"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, how did a 2nd-generation coal-cracker from Scranton, PA wind up living in the mountains of Asheville , North Carolina, teaching art and elementary education? 'Same mountain chain, milder climate... (less snow!).

Well, my first move was from my birth place in Scranton (coal, coal, and...um, coal dust), to Lancaster County (PA Dutch, Amish, horses and buggies, the original Conestoga wagon, and all that....). I graduated from Elizabethtown Area High School in 1979, and attended college at Millersville University, PA . I graduated from there in 1983 with a B.S. Ed. in Art, (K-12) and spent time teaching art to elementary kids with special needs, and as an all-around sub, while working 2nd shift as a type-setter for a printing company (most of it typing textbooks in French, of all things; and - no, I don't speak a word of it). I eventually wound up teaching art full time, K-12, in a picturesque little town on the Susquehanna River, Millersburg, PA. It literally had the white gazebo and the WWII cannon in the town square. Quaint. The town was so small that when I ate out, the following Monday the students would ask me how I enjoyed my steak!

I was itching to get to grad school, so left after one year and headed to Pittsburgh, rooming with a fraternity brother (Phi Sigma Pi) who was already in graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University. I spent a year taking courses at Pitt (and teasing Carnegie Mellon folks) while teaching as an intern fulltime at Falk Laboratory Middle School, and received a M.A. in Teaching, from the University of Pittsburgh, PA, in 1985. This also netted me K-8 certification. Even though the Pirates stank that year, Pittsburgh was a fantastic to live, work, and play. Be aware - unemployed steelworkers are hard drinkers, and you better be prepared to do a shot and a beer with a hard boiled egg if you wander into their neighborhoods! And I definitely suggest you do - there are no greater people than the hard-working, blue-collared folks!

However, Pittsburgh wasn't an economically vibrant area, and I was left over-educated but under-employed, so decided to do the only sensible thing... move back in with my parents and continue my career as a professional student. I returned to my roots and earned a second master's degree, a M. Ed. in Counseling, from Millersville University, PA. This additionally netted me K-12 certification as a school counselor. From here, I was hired as an art teacher in Cape Henlopen, Delaware, right on the beach. But, alas, I don't tan, and gave this up after 2 years. (Besides, when you live at the beach, you have to face the rest of the months out of the year, including December and January).

I next drove to Maine and worked a summer as a camp counselor in charge of the Ropes Course and Outdoor Programs. Most notably that summer, I lead a group of 8 year old girls up the wrong trail, mistaking Blueberry Mountain for Blueberry Hill. I got all 15 of 'em up a level 5 trail, though, and you should've seen the grins on their faces! That was fun, but again over-educated and under-employed... I moved back in with my folks. (There's a pattern here.)

Fortunately, I soon found a job in Allentown (yes, of Billy Joel fame), PA, working as a part time art teacher, part time elementary teacher in Whitehall-Coplay School District. This was a one-year position, so I was already looking for my next step. Yep - back to college. This time I headed to the Mid-West, and spent four years earning my doctorate in Education Design and Curriculum and Instruction in Art Education at Purdue University, IN. From there, I was hired by UNCA in 1993, where - ironically - I'm still in college, more or less. After 11 years as a student, I finally made my way around to the other side of the podium. I've officially been a professor longer than I was a student, now - after 16 years here.

Along the way, I was fortunate to find a tolerant woman to share my life (also an art teacher), with 2 above-average step-kids, and 2 pain-in-the-neck cats (not so wonderful). We tend to have a lot of critters wandering into our yard - snakes, woodpeckers, rabbits, fox, possum, bats, hawks, turkeys, moles, frogs, raccoons, a kazillion squirrels, ladybugs, chipmunks, an occasional black bear, and other assorted critters.

At UNCA we have a small but excellent program, turning out well-prepared teachers. We work closely with a number of local school districts, providing extensive field experiences, close mentoring, and in-depth content preparation. If you're considering becoming a student here, or considering a position teaching here, you'll find our faculty and staff tremendously warm and friendly. If you'd like to explore some of their web-sites, click here. If you'd like to look over our main homepage for the Education Department, click here.

Contact me if you have any questions about our programs, art education in the area, or where to find some of the best microbrews in the country.

Mark