For Darrin Naill, working in music retail and warehouse management since the 1990s had run its course. He was burnt out and ready for a change. His wife, a teacher in Baltimore County, encouraged him to use his bachelor’s degree in Writing and Publishing to see if teaching might be his next step. In 2021, Naill began substitute teaching at South Carroll High School, and he found his new way forward.
The thought of changing careers in your 50s might be scary, but when Naill learned about McDaniel’s Teacher Collaborative Fellowship, it seemed like the perfect way for him to transition from subbing to becoming a full-time teacher. In fall 2023, Naill enrolled in the M.S.T. program and then joined the fellowship program in spring 2024.
Over the past year, he has quickly learned how to balance coursework, teaching, and his family life. Since he has three kids and financial responsibilities, going back to school without a consistent income was a little daunting. That’s where the fellowship’s monetary award came in to alleviate that anxiety of following his dreams.
“I had to think about it for a while though,” Naill says. “I had been working at South Carroll High School as a substitute teacher and had built relationships with so many of the students. I was torn knowing that if I joined the program, I would not be there with them for the 2024-25 school year. Luckily, I ended up back at South Carroll in January and it’s a bit like coming home.”
Since then, Naill has gotten an insider’s view of what life as a teacher is really like. While he knew a bit from his wife, Joy Aspelmeier Naill ’01, M.S. ’05, who has been an art teacher in Baltimore County for nearly 20 years, Naill says it wasn’t until he was really in her shoes that he understood why teachers are so vitally important.
“I have learned the job does not have an end; there is no clocking in and clocking out for teachers,” says Naill. “There is a constant need to adapt to new circumstances. Daily schedules have to have at least some fluidity to accommodate unforeseen issues.”
With the help of his teacher mentor, he has learned how to pace lessons, understand that each class learns differently, and use classroom management skills.
Teachers were essential to Naill during his time in school, and he still remembers those who made an impact on him. When reflecting on his favorite teacher, he describes his fifth grade elementary school teacher, Mr. Gilbert, at Winfield Elementary School.
“He was the first teacher I had who never yelled at his students,” Naill says. “He was always calm, always understanding, and seemed to do away with the ‘us vs. them’ perception I had formed of teachers to that point. He still stands out as a model for me, with his even tone and conversational style.”
Naill says that he aims to emulate Mr. Gilbert in this way. “Teachers — especially secondary school teachers — need to have a thick skin but still maintain empathy for their students,” he says. “Some recommend maintaining a ‘teacher persona,’ but I don’t have that; I am the same inside the classroom as I am outside, and I think high school students especially appreciate and respond well to that authenticity.”
