Cleveland’s frequent moves have resulted from her husband Ben’s assignments as an Air Force pilot. Wherever the Clevelands and their four children have lived, they’ve immersed themselves in the culture. And along the way, Karen has collected pieces of those cultures for use in the classroom.

When Ben retired from the Air Force and the family moved to Marietta, S.C., last year, Karen saw her opportunity to become a teacher. She had already earned a bachelor’s degree in history but needed additional training and certification to be able to teach.

This is where Clemson comes into the picture.

Last year Clemson began a fast-track program for middle-school teacher certification based at the University Center in Greenville. The master of arts in teaching (MAT) program was created in response to new S.C. middle-school certification requirements and the federal No Child Left Behind legislation.

“Middle-school certification is brand new in South Carolina,” says Linda Gambrell, director of Clemson’s Eugene T. Moore School of Education. “Previously, a teacher would be certified K-8. Now there are three certifications in that age grouping — early childhood (birth through grade 3), elementary (grades 2-6) and middle (grades 5-8). About 60 percent of present S.C. middle-school teachers are certified in elementary.”

Clemson’s new program at the University Center is designed to help adult professionals who already hold bachelor’s degrees become middle-school certified while earning a master’s degree. Areas of certification include language arts, social studies, math and science.

The program includes 36 semester hours, which most full-time students complete within 12 months. It requires entering students to have an undergraduate degree, with a minimum number of hours in the given content area, and an acceptable score on the Praxis II middle-grades content-area test.

Cleveland was among the first group of MAT cohorts in July 2003. Led by Lienne Medford, MAT coordinator, the first class quickly filled with a diverse group of 19 students ranging from early 20s to 50 something, and from recent college graduates to midcareer professionals. The group included Jay Tierney, a self-proclaimed “refugee of the textile industry”; Kate Kirkman, a 2003 Clemson elementary education graduate with plans to join the Peace Corps; and an array of other interesting individuals.

The experience of the first class was so positive and the job placements so successful — 100 percent hire rate — that the program’s second class more than doubled to 42 full-time students.

Cleveland graduated last summer and is now teaching social studies at Northwest Middle School in Greenville. Tierney is teaching at St. Joseph’s Middle School. Kirkman is headed for the Peace Corps to teach in one of the poorer Pacific countries. Other classmates are teaching in schools throughout the state.

The current class is equally diverse and promising. Class member Joel Brandon, a Greenville attorney, says his decision to become a middle-school teacher wasn’t from a desire to leave his law practice as much as it was “a desire to do something I’ve always wanted to do.” He’s taught at the collegiate level but is also comfortable with the middle-school age where teachers are needed the most.

Another current student, Clemson alumnus and longtime accountant Ron Knorr ’81 says he’d been thinking about a career change for a few years. He too had taught at the college level and enjoyed the experience, but chose middle school — the years between childhood and early adulthood. He says, “It’s our last best shot for reaching them academically and in terms of character.”

The class also includes a photojournalist, telecommunications specialist, marketing vice president, engineer and many other professions and life stories.

“The blend of backgrounds is invaluable for the classroom,” says Medford. “Our candidates are able to incorporate real-life experiences with the subjects they teach.”

Students currently enrolled will be ready for teaching positions for the 2005-2006 school year. The next cycle begins full time in May. Students may apply in the fall to take content classes starting in January or may take their first classes in May.