If your a Harry Potter fan load up, check in with the office and get a tour, I work for the Deaf…read moreand Hard of Hearing with the state and my deaf co-workers brought me here and the history and the building and railroad tracks, what a Harry Potter feel it has to it and to know Deaf students make friendships in school that will go on forever. The buildings are beautiful, the grounds with little touches of love and humanity throughout. I was honored they shared this amazing places with me, you can feel the history.

That school where I graduated from. it much best for me to do homework at dorm, go to sports…read moreevents, eat at cafeteria, learn at school.

Asheville Math has been incredibly helpful for my High School daughter that has struggled with math…read moresince elementary school. While she excels at every other subject Math has always been difficult for her. The tutors here have a great way of teaching that makes math understandable even for students that are very behind in the subject. After my daughter's last tutor session she said "if math was taught this way in school I wouldn't dread it and it would make sense to me".... They also seem to offer homework help/group tutoring and I'm sure they could challenge any child that was looking to go beyond what they are currently learning at school. Overall we are extremely pleased.

I am a 76 year old retired US Foreign Service Officer (Department of State). For the past several…read moreweeks I have joined three or four other men volunteering to help a male third grade teacher at Black Mountain Primary School teach chess to about 30 boys and girls.The teacher has done the same at another school. We begin after school each Monday at 2:40 p.m. and stay till about 3:30. I am told that the school has seven third grades and the children learning to play chess come from all seven classrooms. My first impressions of the school were very favorable and remain so. All the school children whom I have observed are very well behaved, notably un-noisy, as they march in lines to leave school. The interior of the one-storey building appears to be octogonal and is in itself a lesson in geography. The library is large and without walls. The cafeteria also is large and immaculately clean. The overall impression is: this school is spacious, uncramped, brightly lighted, friendly. I have seen children at the end of our chess sessions escorted by our third grade teacher sponsor to the back parking lot to be picked up by parents. If after ten minutes teachers do not appear, back he brings the boys and girls to a central area to wait for their parent(s). The children's safety is clearly a priority. The principal is much in evidence and seems a benevolent presence. The youngsters themselves learning the elements of chess are a joy to teach. They are eager, bright, full of questions. Bottom line: my eight grandchildren live either in South Carolina or Dallas. The former six are home-schooled, the latter attend a Catholic parochial school. My earlier similar adult experience with American public schools was in Detroit -- a war zone. I would feel my grandchildren safe and in good, caring hands if they attended Black Mountain Primary School. -OOO- T. Patrick Killough 10/25/2011

Parents today are pulled in so many directions. On top of it, we are raising tiny humans who are…read morelikely different than us and are figuring out how to be in this world. To expect that parents can navigate all of this on our own is unrealistic. Working with Rachel has been one of the most impactful choices I've made for my child, myself, and my family. Her guidance is truly invaluable.

Rachel is an amazing family advocate! She is an incredible listener, empathetic to each family's…read moreunique needs. Her approaches feel so custom and thoughtful. Any family that gets a chance to work with her will understand how much love and intention she brings to her work and will also be better off knowing her. Would give more than 5 stars if I could. Rachel is a super special person and so giving. We are so thankful for her.

Fantastic magnet school focusing on engaged and experiential learning. Amazing community garden…read morewith chickens. Great teachers, involved parents, and diversity

Great church family. Outstanding teaching…read more Friendly people. Lovely building God is glorified herd.

me and my wife did the glass blowing experience, and could not be happier! The check in process was…read morevery easy, the staff made everything extremely straightforward and walked us through the process. The selection of colors and the things we could make was outstanding, and we were able to get a really unique piece. instructors were extremely patient, and walked us through everything, and made the process very fun and enjoyable. Great value for the experience; not only do you get to see the whole process up close, as well as participate in making something fun, but you get to take homes piece of art you helped make.

Stopped in to inquire about classes and to see the glass blowing and items for sale. Nice setup but…read moreonly a few people could fit up close and see the glass blowers at work. Person working the desk was not super outgoing but provided some information about classes.

Writing a review for Penland is kinda difficult for me personally. The Penland campus and…read morefacilities are absolutely gorgeous and amazing. The food is reallllly delicious and way better than I could've imagined, the school is overflowing with creativity and passion and the people are innovative and fun! On the other hand, the class that I took at Penland was extremely disappointing and the teacher did not inspire or challenge me at all. After hearing for years and years that Penland is an incredible place that will challenge you as an artist to the extreme and you will be totally immersed in an art experience, it was really quite disappointing to spend much of my class time bored and working on my own art that I brought from home because there wasn't much else provided for us to do. I'm not sure what sort of vetting/interviewing process they do for instructors as I've had a few other people who attended Penland in previous years tell me similar stories. Regardless of my negative experience with my class, I'm still giving Penland 5 stars because I could feel the creative energy flowing through this school every day and every waking hour. There are students ranging from 18 to 80 years old, some with very little experience and others professional artists. For the most part, the teachers are excellent and challenge their students. I visited the other studios almost every day for inspiration and to see what the other workshops were working on and I was blown away by the incredible work being made. There is a clay studio, painting and drawing studio, printmaking, paper, photography, metals, wordworking and textile studios. As I mentioned above, the food is, wow, soooo delicious. They provide three meals a day which are all very healthy, hearty and thoughtful. The kitchen staff are friendly, make sure all the foods are stocked, and do their best to provide awesome food for everyone, regardless of food restrictions. There are many different types of housing ranging from dorm housing with like 15 beds in one room to solo rooms and everything in between. Their beds are really surprisingly comfortable and I recommend bringing your own fan and an extra pillow. Although this campus is incredibly gorgeous, it is not very handicap accessible.

I attended a two week class here this summer. The campus is inspiring and beautiful. The…read moreinstructors were kind and seemed to have great interest in what they were teaching. There was art everywhere and combined with the perfect location (overlooking a mountain) it made it feel like a retreat. My biggest beef with Penland is the cost of classes. Not just that but how much room and board & food is. Most people are unable to afford $1600 for two weeks (that doesn't include food or a room) and I wouldn't have been able to had it not been for my doing a GoFund Me and my friends and supporters giving me money. I stayed at a B&B off campus in a room for $30 a night (Bakersville B&B, which I recommend!) I also did the numbers food and with their plan it was around $11-$12 a meal. Umm no thanks. It's convenient but if you're looking for a way to save money-bring your own snacks and go out to local restaurants. They are several just 20 minutes from Penland! Also, as a nonprofit founder I would've liked to get away from fundraising and large events but being at Penland didn't allow me to because they were prepping for their big annual fundraiser while I was there. It wasn't enough that I paid around $2200 for a two week class (class, food, board) but a few people came into our class to ask if we want to donate work to the auction. I'm sorry but no. I'd like to keep what I've worked really hard on and paid for to create. I appreciate this school is a nonprofit but at the same time they could offer more scholarships (I applied for one and didn't get it and no I'm not upset about it because I went and everything was fine), they could also cut costs of classes so more disadvantaged people can have the opportunity to attend. One main building was being rebuilt while I was there and the noise was extremely disruptive. There is no AC but we had fans in the studio-still pretty warm sometime. I was hungry for lunch and had forgotten my food and asked the lunch attendant how much it would be to eat lunch that day and he said $19. WUT? I also didn't realize there would be so many rules related to studio use. We had to sign paperwork and had to help clean up afterward. The studio assistant was only told that she could leave once someone had decided the entire space was clean enough. I don't think students attending a two week workshop need to feel so much pressure from an organization to donate and volunteer. I wanted to take a damn break but turns out that my breaks happened when I left campus and went back to my B&B and the surrounding towns. The studios were nice although one of the new studios had problems and I heard students weren't very pleased they do have a variety of classes. The quality of the teachers is outstanding and that's not in question at ALL. You will receive good solid instruction with highly qualified people.