Kristy Garrett, the new pre-K teaching assistant, holds an A.S. in Education from Shorter University and a B.S. in Education from Grand Canyon University. With six years of experience as a paraprofessional, she served most recently as special education aide at Pepperell Elementary School.
"We are thrilled that Kristy has joined our pre-K to 2 team,” said Hope Jones, director of Pre-K to 8. “She will be a wonderful asset to our program and the Smith Smarties and Deaton Darlings are lucky to have her this year."
Garrett fell in love with Darlington several years ago when she would volunteer in the first grade class on the Thornwood campus.
“While I volunteered, I realized that this is a place I would one day love to work at and eventually send my children to,” she said. “I loved the kids and the parents, but most especially how Darlington felt like one big family.”
Garrett found her passion for teaching while volunteering at Midway Primary School.
“At Midway, I helped with all facets of the educational process,” Garrett said. “I assisted with readers and writers workshop, differentiated math centers, and reading groups. I see myself bringing a vast knowledge of differentiated instruction to Darlington. When I previously worked with special needs children, I had to differentiate for every single child. This is one thing that I think will really benefit many of the kids here at Darlington, the ability to tailor a child’s education to their individual needs. ”
In her free time, Garrett enjoys spending time with her family. She and her husband, Jason, have been married for nearly 17 years and have three children, JJ (‘18), Matthew (‘21), and Ashlyn (‘26).
“As a family, we enjoy play mini golf, bowling, or just hanging out together,” Garrett said. “When I am not spending time with my family, I enjoy looking on Pinterest and Teacher Pay Teachers for different ideas to do in the classroom.”
