About Me...Hi! I’m Susie Thornhill and I am thrilled to be one of your child’s fourth grade teachers.
I have always had a passion for reading and went back to school when my youngest was in preschool. I received a Master’s Degree in Education with a specialization in advanced literacy. Upon graduation, I received a scholarship from the Austin Area Branch of the International Dyslexia Association to take Basic Language Skills, which is specialized training for students with dyslexia. This is my ninth year teaching at FTE. I have taught kindergarten and fourth at FTE and worked previously with several private schools in the area across multiple grade levels. My certifications include: EC - 4 Generalist, 4 - 8th Language Arts and Social Studies, ESL, Special Education and Reading Specialist.
I came to education from a background in finance. Initially, I was in taxable fixed-income sales, where I predominately worked with cities, counties and school districts. Subsequently, I worked at St. John’s School in Houston as their Annual Fund Director.
I am fortunate to have a very supportive and quite handy husband, as well as three wonderful sons. Curry graduated from U.T. in Austin and is working in Chicago. We are thrilled to officially welcome his fiancee, Maddie Ryan, to our family this year! Gabriel is a senior at WHS and Travis, my youngest, will be a sophomore.
Fourth grade is a wonderful time in a child’s academic journey. Reading comprehension becomes pivotal as students extract information from a variety of sources. Writing will be a crucial focus and form for students to express their newfound knowledge. We get to dive deeper into math and science. I am thrilled to share this experience with your child as he/she travels further into their formal educational experience.
Greetings Falcons,
I am an 11 year veteran of Eanes ISD. My areas of expertise are in Social Studies and Special Education. I was raised in Chicago, Il, but I have resided in Austin Tx for several decades. I have had the unique experience of studying Texas History from the inside out as a member of the Texas Speleological Association, Texas Cave Conservancy and the National Speleological Society. My husband and I have also dived the Flower Garden National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, which has much of the same marine life our 4th graders learn about before going on the Corpus Christi trip in May each year. Before following the call to education, I worked in environmental consulting as a Global Information Systems Specialist and graphic designer. Map making, field surveys, hand drawing artifacts and developing Texas agency websites encouraged a lifelong love affair with Texas.
My husband, Ian and I keep busy with a household of pets and pet projects. Gardening, wildlife management and animal rescues are near to our hearts and well as time with family that currently are spread out in several states and countries.
Christa Riddington M.ED., BFA