Rachel Swafford-Cook

Curriculum and Academics Assistant Supervisor 10th Grade ELA Teacher

rscook@ivyacademychattanooga.com

Rachel Swafford-Cook is Curriculum and Academics Assistant Supervisor and 10th Grade ELA Teacher.  She earned her B.S. in secondary education and her M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  As a Fund for Teachers Fellow in 2014 Rachel participated in Restorative Justice in Education. Rachel is a member of the Tennessee Environmental Educators Association, Professional Educators of Tennessee and Kappa Delta Pi.  Other educational interests include reading, creative writing, education equity and first-hand experiences of geography. (She loves to travel overseas on tiny budgets. Countries she has explored for less than $2,000 each [including airfare] include Ghana, Israel, Palestine, Spain and France.)

Rachel’s household includes her husband, her stepson, her daughter and the family rabbit.  She enjoys anything related to the outdoors and the environment, including hiking, rafting and swimming.  (She aspires to dip her feet in every major body of water on earth.) She also enjoys encouraging others to recycle/reduce waste.  In fact, Rachel chose to be an educator in order to promote positive change in the world and chose Ivy, she says, “because of the value placed on the outdoors, academics, and student success. I love that we can accomplish awesome academic goals while pushing the boundary of what is considered a classroom.  The North Chickamauga Creek Gorge is very dear to me, as I grew up just three miles from Ivy and less than a mile from the North Chick Creek.” 

Rachel’s annual service projects at Ivy include the STARS Youth Conference and One Table.