Nashari Williams, a second-grade teacher at School of Inquiry–Hodges Elementary in Greenwood 50 school district, has been named a finalist for South Carolina Teacher of the Year.
Background and Inspiration
Inspired by her mother, a teacher’s assistant in special needs education, Williams holds a BS in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s in Diverse Teaching from Lander University. She creates nurturing classrooms emphasizing safety, consistency, and student empowerment, drawing from her own positive school experiences.
Teaching Innovations
Her signature economics unit ends with a school-wide “Market Day” for hands-on entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Students achieve 70%+ mastery on NWEA MAP assessments through differentiated instruction.
Recognition and Next Steps
State Superintendent Ellen Weaver praised Williams’ transformative impact. As a finalist, she receives $10,000 and advances to interviews; the winner, announced April 23 in Columbia, gets $25,000 and a year-long BMW lease as ambassador.
