In March of 2007, Darlington School's Parents’ Association awarded Faculty Development Grants to 10 deserving faculty members. Grants ranged up to $2,000.
Each year, teaching faculty who have made a commitment to return to Darlington in the fall are invited to apply for Faculty Development Grants funded by the school’s Parents’ Association. This program is designed to enhance faculty effectiveness in the classroom, in campus activities and in the community; to encourage faculty to plan creatively for their own continuing professional development; to provide an incentive to aid in the retention of excellent faculty; and to involve department chairs in enhancing the faculty members’ enthusiasm in their particular area of education and involvement.
Several faculty members, like Joe Pieroni and Ivy Brewer, used their grants to attend educational seminars in preparation for the 2008-09 school year. Pieroni, who teaches Algebra II and Pre-Calculus, attended the week-long Anja S. Greer Conference on Secondary School Mathematics, Science and Technology at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. “I took a class that focused on Geometer’s sketchpad and a new calculator, the TI-CAS Nspire,” he said. “I learned a great deal about these two technologies and hope to integrate parts of them into my classes this coming year.”
Brewer, associate dean of college guidance, is using her grant to take part in the Western Association for College Admission Counseling’s Summer Counselors’ Tour in Northern California, through which she will visit 15 colleges and universities and participate in several admission workshops. “Darlington’s international population historically has shown particular interest in the west coast colleges and universities, so the information I learn will be especially useful to these students in their college search,” she said. “It is vital for me to be knowledgeable about different institutions so that I may help our students find the school that is the right fit for them. Visiting different campuses provides me with the opportunity not only to learn facts about the schools, but also to get a feel for them and the types of students who would be successful there. Upon completion of this tour, I will have visited over 100 colleges and universities across the country. The Parents’ Association commits to the idea that together we – the members of the Darlington Community – must continue to learn and to challenge ourselves as a means to intellectual growth for the community as a whole.”
Bailey Duncan (’98), who teaches Ancient World History and Modern World History, used his grant to take an ASSIST trip to Prague, Czech Republic. “I learned a great deal about the history and culture of the Czech Republic and was fortunate to connect with 15 other boarding school teachers from across the United States,” he said. “Especially moving were the trips to the World War II concentration camp at Terezin and the former village of Lidice, which was decimated by Nazi aggression during the war… I would like to thank the Parents’ Association for helping make this trip possible. I have now experienced England, Scotland and the Czech Republic thanks, in part, to them. Such firsthand experience has helped tremendously in the classroom, providing me anecdotes and stories to make the class material even richer.”
Others, like James Hutchins and Angela Pieroni, use their grants to further their education. Hutchins, dean of studies at the Middle School, has used his grants to aid in paying tuition for his coursework at the University of Alabama, where he is finishing up his doctorate. Pieroni, a Middle School science teacher, has just started on her master’s in curriculum, instruction and assessment.
“If you’re not learning, you’re not growing,” Hutchins said. “Every member of an organization should continue to develop his or her craft. If you don’t, you can rest assure another organization is not far behind. I would like to thank the Parents’ Association for helping my dream come true. Without this financial assistance, I don’t know whether it would have been possible.”
Other Darlington faculty members who received grants for use this year include Reba Barnes, Will Camp, Gwen Gibbes, Chris Holloway and Mitchell Maddox.
