US  veteran and educator Darren Rainey taught high school Language Arts in Delaware after he left the military. He continues to make his mark on the field of education. Photo credit: Teach for America

There are many fine educators who came to the classroom after serving our country in the military. One of these is Darren Rainey, a Language Arts teacher and Athletic Director in Wilmington, Delaware.

Darren deployed with the 4th Squadron, 9th US Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division to Afghanistan in 2013 and to the Republic of Korea in 2015. “I learned some of my toughest leadership lessons through deployments, rotations, and training exercises in this unit,” says Darren. “It was here where I learned the importance of leading through relationships and respecting an individual’s unique experiences.”

When Darren concluded his military career In 2017, he decided to become an educator. He served as the Athletic Director Director and taught Language Arts at the 8th, 9th, and 11th grade level at Freire Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. “In the classroom, nothing is more rewarding than when a student has that ‘ah-ha’ moment during a lesson or when a kid who is usually quiet has that breakout moment in a class discussion,” asserts Darren.

Currently, Darren serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He also works as an Adjunct Professor on the Delaware campus of  the Relay Graduate School of Education. In addition, he serves as an Impact Leader with Profound Gentlemen, Inc., an organization that builds communities of male educators of color who provide a profound additional impact on the communities they serve.

Darren was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Hampton University for his undergraduate studies and earned his Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.

To learn more about Darren, click on this link to an article he wrote published by Teach for America.