Q&A with founders of Ron Clark Academy

So how did the public school teachers open the $3.3 million Ron Clark Academy, a teaching lab training 3,000 educators a year, and a campus filled with curriculum surprises?

Q: How did you become a teacher?

Clark: When I graduated from college, I wanted to see the world. I wanted to be an archaeologist. I moved to London and was a singing and dancing waiter for about six months. I went backpacking across Europe. I stayed with a family of gypsies and ate a [rodent] mistakenly on a skewer. When I was hospitalized, my mother called and said a local school teacher had passed away, would I be interested in a job. I said no. She said if I didn't at least talk to the principal, she wouldn't talk to me anymore.

Bearden: I graduated from Wheeler High and went to the University of Georgia as an education major. I came back to teach in Cobb. They helped to mold me into being a good teacher. I was Cobb's Teacher of the Year in 2000. I was also Disney's Middle School Teacher of the Year. I always felt middle schools were the place for me because it is the most critical time in a child's life when a student can take their gifts and go down the wrong path or use them for good.

Q: How did you get the money for RCA?

Clark: I was teaching in Harlem and was named Disney's American Teacher of the Year in 2000. I got to go be on "Oprah." She leaned over during a commercial and said you need to write a book. You know, if Oprah tells you to write a book, you write a book. I wrote, "The Essential 55" ... common-sense rules for classrooms. It was ranked 140,000th on Amazon. I mailed it to Miss Winfrey. She decided to profile it. In the middle of the interview, she held the book up and said, "America, I want you to go out right now and buy this book." One hour after the show, it was No. 2 in the nation. ... I also had to take out a loan. ... Slowly, we got some big sponsors. Great American Financial Resources. Delta. Verizon.

Q: What are your biggest challenges?

Clark: People get the impression that because we are on the news, we have unlimited funds. That is a misconception. We don't have a gym, an auditorium, a cafeteria. We have to keep fund-raising to cover expenses.

Bearden: Time. We are teachers and administrators.

Q: When should parents apply to RCA?

Clark: They apply when their kids are in fourth grade in early October for acceptance the following year. This is a four-year program.

Q: How does the tuition program work?

Clark: Tuition is based on a sliding scale. It depends on your income. The majority of our kids pay about $45 a month. We have a few that pay full tuition [$18,000]. All trips are included in the tuition.