Susan Brown, M.A.T., B.A.

I grew up in Columbia, SC, attended college in Pennsylvania and South Carolina and moved to Beaufort in 1995.  I have a BA in studio art and an MAT in early childhood education.  I spent over 10 years in Jasper and Beaufort County Schools, teaching pre-kindergarten through second grade.   During that time I met my husband, Tim Brown who is a native Beaufortonian, we married and now have five amazing children.  In 2008, I was intrigued after attending an informational meeting about Riverview Charter School.  Hearing about a new school that was going to teach core values in a setting that fostered experiential learning and collaboration among all the stake-holders (students, parents, teachers, community); I knew where I wanted my children to attend school.  My philosophy of teaching sees children as competent and capable learners.  I believe that learning should be natural and joyful.  I know that children have multiple strengths and interests which make a classroom community a dynamic and exciting place to learn.  As a teacher, I encourage children to work to solve problems together, but at the same time recognize the importance of differentiated instruction.  I am humbled to join the RCS faculty.  It is exciting to see a group of teachers, administrators and staff who are dedicated to teaching the whole child while at the same time seeing themselves as learners in the process.  I love to learn and am looking forward to many new discoveries and wonders with the children at Riverview.

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I graduated in 2007 from The Ohio State University with a Masters Degree in Elementary Education and a Bachelors Degree in Human Ecology.  After graduating I taught at a private school in Dublin, OH for two years before moving to SC to put down roots. I have had experience working with children in a variety of settings for the past 10 years including a special needs classroom, an urban classroom, a public school, a private school, a lab school, and an alternative school. I have learned a lot from all of these experiences which has strongly impacted my teaching. My teaching philosophy is largely rooted in social constructivism and I believe strongly in teaching to the whole child, differentiated instruction, hands on learning, individualized teaching and most importantly caring, comfort and passion within a classroom. I have a wonderful and supportive husband who supports me when I work late and puts up with all of my classroom "projects" and 2 dogs and 2 cats. I moved to Beaufort from Ohio in order to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to become part of the Riverview family when it first opened and have been loving every minute!

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JoAnna McKnight, B.S.

I graduated from the University of South Carolina Beaufort with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education this past April. I was born in New Jersey and spent half of my childhood in Beaufort, due to my father being active duty military. I have worked in a Christian preschool and I'm so excited to start my first year of teaching in Kindergarten. Attending public school in Beaufort County has given me a desire to give back to the community in which has educated me throughout elementary school. My educational philosophy is deeply rooted in small group instruction, hands-on experiences, and education of the whole child. I couldn't have asked for a better place to embark on this journey. I am excited to be part of the Riverview family!

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Liz Williams, M.Ed., B.S. Magna Cum Laude
I graduated from The College of Charleston in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. I also received my Master's degree in Reading Education from The Citadel in 2001. I have been teaching for 14 years in the area of early childhood education. I have taught prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade in public and private schools. I have lived in Beaufort for the past 12 years with my husband, Hayes. We have two children, John and Sarah. I have enjoyed working with such an enthusiastic and dedicated group of teachers and administrators at Riverview.  I believe in teaching to the whole child through individual, small group and whole group instruction.  I take a hands-on approach to learning in my classroom and encourage cooperative learning whenever possible.  I want my students to feel comfortable in our classroom community and know that they are an important part of it!

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