The SAA Archaeological Record March 2011 : Page 16

CAREERS IN ARCHAEOLOGY TAKING IT TO THE STREETS A CAREER IN PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY C. Mathew Saunders C. Mathew Saunders is Upper School Teacher and International Programs Director at the Davidson Day School; President of the American Foreign Academic Research, Inc.; and Vice President of Education and Outreach, Archaeological Institute of America (mat.sanders@gmail.com). I think I always knew I was going to be an archaeologist. It just took me 19 years to come to grips with it. I spent a lot of my childhood at the home of my uncle, Russ Brannon in Eastern Kentucky. His house was filled with endless edi-tions on archaeology, anthropology, and discovery including Archaeology Magazine and National Geographic. When I finished my fourth field season in Belize, I went for a two-week visit to my parents in Florida. During that time, I met my beautiful wife Priscilla, who quickly convinced me to seek work in the St. Augustine area. Unfortunately, the few jobs in Flagler County were not in archaeology. For the first time since my romance with archaeology began, my faithfulness was tested. I’m happy to say, my wife won. I started thinking logically (so I thought). I broke it off with archaeology, and took a job with Flagler County, Florida’s biggest employer, the public schools. I taught everything from Algebra to Biology. When I began teaching, I received a three-year temporary teaching certificate. I ended up spending a year at Daytona State University getting a BA degree in education to ensure there wouldn’t be any certification issues. This was required only because I was working in a public school system. Many private schools do not require teachers to have a formal teaching certificate, but recognizing experience instead. Within the first year, I convinced my principal to let me offer a full-credit anthropology/archaeology course for grades 9_12. Saying that new offerings typically don’t fly, my princi-pal sought to prepare me for “certain” failure. To everyone’s surprise, the course became the most popular elective in the school, filling three sections in the first year with over 60 students. My pilgrimage back to Belize and archaeology began once the class was established. Like all instructors, I regularly cited my own research during class lectures, so my students started taking an interest in fieldwork processes and in Mesoamerica. It didn’t take long for the students to ask how they could get involved in fieldwork, specifically in Belize. I scoffed at their requests at first, but after thinking about it, I really didn’t see any difference between them and college-level students. I built up the courage to contact Dr. Jaime After recognizing my interest, Uncle Russ began devising activities of discovery for the two of us. These included fossil digs, pre-Columbian backyard excavations (I know better r now), and academic lectures. I will never forget my uncle tak-ing me out of school in the fourth grade so I could listen to Richard Leakey speak at a neighboring college. For all of these years, I thought that my uncle was just being a great guy, but now I’m now pretty certain he used my enthusiasm for dis-covery as an excuse so he could do some really cool stuff. Ultimately, I ended up attending the University of Kentucky where I focused on New World archaeology. While there, I was energized by Dr. Chris Pool’s work in Veracruz. Dr. Pool’s knowledge, energy, and encouragement inspired me to stay the course with archaeology and helped me focus my research radar on Mesoamerica. My best friend in the Anthropology Department, Doug Weinberg, got accepted to do fieldwork in Belize and sug-gested I apply too. I did, and ended up enrolled in the Belize Valley Archaeological Research Project (BVAR). This opportunity was my point of no return. I fell in love with Central America and the field of archaeology and made w a commitment to live or die doing what I loved ... archaeolo-gy. By the grace and direction of Dr. Christophe Helmke and Dr. Jaime Awe, I was given the chance to work in Belize for the next four years. During that time, the country of Belize went through a nationwide tourism development project, creating priceless opportunities for archaeologists like Doug and myself. 16 The SAA Archaeological Record • March 2011

Taking It to the Streets: A Career in Public Archaeology

C. Mathew Saunders

C. Mathew Saunders is Upper School Teacher and International Programs Director at the Davidson Day School; President of the American Foreign Academic Research, Inc.; and Vice President of Education and Outreach, Archaeological Institute of America (mat.sanders@gmail.com). I think I always knew I was going to be an archaeologist. It just took me 19 years to come to grips with it. I spent a lot of my childhood at the home of my uncle, Russ Brannon in Eastern Kentucky. His house was filled with endless editions on archaeology, anthropology, and discovery including Archaeology Magazine and National Geographic. After recognizing my interest, Uncle Russ began devising activities of discovery for the two of us. These included fossil digs, pre-Columbian backyard excavations (I know better now), and academic lectures. I will never forget my uncle taking me out of school in the fourth grade so I could listen to Richard Leakey speak at a neighboring college. For all of these years, I thought that my uncle was just being a great guy, but now I'm now pretty certain he used my enthusiasm for discovery as an excuse so he could do some really cool stuff. Ultimately, I ended up attending the University of Kentucky where I focused on New World archaeology. While there, I was energized by Dr. Chris Pool's work in Veracruz. Dr. Pool's knowledge, energy, and encouragement inspired me to stay the course with archaeology and helped me focus my research radar on Mesoamerica. My best friend in the Anthropology Department, Doug Weinberg, got accepted to do fieldwork in Belize and suggested I apply too. I did, and ended up enrolled in the Belize Valley Archaeological Research Project (BVAR). This opportunity was my point of no return. I fell in love with Central America and the field of archaeology and made a commitment to live or die doing what I loved ... archaeology. By the grace and direction of Dr. Christophe Helmke and Dr. Jaime Awe, I was given the chance to work in Belize for the next four years. During that time, the country of Belize went through a nationwide tourism development project, creating priceless opportunities for archaeologists like Doug and myself. When I finished my fourth field season in Belize, I went for a two-week visit to my parents in Florida. During that time, I met my beautiful wife Priscilla, who quickly convinced me to seek work in the St. Augustine area. Unfortunately, the few jobs in Flagler County were not in archaeology. For the first time since my romance with archaeology began, my faithfulness was tested. I'm happy to say, my wife won. I started thinking logically (so I thought). I broke it off with archaeology, and took a job with Flagler County, Florida's biggest employer, the public schools. I taught everything from Algebra to Biology. When I began teaching, I received a three-year temporary teaching certificate. I ended up spending a year at Daytona State University getting a BA degree in education to ensure there wouldn't be any certification issues. This was required only because I was working in a public school system. Many private schools do not require teachers to have a formal teaching certificate, but recognizing experience instead. Within the first year, I convinced my principal to let me offer a full-credit anthropology/archaeology course for grades 9_12. Saying that new offerings typically don't fly, my principal sought to prepare me for "certain" failure. To everyone's surprise, the course became the most popular elective in the school, filling three sections in the first year with over 60 students. My pilgrimage back to Belize and archaeology began once the class was established. Like all instructors, I regularly cited my own research during class lectures, so my students started taking an interest in fieldwork processes and in Mesoamerica. It didn't take long for the students to ask how they could get involved in fieldwork, specifically in Belize. I scoffed at their requests at first, but after thinking about it, I really didn't see any difference between them and collegelevel students. I built up the courage to contact Dr. Jaime Awe, Director of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, and I asked him if it would be possible to bring a group of my high school students to participate in BVAR, which he directed. His initial response was similar to mine, but after a little discussion, he decided to give the students a chance. The kids performed extremely well and, thanks to the response of those four pioneering students, Dr. Awe opened his arms to our high school program. Our program received a lot of praise and media attention. I knew my students were doing great work, but I was concerned about the qualified and deserving students who had to stay behind because of financial reasons. I decided to create a not-for-profit corporation that could generate scholarship funds and funds for site preservation. This was no simple task, but with the help of Alan Douglas, the vicepresident of a local Florida bank, we got American Foreign Academic Research, Inc., (AFAR) up and running in time to provide financial aid for all of the applicants who needed it for the next field season. As a way for AFAR to fundraise and reach a wider audience with educational outreach, we created the Maya at the Playa. This four-day conference, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year, is a way to deliver the highest-level professional archaeologists to a very hungry general public and my students. The conference has connected hundreds of people through the years. Many public-professional relationships have been initiated that have led to project funding and support. Another great dividend is the opportunity the conference gives scholars to enjoy a well-deserved vacation at the beach! With the success of the high school course, conference, and field school, my bosses within the Flagler County School District threw another challenge my way. I was asked to take over a small dropout prevention program, housed in an old caretaker's cabin in the middle of 1,500 acres of wilderness along a remote Florida estuary. I took my anthropology and archaeology course to the Princess Place Legacy program, but I wasn't sure if the students would bite on the material. I feared the students might not be attracted to the traditional delivery of the class, so I figured I would get them out into the 1,500-acre playground surrounding the classroom. I contacted Sarah Miller, Director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network's Regional Center in St. Augustine and asked if she would consider doing some Phase One testing where local residents claimed an early homestead had once stood. Sarah graciously agreed to undertake the survey. After rigorous classroom instruction, the kids were thrown into the field and immediately made a connection with the past. Although we never found the first evidence of a homestead, we did find pre-Columbian pottery during our second day of shovel testing. During the three years of archaeological testing, the site at Princess Place provided copious amounts of prehistoric data for Flagler County. Students who could barely pull a passing grade in any class were able to see an archaeology project through from research to report, and their work was good. This experience helped mature my love of teaching and made me realize what an impact archaeology could have on individuals. While at Princess Place, my students and I created an outreach project by building a 3,500-cubic foot archaeological dig box simulation, where we trained students from throughout the county as part of my class. In the fall of 2008, I received a call from President C. Brian Rose of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), soliciting my involvement with the organization at the governing board level. Honored, shocked, and extremely intimidated, I accepted the nomination for the position of Vice President of Education and Outreach. A few months later, I was elected! I have spent the last three years working on all things involving education, outreach, and archaeology with some of the most qualified national and international professionals. My experiences with the AIA have been priceless. They have helped diversify my work and my archaeological awareness, which had been primarily New World. They also have helped me carry my New World flag into an Old World-focused organization. Through AIA and Archaeology Magazine, I have discovered education and outreach initiatives across the world, and I've also been able to help provide educational opportunities to thousands of students across the United States. Toward the end of our 2008 summer field season in Belize, I received a call from Dr. Awe asking me to show a group of students from North Carolina around the site. With only a few days left to close the site and Archaeology Magazine onsite, I was less than thrilled with this request, but I was always happy to help Dr. Awe, so we made the arrangements. The students came with three of their faculty and the head of schools, Bonnie Cotter. The North Carolina students were inquisitive and eager to get involved with the project and by that evening, Mrs. Cotter had offered me a job. A year later, my wife and I made the move to North Carolina, and I began work at the Davidson Day School. Here at Davidson Day School, I teach Anthropology and Archaeology, but classroom instruction is only a fraction of my duties. I continue to plan and coordinate the Maya at the Playa Conference, which is still held in Florida. I've developed, with the help of Dr. George Stuart, a second conference, Maya at the Lago, here in Davidson. I also work on elementary and middle school programs that revolve around archaeology. One program mirrors the field methods simulation originally created in Florida, where our students learn the excavation techniques used by archaeologists while they learn their core subjects such as geometry, history, and biology. I also organize a workshop and lecture series, which brings top scholars and artisans from across the globe to share hands-on learning opportunities with the children. Above all, my primary role is developing the Belize archaeology program. In addition to furthering that program's ongoing research and student outreach activities, I have been working on developing a research facility in Western Belize. Once complete, this facility will house as many as 100 students and faculty and will offer cutting-edge lab space and technology that will permit the best possible research to be performed. The facility will create jobs for professional archaeologists and local citizens, and will generate revenue for site preservation efforts. I'm also always researching new archaeological research opportunities across the globe for Davidson students. I'm extremely grateful that I work in a job I love and find rewarding. I found a demand that needed supplying and everyone involved seems to have benefited. The key to my career success has been connecting interested members of the public, both young and old, with members of the academic community, and providing archaeological programming for those who may have had the same passion for archaeology in their youth as I did, but decided to choose a straighter and less risky career path. I like to think that I have provided more opportunities for professionals to get their work supported, both directly and indirectly, and also given them a chance to be appreciated for the amazing work they do. In turn, I have been fortunate enough to provide the public the great gift of archaeological knowledge, which is not always readily available. I think job opportunities like mine aren't going to be that common and are probably more elusive than that next Mayan codex. I had to convince my employers that they needed an archaeology teacher and that my services were priceless, but I contend that archaeology is typically an easy sell. Students and the public are hungry for what's happening in the professional world. Freshness in what you're delivering also is vital to longevity in a career like mine. Although I love mixing things up, I feel a certain pressure to continue to create new and different hands-on learning opportunities and programs to satisfy the audience. It's a little like vaudeville... and I love every minute of it.

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