Craig Schmidt has taught history at Darlington since 1986. Currently, he teaches Ancient World History Honors, AP World History and AP European History, in addition to serving as department chairman and advisor to the National Honor Society. He is also a member of the Summerbell House duty staff. Mr. Schmidt holds a B.A. from New College and an M.A.T. from Duke University. He also taught for 12 years at Memphis University School and for one year at Camp Lejeune High School.
What is the best thing you have seen from a student at Darlington?
"We have had our share of tragedies at Darlington. It is impressive to see how the student body as a whole can rally around a student to help him or her deal with the situation. In the final analysis, it's not about a test grade, rather it's about one’s character."
What was your dream as a kid?
“I have always seen myself in education. I have never had any final goal of achieving a position of power or a high office. I think you always want to strive to get better at whatever you are doing and that is my goal with education.”
Do you have any aspirations for the future?
“I just want to get better at what I do. I want to continue learning every day. I think in the final analysis, you’re only competing against yourself. So whether you are teaching, learning for the sake of learning, or helping the community, over time you want to get better at it."
What does history mean to you?
“It’s how we put the present in perspective. It’s a good story, it's entertaining and it’s fun, but it’s also profound because we do repeat in patterns. For me personally, history is a perspective that can be used for the present. How do we know if the current president is a good president if we don’t have something to compare him or her against We have just been involved in two wars. How can we understand those wars if we don’t understand the history behind Iraq, Afghanistan and Islam? How can we determine if a politician’s policies are realistic if we can’t put them in a historical perspective? History is the most practical thing that we can study.”
