Mrs Catherine McGowan » Mrs. McGowan

Mrs. McGowan

I have been teaching Special Education in Resource Rooms for 11 years. My first 4 years were spent at Alder Elementary in Portland, and then I moved to MLA. I hope I get to stay here until I retire! Before I became a teacher, I worked as a photojournalist for a newspaper in Cody, Wyoming. I like teaching much better!
 
I live with my husband Kyle, 10 year old son Patrick, and 3 dogs: a yellow lab named Hakuna, a black lab named Maisy, and a new toy golden doodle puppy named Ginger. Maisy and Hakuna are trained and certified therapy dogs, and in normal times, one of them comes to school with me most days. My students love reading to them and using them to help manage their stress.
 
My hobbies include hiking, photography, and reading. My family is also converting a cargo van into a camper so we can go on overnight camping trips without sleeping on the ground. 
 
I'm excited to get back into the routine of school, even though it looks really different this year.