The working mission of Darlington's Teaching and Learning Center is, "To empower students with the ability to discover their academic talent with passion and integrity." Currently, we directly serve 15% of the student body, but work indirectly with the entire school and teaching staff by providing resources and training.
The Teaching and Learning Center works as a liaison between our community resources, teachers, doctors, parents and students. We know every student is unique and we develop an academic plan and support system that best serves the student. The center has five dedicated learning specialists who are located all three divisions. Each campus also has a physical center that is designed to best work with the ages and stages of the school.
Darlington's Lower School follows an academy-style approach in its Learning Center, under the direction of Renee Hutchins. She is an amazing teacher trained in Orton Gillingham, a tailored program that teaches a very prescriptive, direct and explicit approach. It is very intentional in design to help children in the areas of reading, writing and spelling. Starting in October, any third- or fourth-grader interested in playing "brain games" before school will be invited to the center. After school, these students may choose to join the book club or writing club. The Lower School Teaching and Learning Center works very closely with the Middle School center to ensure a smooth transition through Darlington.
Our Middle School program is under the guidance of the multi-talented Lisa Goldin, who is also trained in Orton Gillingham. Lisa works both in classrooms, helping with differentiated instruction, and directly with students in the center. She also teaches Study Skills and helps foster the traits students will need as they enter the Upper School. Currently, the center offers an enrichment class and an after-school "Power Hour" that is open to all students in grades 5-8. Middle School presents a host of opportunities as students mature from children to young adults. The Middle School center strives to identify students who need academic support and enrichment so they will be ready for the rigors of Upper School.
The Glenn Teaching and Learning Center, located at the Upper School, is under the direction of the dynamic duo, Jean Bonnyman and Keith Trotter. This center is an academic hub and our staff is always reaching out to help new students and staff members as they acclimate to Darlington School. The Upper School center is a very busy place that is open for business from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. every school day. Students arrive early just to go over their day, but mostly to get a smile and encouragement from Jean and Keith. Jean is a star in our program and a dedicated advocate of our students. This past summer, she created and implemented a summer reading program that was an astonishing success, enrolling 65 students! Several of the participants presented at an all-school faculty meeting earlier this month. It was so wonderful to hear some of them describe how they selected the shortest novel because they did not want to read, but ended up loving the book and looking forward to the next one on their list. Keith Trotter is another exceptional learning specialist with the remarkable ability to transform math and science for our students who struggle with learning differences and disabilities. His energy is contagious and the students are constantly seeking him for help and advice. Both Jean and Keith spend several hours each week in the boarding houses, helping their students and any others in need of extra academic support.
Darlington's Teaching and Learning Center is open to every student, teacher and parent. We strive transform academic challenges and learning differences into strong character and work ethic because we know that every student can succeed with the right tools and support.
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” – Scott Hamilton
