Certified in the American Montessori Society (AMS) method, Ricardo is a veteran teacher with many years of classroom experience focused mostly on the lower elementary population. Growing up in the classroom with a father who was a preschool teacher at a private school in Manhattan, Ricardo worked as a teacher’s aide at another New York day school before heading to Phillips University, where he met his future wife, April, and earned a B.S. in business.

After college, Ricardo and April settled in Texas, where Ricardo earned his AMS Montessori certificate and began interning at a Montessori school, working his way up to becoming lead teacher. Seeing children reach that "aha moment” proved to him that he was in the right place: Ricardo had found his true home in the classroom. Since then he has led many classes, with his first group of children now in college!

When it comes to a teaching philosophy, Ricardo believes that children with a strong educational and emotional foundation will grow up to become the next generation of engaged young adults who can effect meaningful change. A typical classroom with Ricardo as the guide is full of happy, independent children who are at their best while learning and playing in an organized environment. By offering children freedom within limitations, along with clear and positive behavioral expectations, a classroom begins running smoothly on its own – almost as if a teacher is not even there!

Today, Ricardo and April live in Bristow, VA with their two high-school aged children, Diego and Monet (named after their favorite artists), and their cats, Chubb and Fluff. The ability to be outside and explore nature is important to their family and was a driving force in Ricardo’s decision to become a part of the River Farm school. In his free time, you'll find Ricardo pursuing his dual passions of acting and slow pitch softball. Ricardo also enjoys hiking, yoga, guitar, and gardening.

After spending a few years out of the classroom advocating for social justice causes, Ashley is now part of the River Farm Cooperative community as both a parent and teacher. She brings over a decade of teaching experience specializing in upper elementary, reading intervention, dyslexia, and English as a Second Language. Ashley has worked in various states and even one year in South Korea working with students. As a reading specialist, Ashley enjoys bringing literature into all areas of instruction including math, science, social studies, and life in general which she contributes to her former professors and mentors during her time at Troy University where she received her Master’s in Elementary Education. 

Ashley is a welcoming, nurturing teacher who truly cares for her students. She focuses on meeting the student where they are at and begin building from there. Each student learns and responds differently, so Ashley works alongside the student and the parents to target the best way to teach each student. One successful way she builds a rapport with her classroom is by keeping it active, her witty sense of humor, and to have as much fun as you can while learning and teaching. Ashley’s unique teaching style has been recognized by her peers by being selected as Teacher of the Year multiple times, as well as being selected in 2009 District Teacher of the Year for Clint ISD in El Paso, Texas. 

After many years of military moving,  Ashley’s family has settled down here in Alexandria. Her spouse Heather is retired from the Army and now works as a governmental civilian. Ashley is super excited to join her children, Carson and Carley, who are RFC students. The family enjoys hanging out with their dog Bella and bird cookie, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Although Ashley is not a fulltime advocate anymore, she is still passionate about many social justices issues. 

Stacy Bio

Andrea has recently moved back to the Northern Virginia area with her two dogs Meeko and Maya and is extremely excited to be part of the RFC community. She earned a BA in Speech Communication Studies from the University of South Dakota and is currently working towards a Masters in Humanities from Tiffin University. Andrea brings a decade of experience when it comes to the Education field. Her first job out of college was as an Academic Advisor for an online university. She then found herself on the other end of the spectrum- teaching Preschool. For the last 4.5 years Andrea has worked as a preschool teacher at a private daycare in New Jersey, where she has lived for the last 8 years. Andrea has loved watching her former students grow and believes that no two children are alike. She feels it is essential to allow children the freedom to learn and explore, both inside and outside of the classroom, while offering guidance in a multitude of ways beyond testing, as life does not only occur in a classroom. 

Outside of teaching preschool Andrea is also a yoga teacher. She has been practicing yoga for 11 years and has been teaching for a little over 5 years. In 2017 Andrea created a yoga for kids program that was implemented at the school she worked at. The program saw great success and for the last few years many of the lessons within the program have been added to the school year’s curriculum. Teaching preschool and yoga have provided her with a strong philosophy when it comes to how people learn and the role of a teacher.  She believes that every student is unique and must be met where they are in their journey through the encouragement of curiosity and exploration.

Education is very important to Andrea. Growing up in a military family, Andrea had gone to 7 different schools by the time she started high school.  She had the opportunity to attend public, private, and charter schools along the way. This provided her with a unique experience as she was able to learn in such diverse environments and through a multitude of educational ideologies and philosophies. These experiences are what have allowed her to adapt and improvise in her own classroom and have provided her with the fundamental tools needed to advocate for her students on a social-emotional level. 

When Andrea is not teaching, she loves to travel and, even though they are both seniors, Meeko and Maya love to join her on road trips and hikes. Her love of travel has allowed her to bring outside world experiences into the classroom. Andrea also enjoys photography, reading, ballet, and theatre. She is an avid believer in a person having and delving into multiple passions as it is one of the greatest gifts anyone can provide future generations. 

Janeth McKee is RFC’s Spanish language instructor.  Mrs. McKee is a native Spanish speaker, born in Panama where she graduated from the University of Panama with a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking.  She worked as a legal secretary in Panama until she moved to this country with her husband in 2010.  They had a baby in 2014 and began hosting weekend Spanish classes for toddlers the next year.  

Mrs. McKee developed a “learning through play” approach over the next four years in her small-group classes.  In 2019, she was the RFC assistant Spanish teacher and a core co-op member; she has moved up to take the lead role this year.   She teaches each class twice per week, usually incorporating songs or arts and crafts into the lesson plan– her philosophy is that when you are having fun, the learning can just come naturally.  Janeth usually has just as much fun as the kids in these classes!