Anderson School District 3 recently named Anderson University education graduate Jessica Blanton as their 2025 Rookie Teacher of the Year. Flat Rock Elementary School, located in Anderson District 3, named Hannah Rose Swope as their 2025 Teacher of the Year.
Jessica Blanton
For Blanton, a teacher at Flat Rock Elementary School who received her bachelor’s degree from Anderson in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood add-on, receiving such an affirmation means a lot.
“This means that I’m doing something right, that everything that I’m doing is making a difference and especially in a school like Flat Rock,” she said. “We’re Title 1 and our kids come to us with additional needs other than academically. I feel like I’m able to fill a lot of different needs in their lives and people are noticing that, appreciate it and see the difference that I’m making.”
Blanton is a first-generation college graduate who entered education after her two children were grown.
“I became a paraprofessional in kindergarten and I was like ‘I can do this.’ One day my principal came to me and she said ‘Jess, I want you to go back to school. You have a passion, you’re great at it, I see so much potential in you,’” she said. “She’s still the same principal that I have now.”
Blanton feels blessed to be able to teach first grade, where so many discoveries are being made by children for the first time, including developing reading and writing skills that are crucial to their future.
“To watch them go from ‘I only know that letter and that sound’ to reading and understanding and seeing the joy that comes from just having a book in their hand,” she said. “It’s a sweet spot. It’s fun because they’re growing academically and as a person. Their little personalities are starting to come out.”
Hannah Rose Swope
Swope, who went to school at Starr Elementary in Anderson District 3, is completing her fifth year of teaching in the same district at Flat Rock Elementary School.
“I feel very grateful and blessed to be able to work at this school and in this district,” said Swope, who teaches second grade. “It’s really nice to be back home. It makes me very grateful to work with my peers who all voted me in for Teacher of the Year.”
Swope became interested in teaching when she was in high school.
“I got into teacher cadet and loved being able to get into the classroom, especially with elementary school… I was able to be a teacher cadet at Flat Rock,” Swope said. “That was a great opportunity. It helped me see what it was like to be at the school that ended up being the school where I wanted to be for my teaching career.”
Swope enjoys seeing her students learn and is especially grateful for Shine Time, an intervention and enrichment program supporting students who need assistance in specific areas.
“I’ve been able to see a lot of growth from those students,” Swope said. “I’ve seen progress each time in those small groups, and that’s been very encouraging. I’m very proud of the hard work that those kids have put in.”
Swope is grateful for her professors in the Anderson University College of Education and the ways her program has shaped her as an education professional.
“I think the professors there were very helpful. Whenever I had questions there always were open doors to be able to ask them questions and that always made it easy for me to answer any questions that I might have,” Swope said. “I really appreciate the fact that AU gets their students into the classroom as soon as they do… I think it helps create better educators who are committed to the education field.”
The Anderson University College of Education
The Anderson University College of Education focuses on the intellectual development of the student while being attentive to the ideals of character, servant leadership and cultural engagement. Programs are offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels, onsite or online. Details can be found here.
