GRANITEVILLE, SC (WJBF) – Kelli Kilbourn-Williams brings a wealth of experience to this classroom. In her former life she worked at a hotel and decorated for a theme party company among other things.

“I have 3 college degrees,” Kilbourn-Williams says. ” I started in recreation and marketing management. I’d always wanted to be a teacher, but I’d gone down a different path. So then I decided I’m going to go back to school and become a teacher, because I always had loved teaching reading.”
She helps her 8th graders get ready for high school and beyond.
“Middle school is the most difficult time. They’re not the big kids, but they’re not the little kids, and so they kind of feel left out and we do the best we can. I love them. I tell them that every day. I love you very much, but you disappointed me. I love you very much, you did a great job.”

Mrs. Kilbourn-Williams helps her students develop a passion for books.
“I tell them that once they learn how to love to read, they’ll find their book or they’ll find their series and they’ll stick with it. And I preach reading.”
Leavelle McCampbell Middle School is divided into houses, just like in the Harry Potter stories. It’s fitting that Kelli Kilbourn-Williams is in charge of Nukomori, the house of kindness.

“It’s a great thing to love other people and help other people,” she says. ” So we work really hard, all the houses work really hard to teach these kids, that there are less fortunate that we need to lend a hand to and lift them up. So we do a lot of things just to help other people. I want them just to be great human beings and help the world.”