Elisabeth Lawson has joined the Darlington Community to teach fourth grade this fall. She holds a B.A. in Art and an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education, both from Berry College. As an undergraduate student, she studied abroad at Lorenzo de' Medici School in Florence, Italy, and Universite de Bourgogne in Dijon, France.
“Experience-based and project-based learning should be the foundation of education,” said Lawson. “The most important thing for me is to spark a child’s imagination with something interesting to show them, integrating the curriculum as much as possible so that the child doesn’t even know that they are learning. Students really respond to someone who is engaging.”
The Thomasville, Ga., native has eight years of experience in the classroom, most recently as a lead teacher at Rome First United Methodist Preschool. Lawson previously spent three years teaching at Montessori School of Rome as a certified Montessori educator. While there, she was instrumental in building a greenhouse with students and leading a student-run garden that sold flowers, herbs and plants.
“Going from a black-and-white philosophy that had so much to offer, and then on to a preschool community, I have learned that there is not one way of doing things,” said Lawson. “All of those methods have something to bring to the table.”
Before graduating with her master’s this spring, Lawson completed a practicum at East Central Elementary in the third grade, where she also worked with students on a school garden. Outside, she integrated different subjects like geometry and English to reinforce what the students were learning inside. Fresh samples of fruits and vegetables were given to students at lunch, and produce was sold off to help raise money for a field trip to the Georgia Coast.
“It is kind of my thing that I take with me,” said Lawson. “We talk about food and nutrients—we learn parts of the plant and how to run a garden. Students run for different “offices” so that the garden can be self-sufficient.”
It comes as no surprise that she and husband Mitch own Rise N' Shine Organic Farm, one of the state’s largest organic farms. She serves as the company’s marketing director.
Lawson hopes to bring her passion to Darlington as a side project, possibly getting started with students on soil preparation as early as fall. She looks forward to tying in the experience with a specific literature unit to bring it all back to the classroom.
Lawson became interested in Darlington because she appreciated the freedom that an independent school atmosphere afforded and because she has friends and acquaintances employed by the school who utilize teaching styles very similar to her own.
“I knew going into the interview process that Darlington teachers and administrators were more embracing of students taking part in project-based, hands-on learning,” she said. “I knew that it would give me an open door to teach the way that I love and the way that I feel students love to learn.”
Lawson and her husband have been married for 10 years, and reside in Rome with daughters Camille ('27) and Laine ('29). She enjoys being active and involved in the community, and has volunteered with the Chiaha Harvest Fair as children’s booth coordinator, with Coosa River Basin Initiative’s WATERFEST, and with the Rome Area History Museum. Lawson and her family attend St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
She enjoys traveling, canoeing, hiking, camping, biking, running, gardening, throwing pottery, painting, and spending time on the family’s farm.
