Bear Essentials

I am excited and grateful to join the Brown family as a high school level ECE teacher. I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee where I graduated from The University of Tennessee with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. I began my professional career in social work, the experiences of which helped to shape me into a more dynamic teacher years down the road. After several years in that field, having children and moving to Kentucky, I made the decision to pursue my Master’s degree in Exceptional Education through Western Kentucky University.  I have spent the last fifteen years as an ECE Teacher in the Bowling Green Independent School District.  I taught at Bowling Green High School for 14 years before spending this past year working with students at the elementary level to diversify my teaching experience and to learn more about the foundations of reading instruction. 

In my spare time I enjoy various forms of exercise including yoga, pilates, hiking and pretty much anything outdoors.  I am a mom to three amazing daughters and two equally great sons-in-law. I truly try to embrace a growth mindset and find myself reading, studying and listening to podcasts most of the time. I also enjoy working outdoors, cooking and DIY type projects.  Meditation has become part of my daily routine over the last two years. I am currently studying a course in teaching mindfulness and it’s many benefits. 

My teaching philosophy is to get to know my students and their families, to be an encouraging force in their lives and a coach in the subjects that I teach. I believe that the relationships that form between schools and families can be some of the strongest and most transforming. I try to be available to my students and their families as much as possible.  I am looking forward to this coming school year, to meeting everyone and to beginning my new role at The J. Graham Brown School.

Hello Brown School Family,

I am Anjanette Chandler and I am excited to join Brown as a Kindergarten Instructional Assistant.  I am a graduate of Manual High School and Kentucky State University where I earned an English Degree.  While at Kentucky State I was able to pledge the greatest sorority in the world!

I have had many careers leading up to joining JCPS.  I have been an activity director, social service director, day care teacher and even a restaurant owner.  I was even afforded the opportunity to be a stay at home mom for a number of years. 

Being a stay at home mom let me enjoy my most important job of being the mother of Jeris Johnson and Toi Chandler.  My children are the greatest and the Brown School had a lot to do with it also.  Jeris attended Brown from K-10 finishing up at Western High School. Toi is a 2018 graduate of Brown having attended from K-12. Brown is definitely not new to our family - it is our family.

Currently I am a Pre-School Instructional Assistant at DuValle Education Center where I have been since joining JCPS seven years ago. 

I love to craft and travel especially to Los Angeles where Jeris lives. My husband Fred and I are currently pretending to enjoy being empty nesters (lol).

Greetings!  I am Kasey Fields, delighted to be the new ESL teacher at J. Graham Brown School. Embarking on this role fills me with much enthusiasm and determination to meet the needs of our students!  My joy lies in assisting our ELL students and their families in attaining comprehensive integration within the school community and embracing the academic curriculum. Over the last 20 years, I have passionately taught world languages to elementary and high school students at schools such as Mercy Academy, Young Elementary, and St. Matthews Elementary.  I am truly privileged to serve as an educator, as I believe that we hold a great responsibility in nurturing young minds, molding not only our community but also our future.

When I'm not engaged in the pursuit of knowledge with your children, I love the company of my own family- My husband Adam- fishing enthusiast, and our three children- Abel, who at the age of 10, possesses a profound passion for animals, Anna, aged 7, who embodies a nurturing spirit and has a heart of pure gold, and Willa, aged 5, who brings an element of delightful unpredictability to our lives. In addition to my dedication to education, I love gardening, cooking, traveling, music, reading, and spending time at the lake.  I am so looking forward to getting to know you!  Let’s have a fantastic year!

Hi!  My name is Eriauna Langdon and I am excited to be joining the Brown family as your new Kindergarten teacher.  Although I am new to Brown, I have been teaching for eight years!  I taught kindergarten and first grade, respectively, at Hartstern Elementary.  Through my experience Hartstern, I was able to combine my love of foreign languages with teaching by helping my English Language Learners and their families develop a strong academic foundation.  

I am a proud JCPS alum.  I graduated from Louisville Male High School in 2010.  I then went on to earn my bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in Spanish at the University of Kentucky in 2015.  Afterwards, I earned my master's degree in education with a specialization in reading at Indiana University Southeast.  In 2022, I earned my National Board certification in Literacy.  

When I am not enriching students' lives, I enjoy traveling, reading, exercising, and spending time with my loved ones.  I am looking forward to beginning the school year and getting to know everyone in the Brown family!

Hello J. Graham Brown School family.  My name is Amanda Hill.  I will be the Speech-Language Pathologist serving your school this year.  I will also be serving Ahrens and will continue to serve my home school, Camp Taylor elementary as well.  I have been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 23 years and over 20 of those years have been with JCPS.  I attended the University of Kentucky for both undergraduate and graduate school.  

When I am not at work I enjoy going to the gym, watching television, or relaxing on the deck.  I look forward to working at J. Graham Brown School and meeting all the staff and students!

I am Tomika Leonard the new Kindergarten Asst.  I am excited to join the Brown school family.  I have been a kindergarten instructional assistant since 1999.  To watch those little minds work and figure out thing bring me joy.  I love what do and I look forward to continuing my journey with the Brown family.

Dear Brown Bear Community,

I am enthusiastic to join the High School Math Department alongside Andrew. I have taught a variety of math classes in JCPS for over a decade. I am Nationally Board Certified and endorsed to teach English as a Second Language. My Bachelors of Science degree is in Mathematics from Bellarmine University. I was lucky enough to earn my Masters of Education through the innovative Graduate Southern Kentucky Teach program at Western Kentucky University. This program buttressed my perspective that students learn best when empowered to be at the center of their instruction.

When I am not teaching, you can find me playing and reading with my two imaginative boys, Elijah (3 years old) and Thomas (1 year old). My husband Benjamin and I love to dine out at Louisville restaurants. My favorite hobby is to cook. 

I look forward to knowing you and our students!

I am excited to be a part of the Brown family! I will be teaching Digital Literacy & Game Design for Middle & High and Robotics/STLP for Elementary Students. During the past five years, I taught Computer/Digital Literacy with special emphasis on STLP for all grade levels at Conway Middle School. My husband and I are blessed with three wonderful children, two of them are Brown Alumni, and my youngest daughter is still a student at Brown. We are members of a local church and I volunteer at the pre-school ministries.

I am from India. I earned my Master’s degree in Business Administration and Bachelor’s in Education in India. I have taught in colleges at the undergraduate level – 3 years in India and 5 years in Guyana, South America. We moved to the United States when my husband accepted a research position at UofL. I worked as a JCPS substitute teacher for 3 years, but, unfortunately, had to stop working for a few years due to visa restrictions. However, with no regrets, I happily made use of those years raising my girls, volunteering in my kids’ school, and learning US culture. As an immigrant, I closely observed different tools that my children were provided to make learning easier and better. This motivated me to pursue a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Learning from Aspen University, CO with special emphasis on tech-enhanced Project Based Learning for diverse learners.  

As we enter the 23-24 school year, I am eager to learn more about the students and staff at Brown and collaborate with parents to see how best I could contribute to learning.

My name is Kathleen Ham and I am very excited to join the Brown School family. I am a Louisville native and a graduate of the University of Louisville for both my Bachelor's in Mathematics and English and my Master's in Education.  This year will start my 18th year in education.  I have taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade math and Algebra I. In my time outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family, crocheting and baking. 

Benitez joins us from Carter Traditional Elementary School where he served as a School Security Monitor for one year. He is a JCPS graduate from Liberty High School.

Hello! I am thrilled to become a part of the Brown School family as a part- time Elementary interventionist for Reading and Math. Previously I walked the halls of Brown School as a parent. I marveled at the dedication, creativity and expertise displayed by Brown School staff. They helped my 3 beautiful children develop into young adults who were encouraged to use their unique skills and talents to pursue and achieve many of their dreams. I now am a proud grandparent of 7 incredible children. 

I started my career as a Special education teacher in Daviess County and later in Bullitt County. When my own children were young, I enjoyed working at Prelude Preschool and Friends School. I finished my full-time career after working 18 years at McFerran Preparatory Academy in various teaching roles. My wonderful and supportive husband, Chris, who has worked part-time at Brown School for 10 years now, has shared many special stories about positive experiences he has had with students and staff at The Brown School. I love spending time with young people and helping to facilitate their growth. I am so excited to become part of this amazing school as a teacher! I look forward to meeting each of you!