“Always believe you can make a difference, but never let your differences keep you from what you believe.”
That’s UCCS alum, special education teacher, published author, and motivational speaker Mark Chartier’s message for his students and the world. And it’s a mantra he lives by every day.
“I struggled mightily in high school as I was suffering from un-diagnosed Tourette’s syndrome, a nervous disorder that consists of involuntary vocal and motor tics. Because of this, I got into many fistfights, committed vandalism, and was a teacher’s worst nightmare,” Mark said.
And although he was eventually diagnosed with Tourette’s during his senior year of high school, Mark said by that time it was too late to get any assistance, even though he would have likely qualified for an Individualized Education Program or IEP. He graduated from Coronado High School in Colorado Springs with a 1.9 GPA and said he floundered for a few years after that.
Still, despite side effects from medication, a brain injury he suffered at the time, and a significant stutter, Mark completed a bachelor’s degree in English at what was then the University of Southern Colorado.
It was then that he decided he wanted to attend graduate school.
“I pondered who made the biggest difference in my life, and the answer was an easy one: teachers,” he said. “Thus, I decided I wanted to become a special education teacher to help students who had similar struggles as me.”
He made the move to attend UCCS in 2003 after hearing positive things about the education department. He said the school was everything he had hoped for and more.
Mark earned a Master of Arts in Special Education in 2005. He went on to graduate with a second Master of Arts Degree, this time in Curriculum & Instruction, in 2014.
“I was super equipped to get into the field and be successful. I would recommend UCCS to anyone and I believe a UCCS education is of paramount importance to the success I have enjoyed,” he said. “I had wonderful professors such as former Associate Dean of the College of Education Dr. Lindy Crawford and Dr. Julie Armentrout, assistant professor of teaching, who motivated me while also cheering me on,” he said.
In fact, Mark credits Crawford as one of the people who inspired him to get into motivational speaking.
“She had me speak to a class I was in. I spoke for close to an hour. The students in class received the message of my story very kindly,” he said.
For the past 14 years, Mark has shared details on his journey and success in overcoming disabilities, abuse, and mental illness at schools, libraries, universities, and churches. He has been a featured presenter at The Broadmoor during the Courage-to-Risk Conference, a keynote speaker at the Equity & Excellence Conference in front of the Colorado’s special education administrators and directors of Title I, as well as the keynote address at the Alaska State Special Education Conference.
Mark has also authored two books of poetry, “Fingerprints” (2018) and “Tell Me Something Good” (2024), both published by Turning Point Press.
“When I was 16 years old and was getting into a lot of trouble at school. I had a black and white striped t shirt that was reminiscent of the prison uniforms from the 1950’s. My dad and older brother told me to get used to that shirt because they said I was headed to prison the way I was going,” Mark explained. “Not only did I disrupt that pre-determination, but I annihilated it with the success I have attained.”
He is now the only member of his immediate family with a college degree.
“And I have three of them to boot,” he said.
Mark currently teaches in Pueblo District 60 but also worked in Fountain Fort Carson School District 8 and Westminster Public Schools. In his nearly two decades in the profession, he said his favorite part of teaching is the chance to share with his students and watch them grow.
“As a person of diversity, I needed positive relationships. Today, my students need those same positive relationships as they navigate life with a disability and, often times, more challenges in tow,” he said.
Mark is quick to acknowledge the ways in which his students impact him, as well.
“Teaching has been a healer for me. It has helped me focus on helping others and putting others first in my life, which has helped me mentally,” he said. “I am pretty open with my students about my Tourette’s. If they’re older kids, I use the name of my condition. If they are younger, I keep it simple and tell them that Mr. C gets nervous sometimes. They are always kind and understanding and empathetic to me and are so sweet and loving when my tics get severe.”
For current UCCS students, Mark said it’s important to aim high, set goals, and never give up.
“Life wasn’t easy growing up with a disability, but the world wasn’t going to stop and feel sorry for Mark Chartier, and the world isn’t going to stop and feel sorry for you, so keep pushing forward,” he said. “Failure is the first act of all great winners.”
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