About Your Teacher

Thank you so much for visiting my website!

My name is Rick Schwartz and I was raised in Clemson, SC. Both my parents were educators at Clemson University and they inspired me to become a teacher. Needless to say . . . . I'm a huge Clemson Fan! I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Clemson University and taught Industrial Technology (“shop”) in South Carolina for four years (1988-1992). 

I moved to Charlotte, NC in 1992 and taught in a variety of schools in the Charlotte area. I had several wonderful experiences setting up new “Industrial Technology” programs at various high schools. In 1997, I changed gears from Technology Education to focus on teaching Architectural Drafting & Design, AutoCAD, and Construction.

I enjoyed several years of teaching students about the process of designing and building a house. It was a very rewarding experience which motivated me to earn additional North Carolina certifications in Carpentry, Scientific Visualization (computer animation), OSHA training, NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research), and PLTW Civil Engineering & Architecture. I also earned National Board Certification in Career and Technical Education. 

To gain industry experience outside of the classroom, I worked on additional licenses and earned my NC General Contractor’s License and NC Home Inspector’s License and performed home inspections in the Charlotte area for ten years (part time). I also took a planned two year leave from teaching and gained valuable experience building houses with a large construction company in Charlotte. I came back to the classroom and these experiences and certifications have provided me with hundreds of relevant examples which I incorporate into my lessons each day.

In 2010 I began teaching Carpentry for Henderson County Schools. I also worked at Blue Ridge Community College as an adjunct professor teaching AutoCAD classes, Mechatronics related classes, and running summer engineering programs at the college.

In 2014 I turned my teaching away from Construction and put my efforts towards a rapidly growing field. . . Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics. I taught Manufacturing related classes for Balfour High School & Blue Ridge Community College. These experiences led me to a wonderful opportunity to set up a Manufacturing Program at Greer High School. I taught Manufacturing at Greer High School from 2014 - 2022.

I returned back to my roots in 2021 and started at Bonds Career Center teaching Architecture and Engineering Drafting & Design. I am so excited to be at Bonds Career Center. This is a two year Drafting program. The first year focuses on Architecture and the second year expands on Architectural Model Building and also picks up Mechanical Drafting (Engineering). I'm looking forward to the journey ahead as we continue to build this exciting program. 

I have over 33 years of classroom teaching experience and have started each of those school years with new energy and excitement. I'm looking forward to introducing my students to all the amazing opportunities they have ahead of them with pursuing a career path in Technical Design, Architecture, or Engineering.

My Wonderful Family