The Magic in the Details: Meet Group Leader Mike Fowler
- Discover the passion of Road Scholar Group Leaders Mike Fowler and José Diaz, the team behind the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" learning adventure.
- Learn how Mike’s background as a teacher inspired him to share the Harry Potter stories, from creating secret book covers for his students to leading immersive field trips for a living.
- Explore the unique grandparent-grandchild dynamic on this program, where shared discovery and the children's expertise create powerful bonds.
- See the incredible, handcrafted details Mike creates to make the experience magical, including custom glow-in-the-dark buttons and hand-crocheted Golden Snitches.
For Mike Fowler, the Group Leader on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter With Your Grandchild learning adventure, the magic is in the details. It’s in the glow-in-the-dark button he hands you at orientation. It’s in the secret, hand-crocheted Golden Snitch he gifts to his grandchild participants. And it’s in the lengths he’ll go to turn a tough day around — even if it means a late-night run to a 24-hour market for a single banana.
Mike’s connection to the wizarding world didn’t start at Platform 9¾, but in a much more unexpected place — his sixth-grade classroom.
“I was teaching at a school with a very strict code of conduct,” Mike explains. When the Scholastic Book Club came to visit, he was given a direct order. “Under no circumstances were my students allowed to buy Harry Potter books. If they bring Harry Potter in, you are to send them to the office immediately.”
Naturally, his curiosity was piqued. He started reading the books and was instantly hooked. It wasn’t just the thrilling plot that captivated him — it was the deeper themes of friendship, courage and acceptance. He knew these were stories his students needed to hear. Soon, he became a co-conspirator in their literary rebellion. “If kids were reading Harry Potter in my classroom, I just turned a blind eye,” he says with a laugh. “I gave them a paper book cover, like the old-school ones we used to make on the first day of school to cover our textbooks.”
That same passion for sharing the story is what drove him to this program. After leading other Road Scholar adventures, he jumped at the chance to interview for the Harry Potter program. “I did everything but wear my robes to the interview,” he jokes.
A Different Kind of Magic: Grandparents and Grandchildren
His enthusiasm clearly paid off. The learning adventure he now leads has its own special kind of magic. As a Grandparent Program, it’s a format that thrives on shared discovery, and the wizarding world is the perfect place for it. Here, grandchildren often arrive as the experts, and grandparents get to see the magic through their eyes.
Mike doesn’t create this experience alone. He co-leads the program with José Diaz, who Mike affectionately calls “the caboose to our Hogwarts Express.” Having worked together since 2017, they’ve formed a dynamic team, and their shared passion is evident.
“You've got the kids that are super excited to be there, and then you have the grandparents who are just as excited to spend time with their grandkids,” Mike says. “Sometimes we have grandparents who don't see their grandkids that often, and it's a great opportunity for them to bond.”
Mike fosters that bond from the very first night. He plays the Harry Potter soundtrack and challenges the group to a game of “Would You Rather?” with questions like, “Would you rather have unlimited butterbeer or unlimited chocolate frogs?” It’s a way to break the ice and get everyone talking.
Then comes the main event: the Sorting Ceremony.
“I’ve got the audio from the audiobook of Jim Dale doing the Sorting Hat song,” Mike says. He places the Sorting Hat on each participant’s head as the iconic voice echoes, “Hmm, where should I put you?” The result? “The kids bond very quickly. It's rare if they aren't besties after the first night.”
The Magic Is in the Making
A self-described “crafty” person, Mike pours his heart into creating tangible pieces of magic for his groups. At orientation, every participant gets a custom-made, glow-in-the-dark button. But his pièce de résistance is the Golden Snitch he crochets for each grandchild.
In the wizarding world, the tiny, winged Golden Snitch is the most crucial part of a Quidditch match. Catching it requires immense skill and perseverance, and it almost always wins the game. It’s a powerful symbol, and for Mike, the journey to create them was its own test of perseverance.
“I had wanted to learn how to crochet for three years, and I was just terrible at it,” he laughs. But he found a pattern for a Golden Snitch and was determined to master it. “It was my Everest.”
After countless video tutorials, he finally figured it out. The first one took him three hours. Now, he has the pattern memorized and can crank one out in 30 minutes. The reaction from the kids makes it all worthwhile. He recalls one participant who was a bit standoffish at first. “That little gift just lit her up,” he says. The most touching moment came from her grandmother who sent him a photo at the end of the night. Her granddaughter was fast asleep, cradling the Golden Snitch.
Hogwarts from Harry Potter
A Field Trip for Life
For Mike, these acts of creativity and connection are the heart of what he does. Perhaps nowhere is that more apparent than the moment the group first enters Diagon Alley. It’s a moment of pure, unscripted awe that Mike and José have perfected as a team.
As the group stands before a seemingly solid brick wall, José holds everyone back for a moment of anticipation. Mike slips ahead, camera at the ready, to capture the looks on the children’s faces as they step through the passage and into the bustling, magical street for the first time.
It’s this commitment to creating unforgettable moments that makes the experience so special. For Mike, it’s the perfect fusion of his passions.
“My favorite part of being a teacher was going on field trips,” he reflects. “And now, I get to go on field trips for a living.”
And for the grandparents and grandchildren who join them, Mike and José’s field trips are nothing short of magical.
