Our Mission

Suzanne is a homeschool mom, certified Florida teacher, and Media Specialist. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Elementary Education and a certification in ESOL, Reading, and Media. Her desire to lead and be a change in education took her back to school to pursue training in Educational Leadership. She spent 15 years serving students in the public school system in Duval, Clay, and Baker counties. Several of those years were spent as a School Guidance Counselor advocating for our most vulnerable students through Support Services and Special Education. 

Once she started homeschooling, she saw a need for a place where kids can be kids while developing a lifelong love of learning. A place where children are accepted for who they are and where they are academically and developmentally, not for how well they perform on one test. She believes in the whole-child approach, transitioning from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the long-term development and success of all children. She believes learning should be fun and that real world experiences are very beneficial to each child's success. 

Suzanne is a believer and knows that God has opened this door for the RAC team to pour into the lives of children in the community through fun, learning, and relationships. 

Carrie Patten is a homeschool mom and a Special Education teacher. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor's in Advertising but felt lead to make the change to education. She has more than 8 years of experience teaching in the private school and homeschool cooperative settings. 

Education, especially differentiated instruction, is very close to Carrie's heart because of her own personal experiences. She believes that education is not  "one size fits all" , and has spent her teaching career fulfilling that belief by putting her heart and soul into teaching every child where they are developmentally and academically. She understands how important it is to involve parents by keeping them informed and including them in the decision making process.

Carrie is a christian and proud of her faith. She has personally seen God pave the way for this co-op to come to life, and she is thrilled to see what He is going to do for the children, families and staff of River Academy!