No Stranger To Change: Bowers Faced Challenges To Educate Students (February 13, 2008)
ROGERSVILLE — Norma Bowers, a retired Hawkins County educator, has worked most of her life to offer encouragement in an environment favorable to success. However, few people know the adversity she overcame as an African-American woman during the Civil Rights Movement to provide students with that support. At a young age, the only child of Beatrice and George Cope realized teaching was her passion. "I've always enjoyed being around young people," she said. "I loved teaching and encouraging students to continue their education." Bowers' long, successful career began weeks after graduation from Tennessee State University in 1955. "Just out of college, I thought I had all the latest principles, all the answers and innovations to be an outstanding teacher," she recalled. "But they don't teach you everything you'll need to know to become a good teacher," she said regarding later lessons in life. ...