Rachel S. Brown is currently a 5^th Grade teacher at South Hill Elementary in Mecklenburg County who serves on the School Leadership Team. Rachel began her teaching career in 1983 as an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher who taught children one-on-one in their homes. She later assisted in piloting the first mobile preschool classroom and named the program “KIDs on Wheels: Knowledge Is Developmental”. After several years as an itinerant teacher, Rachel was based at LaCrosse Elementary as a school-based Prekindergarten Teacher for Title I At-Risk students. Finally convinced that she had more to offer in the upper grades, Rachel taught 4^th Grade students Virginia Studies and Reading for three years before taking the plunge into a SOL-laden 5^th Grade classroom.

Rachel was able to explore her love for writing as she prepared students for the Writing SOL, her creative side in teaching Virginia Studies, and her passion for digging deeper with the Reading SOL. This passion led her to become a recurring member of the SOL Review Committees for Virginia Studies, Reading, and Writing from 2005 to present (with the exception of two years off).

Presently, Rachel holds a Collegiate Professional license in Early Childhood Special Education, Early Education NK-4, Mental Retardation K-12, and Middle Education 4-8. In 2009, she received her Master’s degree in Literacy and Culture from Longwood University, and also holds an endorsement as a Reading Specialist. Her honors include being inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi in 2009, receiving the Golden Apple Award in 2004, and graduating from Bluefield State College, Cum Laude, in 1982.