Education leaders mourn loss of inspirational Red Deer teacher Joe Bower
Diane Ravitch, professor of education at New York University: “He was one of those educators that you wish were in charge of an entire state or nation. He was kind, caring, compassionate, and loved children.”
Members of Alberta’s education community are mourning the unexpected death of a Red Deer teacher who had gained a wide following for his views on inspiring and assessing students.
Tributes and prayers for Joe Bower, 37, flooded social media sites Sunday and Monday, after news broke that the junior high school educator had suffered a massive heart attack New Year’s Eve. He died Sunday after his family made the decision to take him off life support.
“Joe really made an impact on a lot of teachers in Alberta, but his work was known worldwide,” saidGeorge Couros, the division principal for the Parkland School Division, who initially got to know Bower through Twitter and their shared interest in innovative education.
“He really challenged, in his way, the traditional ways we think about school. He was relentless in his passion to help students.”
Bower was probably best known for his advocacy around getting rid of grading in school. His blog, For the love of learning, featured many posts about the subject and other topics related to the education process, including discipline, homework and lesson planning.
“When we reduce something as magnificently messy as learning to a number, we always conceal far more than we ever reveal,” he wrote in his last post, published Dec. 17. As of Sunday night, his blog had received about 60,000 page views in the last month.
Red Deer Public Schools issued a statement Monday that noted the contributions of Bower
“Joe was a passionate and committed educator who was a strong advocate for students and teachers,” the statement said. “Joe will be deeply missed, however, he will be fondly remembered and his legacy will endure.”
The district said it has not yet planned any memorial event for Bower. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
According to his blog, Bower had been teaching for 16 years in public schools. Included was four years teaching at a children’s psychiatric assessment unit at the Red Deer Regional Hospital.
Bower’s death spawned comments from dozens of social media users all over North America, many of whom reposted one of his recent Twitter remarks: “Want to collect data on how children are learning? Know them. Watch them. Listen to them. Talk with them. Sit with them. Be with them.”
Postings about Bower came from a number of politicians, relatives, friends and former students.
Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark: “Alberta is a lesser place without @joe_bower. You gave so much to #abed, your family, your province and to education worldwide.”
Liberal MP Kent Hehr: “We have lost a tremendous advocate for education & progressive politics.”
Former PC cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszuk: “Alberta lost a great educator. Such loss is not only felt now, but for generations to come.”
Former premier Dave Hancock: “Joe was passionate, intelligent education advocate. Many great discussions.”
Jennifer Bower-Hannotte, Bower’s sister: “Joe Bower’s passion will be his legacy. He has touched the lives of so many and I am honoured to have him as my big brother.”
Friend Jesse Bourne: “His passion and unapologetic ways both inspire and frustrate people, and have ultimately had a massive impact on many.”
Friend Nadine Smith: “I was thrilled to see and chat with him about his path in teaching — and was not at all surprised by how passionate he was about it (as he had always been with everything, big or small) nor the fact that he was pushing boundaries all over the place and being so outspoken with what he believed in (whether it made him popular or not). This was the Joe I had known.”
Diane Ravitch, professor of education at New York University: “He was one of those educators that you wish were in charge of an entire state or nation. He was kind, caring, compassionate, and loved children.”
Education leaders mourn loss of inspirational Red Deer teacher Joe Bower | Edmonton Journal: