1.     What is your favorite part about teaching?

My favorite part of teaching is coming up with fun studio projects or in art history, hearing about places students have been and artwork they have seen.

2.     What are some of your hobbies?

I spend a lot of my time painting at home. I also love to travel.

3.     What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Live in the moment; take time to appreciate the present.

4.     What is a piece of advice you would give to all of your students?

Enjoy high school while it lasts; you can’t come back.

5.     What is your biggest pet peeve?

Laziness.

6.     What do you think would be your job if you had not become a teacher?

I wanted to do too many things: be an artist, work in film work at a zoo, and fly planes.

7.     Name an interesting fact about yourself that not many people know.

There are only about 400 Darracotts around the world. I’m the only one in Texas.

8.     Where is your favorite place in the world, and why?

Italia. Why? It’s “La Vita Dolci.” Naturalmente.

9.     What is your favorite era in art, and why?

I enjoy Romanesque sculpture; it’s playful, rhythmic and yet spiritually evocative.

10.  Who is your favorite artist, and why?

I am a huge fan of Pierre Bonnard; his paintings transport you to a serene place, away from all your worries. His use of color is inexplicably profound.

11.  What are some highlights of this school year so far?

Besides being teacher of the year at Plano West, I have heard of many great things that my ex-students have done. Two AP Drawing students from last year, Hannah Lerner and Morgan Nix, were two out of only 13 who made perfect scores. This is out of 18,000 portfolios. Last year and this year, Plano West has the largest AP Drawing and AP Art History classes in the state. Also, an ex-student at Boston University, Jazy Shevell, just graduated from a prestigious art history program at the Courtauld Institute in London. At the Young Masters Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art, five of my students will be honored for their studio work or essays: Hyeon doh Lee, Tiffany Li, Ruoyi Gan, Celia Shaheen and Amy Ong. These are only a few of the many highlights.

“He really cares about us understanding the content and he is also really passionate about what he’s teaching. Mr. Darracott really cares about making us smarter and better people.” – Garrett Hairston, 11

“Mr. Darracott is one of those teachers who is truly passionate about teaching, not just out of love for art and its history, but also out of his genuine yearning to help his students succeed. He instructs his students with more of a positive outlook, telling them exactly what they can do to enhance the already good qualities of their work, rather than criticizing their mistakes.” – Dalia Mitchell, 11

“Mr. Darracott knows his stuff. He has an infinite amount of knowledge on his subject and I’m always so interested to hear him lecture. He is great at relaying information, and he knows so much that it amazes me sometimes.” – Celia Shaheen, 12