Leslie Bowman
5th Grade Teacher
Everyone has heard the quote, "everything happens for a reason!" On my journey as an educator, I strongly believe this to be true. I chose to change my major to education after a summer of coaching little league softball. Before making that decision, I wanted to volunteer at a school. It just so happened to be at ICS. I fell in love with the school and the way that Indigenous culture was interwoven into everything; from teachings, to foods, to the building structure, etc. I am overjoyed with the opportunity I was presented with in the Fall to join ICS — now, as an official teacher.
I graduated from UW-Madison, where I lived and taught for several years. I currently live in Oak Creek, WI, with my 14 year old daughter, Kadence, and my crazy Black Lab, Adonis. I am an enrolled member of the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe and I take much pride in being an Indigenous educator. Outside of grading, planning, and helping students grow and learn, I love to spend time with family — outdoors, playing games, and laughing together. I also love sports — I play in several competitive leagues; including women's flag football, women's basketball, and volleyball. I spend much of my summer playing in grass and beach volleyball tournaments, which is something that my daughter and I are beginning to do together.
Although I have other passions, I love being a teacher. Building great relationships with students, both as an educator and a mentor, is very important to me. Past students would probably describe me as fun and silly, but would also describe me as strict, but fair. I enjoy the creative side of making lessons come alive for students and strive to motivate students to be lifelong learners.