Scott Greene

Road to Retirement

Scott Greene’s work in independent schools has spanned 36 years and taken him to five different states, where he has served in such roles as principal, assistant headmaster, academic dean, and director of learning centers and academic services.

“My first full-time job was in a psychiatric hospital school in Asheville, N.C.,” said Scott, who recently retired as director of Darlington’s Teaching & Learning Center. “I was a part-time teacher working with students who had learning and/or behavioral challenges. I worked there for 11 years, moving up into the position of principal. In this position, I realized that I have a real soft spot for students with learning challenges. I loved the challenge of helping them learn using nontraditional methods.”

He and his wife, Tonya, joined Darlington’s Learning Center team in 2017. Since their arrival, it has grown and expanded programming to include the Accelerated Learning Program for Dyslexia. Focusing on grades 2-5, the ALP provides necessary remediation with experienced learning specialists, while enabling students with dyslexia enrolled in the program to receive the full Darlington experience.

“I am fascinated by dyslexic students and have spent years finding ways to teach them effectively,” said Scott. “I have started programs for dyslexic students as well as other students with learning differences at several different schools … the Accelerated Learning Program here at Darlington is an example of one of those programs. I am very proud of this program and very happy that my wife, Tonya, will continue to oversee it. She is a true expert in dyslexia and the ALP would not have been possible without her knowledge and experience.”

The Accelerated Learning Program for Dyslexia has been fully enrolled since the year it was launched, and Scott said the results have been impressive.

“Using the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching literacy, our learning specialists have seen tremendous growth in our dyslexic students,” he said. “Almost more importantly, they have seen the joy of learning return to students who had lost it. Students who thought they weren’t smart or that they didn’t belong at a school like Darlington have realized that they learn differently and if taught correctly, can achieve as much as any student here. They tell their parents that literacy is now their favorite subject instead of something to be dreaded, which had been their previous experience. Our parents have been very happy and supportive.”

This past year, Darlington’s Learning Center served approximately 80 students in the Upper School and 75 in the Pre-K to 8 division.

“It’s great to hear from students years later about how the Learning Center changed the trajectory of their educational path,” he said. “Most say they were well prepared for everything they experienced in college. Self-advocacy and work ethic are the two areas that I hear made the most significant impact on their readiness for college. Our learning specialists do a fantastic job teaching students how to be successful and independent learners and those lessons follow them well after Darlington.”

As Scott reflected on the last five years, he said the school community has had a meaningful impact on his family.

“Darlington was truly the perfect place at the right time for each of my two children,” he said. “Alexander graduated in 2020 and is now a senior at University of Georgia. We adopted him from a Russian orphanage at age 20 months only to later find out that he was totally deaf. After receiving cochlear implants, he needed educational opportunities that supported his learning styles, and Darlington did just that. My daughter is currently a fourth-grader who loves school and learning. She has friends from all over the world!”

As for what’s next in retirement, Scott didn't sit still for very long.

“I am fortunate in that I will get to make a hobby of mine more of a vocation after retirement from education,” he said. “I have bought and sold many houses in the past two decades and I will be working in the real estate business with the folks at Toles, Temple & Wright here in Rome."

And with Tonya remaining at the helm of Darlington's Accelerated Program, the Greenes look forward to continuing to call Rome home.