I’ll admit that when I first found out I’d be chatting with E. Dominic Black, an art teacher at San Dimas High School in San Dimas, California, I knew I was going to have to muster some will to not make a clichéd Bill & Ted reference.
But, as soon as Mr. Black entered the Zoom call, I forgot all about that. I could tell immediately by his enthusiastic smile and eye-catching, patch-emblazoned jumpsuit that we were going to have an excellent conversation. Black is one of Teach & Travel’s 2024 nominees for Traveling Teacher of the Year, and he had a lot to share about his student travel experiences—and his path to get there—that our readers will appreciate, too.
Originally a student of Marine Biology at UC Santa Cruz, Black quickly realized his academic interests lied elsewhere, and through changing enrollment protocols, he was able to sign up for some courses that interested him that might not have otherwise been available. He found his stride with the drawing and photography classes he took, and changed his major to Art shortly after. “I felt like I was learning something that was worth my money,” he said. “I felt like I was being challenged. I felt like I was creating new answers to old and new problems, which I really enjoyed.”
After spending some time doing concert photography and darkroom printing jobs in Hollywood, but working with hit-or-miss clients, Black was offered the opportunity to substitute teach, a role a family friend and high school principal thought he’d be a perfect fit for. He eventually got a permanent position teaching art to high school students—an age group with which he felt he could have a real dialogue—and, 23 years later, he’s still at the same school.
It was around 2010, while teaching side classes at the Fairplex in Pomona, that the notion of travel entered the picture. When asked by a local arts benefactor what would make an ideal art program, he answered: “High quality materials; a safe, dedicated space for creating art; quality teachers and instructors; and field trips. And, perhaps, the opportunity to see and study artwork on location where it was created; to tour some of the monuments of the world, see the museums, and paint and draw on location.”
By speaking up at the right place and the right time, he had his wish—and a dedicated group of students to travel abroad with for a span of several years. The Fairplex travel program fizzled after 2017, but Black was able to resurrect it at the high school. The first year he offered it, he had roughly a dozen students, and it grew every year after that. The largest group he had was for Japan in 2023: 25 people! Other itineraries have included Italy and Greece; Spain, Morocco, and Portugal; and Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria.
At this point, other teachers reading this might be wondering how Black is able to get engagement and buy-in for these endeavors. He’s tackled that by having a stockpile of supporting resources to share and by announcing his plans and destinations up to two years in advance, through flyers and other media. Parents can view images of past trips online and see informational slide shows he’s created and more on his site: watercolorjourney.com.
“All of those materials make it a really easy sell for my students,” he says. “And, for the parents, it gives them more confidence in sending their child abroad with me. I do everything I can. I’ll take as many calls as needed. I try to provide anything I think would give a parent more insight, because I know the positive impact this kind of travel will have on my students.”
Black also advises other teachers interested in initiating a similar program to consider creating a travel club, if they don’t already have one at their school. A student-led group with a teacher as an adviser allows conversations to be had around all the different variables: from big topics, such as where they want to visit and what they want to get out of the experience, to small details that actually matter a lot to them, like who is going to room with whom. And, of course, all the practicalities as well, including how to pack, what to bring, getting money, and how to be a savvy traveler in general.
Another approach Black finds helpful is bringing his wife on his trips as an assistant group leader (and willing travel companion!). His groups are almost always mixed gender, so having someone a student can address a sensitive issue with provides a greater comfort level for everyone. He suggests partnering with another teacher as an additional option, and finds language teachers are often a good fit for abroad trips because of the dual learning possibilities.
If all of this sounds like a lot… it is. But Black feels the benefit outweighs the effort. “When I get to experience those moments with students, again and again, it makes me believe in everything that I’m doing in creating travel opportunities for them,” he said. “It’s all worth it to see their minds exploding with the newness. Above all, I believe in the transformative ability of travel to inspire, educate, and empower students, shaping them into informed global citizens who are empathetic and equipped to make a positive impact on the world.”
Written by Allison Kay Bannister for the May 2025 edition of Teach & Travel.
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Photos courtesy of E. Dominic Black.
