her profession, it only seemed appropriate to ask about her writing. She said that she is always doing some sort of writing.
"I have written a few articles for magazines and I am always writing e-mails - professional as well as personal," she said.
She went on to say that she never really wants to write a novel, but more a collection of short pieces.
"I want to write something person that others can relate to."
Kathryn Hall, a sophomore form Morganton, NC, said that Bower was her favorite teacher her freshman year.
"She not only took the time to challenge us educationally, she took time to get to know us on a personal level. I had her for English in the GE learning community and her style of teaching for this subject was fun and intriguing."
Mars Hill faculty are known for getting to know students personally, and according to Kathryn, Ms. Bower did this well.
"I was going through a hard time last year and she took the time to see how I was doing, to talk to me, and help in any way she could. That meant a lot for me, for a teacher to care so much about me as a person, not just a student."
Alicia Holman, a sophomore from Lawrenceville, GA, mentioned Bower's creativity.
"I liked how she made us write creatively...it was a challenge but worthwhile."
Click for essays by freshmen.
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