Kayla Heflin has joined the Darlington Community and is teaching Spanish at the Upper School and serving on the duty staff at Thornwood Hall. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and Anthropology from Berry College, where she was director of the Berry College ESL Program for two years and an ESL instructor for one year prior.
“I discovered my passion for this profession during college when I began teaching ESL classes to Hispanic adults in the community,” Heflin said. “I aim to empower students to be ethical global citizens and lifelong learners by exploring social issues through empathy, making interdisciplinary and global connections in coursework, and facilitating critical thinking, all the while cultivating a transformational educational environment in which students are encouraged to set and pursue goals, embrace the process, and reflect often.”
Most recently, Heflin has been a Cuban education services member at New American Pathways in Atlanta. Her international experience includes serving as an English teaching assistant at Fundación Progreso Guanacaste (Santa Cruz, Costa Rica), and as a service learning volunteer at Spring Hill College Italy Center (Bologna, Italy).
“I am truly excited to be a part of what is going on at Darlington in terms of the shift in philosophy regarding best practices for teachers that will prepare their students to excel in the increasingly technological and global 21st century,” continued Heflin. “I believe that I bring a unique global perspective to Darlington, based on my international service experiences exploring social justice and my work with the immigrant and refugee community in both Rome and Atlanta, Georgia.”
In her free time, Heflin enjoys reading, traveling, running, and spending time outdoors with her family and friends.
