GALWAY–Mr. Darlington was recently selected along with a total of 215 teachers from 10 different regions as a New York State Master Teacher. These 215 teachers selected in April now join the 104 master teachers announced in October to make a total of 319 Master Educators in New York. The Master Teacher program is designed to recognize outstanding teachers in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The selected STEM educators will take on the responsibility of  providing leadership and assistance to improve student performance by collaborating together to find the most effective methods of teaching. The Master Teacher program goes hand and hand with the new STEM scholarship program which will be offered to New York’s best high school graduates if they pursue a STEM career and work in New York for five years. This scholarship will provide full tuition to any  SUNY college or university.

STEM teachers in the K-12 system, who have been teaching for a minimum of five years, can qualify for the Master Teacher application process. The first step of the online application is a praxis subject exam which consists of 100 multiple choice questions which must be completed in 2 hours without the use of a calculator. Once the praxis subject exam are completed,  all school transcripts have to be sent in. (This is easier for some more than others.) Mr. Darlington shared that he had to contact several schools, well seven to be exact, to retrieve all of his transcripts. After all the transcripts are sent in, the final step of the online application is an essay. Once this is complete, the teacher advances to the next round. This includes a 10 minute presentation about a subject, a panel interview, and a hand-written essay.  Mr. Darlington chose a topic that combined both physics and chemistry in his presentation. In front of evaluators and other candidates, Mr. Darlington explained the importance of thin film coating on camera lenses. The extensive application requirements had to be completed by March 8th and the results were announced April 14th.

Each Master Teacher will receive $15,000 per year for the next for years (for a total of $60,000). When asked what he would be doing with the extra cash, Mr. Darlington said he plans to use the money to pay off his student loans.  After asked about being enrolled in classes through seven different schools he said not many teachers can say they are dual certified in Physics and Chemistry with an undergraduate degree in Economics. He encourages graduating seniors to invest in their education because it will pay off in the long run. “It goes to show the more you stay in school, the more money you make.”

Mr. Darlington was humbled to accept this honor and he said he is excited to represent Galway. The first meeting for the newly inducted Master teachers will be held May 10th in the Capital District.