David Yarborough is bringing his 37 years of teaching and coaching experience to Darlington this fall as he takes on a new role as 7th and 8th grade history
teacher at the Middle School. He will also be the head boys' lacrosse coach.
“I believe that education takes place best in an environment where the process is student driven and project oriented with the teacher as a mentor for student discovery,” Yarborough said. “I also believe that education, regardless of the subject matter, should have an outdoor experience component. And finally, students should be encouraged to find learning beyond the walls of the school. There is so much to learn in our every day environment and we should take advantage of that.”
Yarborough holds a B.A. in Social Sciences from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. It was during these years that he first discovered his passion for teaching and coaching.
“I was in my second year of law school and had begun to work with kids in the inner city of Dallas and with YMCA football," Yarborough recalled. "It was clear to me then that although I really enjoyed law school and the study of law, working with young people was what I really felt very comfortable with. Thirty-seven years later, that is still true.”
Yarborough also has an M.Ed. in Secondary School Administration from the University of Missouri, St. Louis.
Throughout his lengthy career as an educator, he has had the opportunity to coach student-athletes in f
ootball, lacrosse, basketball, baseball and track. “I coached football for 37 years, including 16 as a head coach," he said. "I have coached at both the middle and upper school levels, both boys and girls.”
Additionally, he spent 14 years as a mock trial coach, which included three trips to the National Mock Trial Competitions, and served as a unit director at Cheley Colorado Camps in Estes Park, Colo., for six years.
Yarborough grew up on a 10,000-acre ranch on the Texas panhandle, which is likely the reason he loves the outdoors so much. "I really like to read but most of all I enjoy virtually any activity that involves the outdoors," he said.
And with a beautiful 500-acre campus to explore, we are sure he will find plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors here at Darlington.
"I am really excited about teaching at a different grade level – getting the opportunity to work with the middle school
– and in a different subject that I have taught in the recent past," said Yarborough, who comes to Darlington from The Walker School in Marietta, Ga. "I am also very excited about being in the boarding school environment.”
He is married to
Anna Yarborough, a learning specialist in the Glenn Teaching & Learning Center at Darlington's Upper School. They have two children
– Sam, a rising sophomore at Rhodes College, and Gracie, a rising freshman at LSU. The Yarboroughs also have two dogs, Walker and Millie.
