By Elizabeth Contreras
Quietly shaping the next generation of leaders, one Yukon teacher has cultivated a classroom where students feel more like family than faces on a roster. Cameron Cowan’s approach to teaching is simple: lead with heart, teach with purpose.
“I get to be the teacher I hope my own kids have,” says Cameron. “If that doesn’t fire you up to go and be your best, I don’t know what will!”
His path to the classroom was inspired by the teachers who once influenced him. “I try to mold myself after many of my favorite teachers growing up,” he shares. “I can remember moments of leadership and kindness that made every student feel comfortable and willing to learn when we walked in!”
Though he began teaching history, an interest sparked by a childhood trip to Washington D.C., his current role at Yukon looks a little different. Cameron now teaches a leadership class where the goal is to equip students with the tools for lifelong success.
“I teach a leadership class that discusses the values needed to be a positive member of society, setting up my students with the secrets to success one unit at a time.”
Cameron believes that true success is defined by the influence you have on others and the ability to lead in a way that leaves people better than you found them. “Success is seeing former students and hearing their testimonies on how high school helped set them up for life,” he says.
As a parent and an educator, Cameron meets students where they are, encouraging meaningful conversations with the hope of creating lasting relationships.
“It’s a lot like building a relationship with anyone,” says Cameron. “You have to start somewhere, and usually it’s eye-to-eye with each student.”
His servant leadership style sets the tone for everything he does in the classroom. “I want to lead by example before I let my mouth do the talking,” he says. His hope is that students leave his class feeling more confident in who they are and who they’re becoming.
It is in the small victories that Cameron is reminded of his love of teaching. “Every time a student walks in and they go from dreading school to having a beat in their step, that’s WHY I love teaching!”
For Cameron Cowan, teaching is more than just his career. He has taken the opportunity to make a difference in each life he encounters. By leading with heart and purpose every day, his lessons extend far beyond the curriculum, helping students become the kind of people the world needs.
