Jennifer Brown
Spartanburg District Four Teacher of the Year
2022 - 2023
Jennifer Brown is a kindergarten teacher at Woodruff Primary School. This is her fifteenth-year teaching, and her eighth year at Woodruff Primary School. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clemson University, a master’s degree in early childhood education from Converse College, and a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from the University of South Carolina.
Ms. Brown loves teaching kindergarten and getting to help children begin their educational journey. Her students learn character traits that help build a sense of community in the classroom. Creating a sense of community in the classroom is significantly related to many positive student outcomes. It improves qualities such as empathy, conflict resolution, and self-esteem. It also leads to higher levels of academic motivation and interest in school. Her students learn about respect, responsibility, integrity, teamwork, and empathy in kid-friendly ways. The kids say that having a community in the classroom helps them feel comfortable at school. Her students love to give each other a helping hand. They greet each other every morning with hugs, high fives and handshakes. Ms. Brown loves to see her students working together to treat each other with kindness and encouraging each other to be successful.
One of Ms. Brown’s favorite parts of kindergarten is teaching students how to read. She loves getting to be a part of the students’ excitement as they master new skills and learn how to read new words. When the students begin to read books by themselves their faces light up and their love of reading is ignited. Ms. Brown believes it is important to involve students in the learning process and helps them understand what skills they are working on and what their goals are. She works with students in small groups and one on one to help them reach their goals. She also enjoys reading books to students and getting to immerse them in a story. Her students often play teacher during their plan-do-review time and teach and read stories to each other.
Ms. Brown believes it is essential to build strong relationships with her students and their families. She enjoys attending student events and sporting activities and getting frequent updates from her class families about things they are doing outside of school. Ms. Brown also loves getting to participate in annual events with the community at Woodruff Primary School. One of her favorites is the storybook character parade. She loves her students, their families, and being a part of the Woodruff community and is honored to have received the Spartanburg 4 School District Teacher of the Year Award.