After a very short retirement, Alice Clements will return to Darlington this year to teach science in grades 3-5.
A longtime Darlington Tiger, she taught third grade at the school from 2005 until her retirement in 2014. She has served as a long- and short-term substitute teacher for various grades during the last three years.
"My husband says I failed at retirement," Clements laughed.
That may be so, but the Darlington Community is thrilled to welcome her back in the classroom full time.
"We are so excited to have Alice back this year,” said Hope Jones, director of Pre-K to 8. “She is energized and looking forward to her new role in 3-5 science. She has spent countless hours planning lessons and preparing for the school year and is ready to hit the ground running!"
Clements holds a B.S. in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Berry College.
Service beyond self is important to Clements, and she spends time volunteering for Rome’s First Baptist Church, the Rome Action Ministries Food Pantry, and as the Shorter University Alpha Delta Pi Chapter Advisor.
Her teaching is driven by her philosophy that students are eager to learn and that they can all reach the high expectations that she holds for them when given the tools they need to be successful.
“My job is to provide them with the tools to be successful which often means modifying a lesson so that it appeals to different learning styles or can be understood by a student with learning differences,” said Clements. “I strive to treat my students with respect and to encourage them to put forth their best effort in all their work.”
Eager to return to Darlington, Clements says she is looking forward to teaching full time again.
“Third- through fifth-graders are my favorite age group to teach!” she said. “They are so curious and have so many good questions and aren’t afraid to ask them. I’m also excited to work with a great team of teachers and creating lessons that combine all of the subjects that the students will be learning.”
When she is not teaching, Clements enjoys traveling and going to the beach with her family.
“During the last three years, my husband Frank (‘77) and I took several fun trips exploring places we had not seen before," she said. "I loved visiting national parks in the western part of our country and seeing how beautiful it is, and I’m looking forward to finding ways to tie in what I experienced in our travels with science lessons for students.”
The science teacher has two daughters, Sarah (‘08) and Caroline (‘10), who both attended Darlington from pre-K through twelfth grade. She believes that their experiences help her to understand the Darlington experience from the students’ points of view.
“Darlington is a special place, and I am excited to be back as an ‘official member’ of the DAR family again,” said Clements. “When I walk through the doors of the school, I feel like I am right where I am supposed to be!”
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Natalie Horah (‘19), who is serving as an intern in the Communication Office this summer.
