Retired Educator Spotlight: Rosey Anderson

Rosey Anderson has been an integral member of the Barnwell School District 45 (BSD45) family for 32 years serving as an educator, athletic director, coach, and current chairperson of the BSD45 School Board.

Anderson always aspired to be an educator. Her paternal grandparents were both in education, and she often found herself teaching her dolls when she was young.

During her time in school at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, Anderson naturally took to math. She remembers idolizing her high school math teacher, Mrs. Wilson.

“My high school math teacher, I had her for 10th and 12th grade years,” said Anderson. “I loved math class, I loved going to the chalk board to the point Mrs. Wilson would say, ‘Now let somebody else go to the board. You don't need to go.’”

“She was awesome, and she was my role model. I said, ‘I want to be like her one day,’” said Anderson.

And she is. Anderson was a math teacher for 36 years teaching in Orangeburg, Bamberg, and Barnwell schools and continues to serve BSD45.

"Mrs. Anderson was always, first and foremost, an educator,” said Jon Burdge, past principal of BHS while Anderson was teaching there, and current Grounds Supervisor. “Teaching and learning came before coaching or any other duties she may have been assigned. This was certainly a quality that her students and colleagues greatly admired and respected.”

The first two years of her career, Anderson was teaching eighth grade math in Orangeburg, and then went to Bamberg to teach fifth grade math.

“It was all teaching math, everything was math,” said Anderson.

Although her focus as an educator was in mathematics, Anderson had many positions during her 32 years with BSD45.

She was the Teacher Cadets sponsor and Instructor, a program where high school students could learn about education and receive certifications to allow them to see if a career in academics was the right path.

“I was also the athletic director for several years, I was assistant athletic director, I coached two sports,” said Anderson. “I did a lot for the school and they did a lot for me.”

Anderson started the junior varsity (JV) softball program in 1997 and coached the team almost until her retirement.

She also started the junior varsity volleyball program at BSD45 due to high participation.

“I coached varsity volleyball in 1999 until I retired,” said Anderson, who worked alongside her husband in building athletic opportunities in the district.

“Among the many things she taught her students and athletes, I appreciated the way she taught them all to be competitors and to play within the rules. Most importantly, Coach Anderson was a shining example of good sportsmanship and character for her students. BSD45 and Barnwell High School (BHS) are forever grateful for her service,” said Burdge.

Currently, Anderson’s daughter, Ashleigh Anderson, is the softball and volleyball coach at the school.

“She came up through the program. She played JV softball and varsity softball,” said Anderson of her daughter.

Once she retired, Anderson felt she had “too much school stuff in my head to not try to give back.”

Now, in her position on the school board she does just that.

“They gave me so much, I wanted to give back,” said Anderson.

“Barnwell School District 45 is so fortunate to have a board member who knows our schools and district so well. I am so grateful for Rosey‘s commitment to our district, her focus on serving all children, and the high integrity she exhibits in leading our Board of Trustees. We speak often about needing champions for education, and Rosey Anderson is definitely a true champion for Barnwell School District 45!” said Superintendent Dr. Crissie Stapleton.

Superintendent Dr. Stapleton and Anderson feel similarly about one another, and Anderson refers to her as the “best superintendent in the state.”

“She does what needs to be done, she's not afraid to make tough decisions, she gives the schools what they need, she's just the best. And I think when you have a great leadership like that, it trickles all the way down,” said Anderson.

Although Anderson is enjoying a retirement without an alarm clock, she still misses parts of being an educator.

“I miss the kids. I miss teaching, but not enough to get up in the morning,” she said jokingly.

Some of the students Anderson taught throughout her career still strike up conversation about their days in school when running into each other at the grocery store.

“One guy that I taught years ago came up to me one day and apologized to me for how he behaved in class and wouldn't do his work,” said Anderson.

“He said, ‘I understand now because I’ve got small children going through school. You were just trying to get me to do what I should have been doing,’” she said. “Things like that just touch your heart.”

“I had Rosey Anderson for both Algebra and Teacher Cadets, and I can say, without a doubt, that she is part of the reason I am a teacher today,” said Masey Mathias, BHS alum and current Interventionist at Barnwell Primary School (BPS).

“She was an excellent math teacher that made learning fun, and that’s coming from a student who didn’t love math,” said Mathias, who states Anderson opened the door to her becoming an educator.

“To this day, she always stops and asks how I’m doing when we see each other, and I am very confident that I could call her if I had any classroom needs,” said Mathias.

“Mrs. Anderson was always an advocate for all students and in turn had the same expectations for all who entered her classroom,” said Burdge.

Anderson recalls when she was nearing retirement, former students would ask her to stay so she could teach their younger siblings.

While teaching, coaching, and now serving on the school board, Anderson has noticed there are strong traits within the BSD45 family she is thankful for.

She notes parent involvement and community support as main factors of what makes BSD45 great.

“These parents here want their children to get a good education and they're supportive,” said Anderson. “The community likes to support us and we're very appreciative.”

Anderson also finds the school itself to be a great place to work.

“The camaraderie at the school with your colleagues, the community, the kids were involved in things…it was just a great working environment,” said Anderson.

“You've got a sense of pride in the community for Barnwell,” she said.