Teacher Tuesday – Meet Ms. Darling!

Meet Ms. Darling

Ms. Darling is a Spanish teacher who came to APS from Fairfax County Public Schools.  She has been teaching for 11 years.  Ms. Darling completed her master’s degree in Education Leadership in the summer of 2019.  Ms. Darling studied abroad in both Valencia, Spain, and Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica and loves to travel especially where she can use her Spanish-language skills.  “I started to learn Spanish when I was in middle school and had enthusiastic Spanish teachers who made learning a new language fun.”

Ms. Darling credits her family for her interest in education.  “I am a third-generation teacher. My grandma taught 1st grade for 30 years, my mom taught upper-elementary grades and eventually became an elementary school principal. My older sister taught elementary school for 10 years before staying home full-time with her children.”

When asked who inspires her Ms. Darling replied, “My mom has inspired me to not only teach, but to consider stepping into a school-based administrator role. I still go to for her for advice and guidance professionally. She always did her best to be fair, reflective, and make decisions based on what was best for the students.”

Ms. Darling enjoys teaching all grade levels.  “Working with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students offer different joys and challenges with each age group. I love how enthusiastic my 6th graders are, as for a lot of them, it is their first exposure to the Spanish language. With my 7th and 8th graders, Spanish 1 is one of the first high school credit classes that they can take in middle school, so I expect a certain level of responsibility and dedication to their studies while still being playful and creative with the language.”

Ms. Darling loves reading mysteries and thrillers. Some of her favorites are Then She was Gone, The Girl on the Train, and Where the Crawdads Sing.