Mary Nell Anthony is an educator who is motivated by helping all people be as successful as possible. At her core, she is a "fixer" who loves leadership, problem solving, and ensuring strong systems in place to support everyone in the building. She loves working with students to reach their highest potential and believes that high expectations paired with strong support makes that happen. Currently, Mrs. Anthony is working as the Executive Director of Secondary Instruction for the Anderson School District Five.
As an English teacher Mary Nell Anthony was committed to giving her students all the help they needed that she provided them with her home phone number, cell number and email address. She also conducted frequent after-school study sessions at the library and local bookstore. In her classroom, Ms. Anthony maintained rigorous standards and held students accountable for their work; at the same time, she created lessons that were interesting and thought-provoking, incorporating history, science, art, music and even math. Her students are known to become so immersed in the subject matter that they often conduct further explorations on their own. A National Board Certified Teacher, Mrs. Anthony incorporated technology into her classroom, including a student Web site that she created featuring study guides and supplemental support for struggling readers and writers.
When it comes to helping her colleagues, Mrs. Anthony is equally generous with her time, conducting seminars at the local college, leading in-service workshops, piloting programs and mentoring student teachers. Her motto is a quotation from Benjamin Franklin, who is said to have begun each day with the question, "What good can I do today?" Students and colleagues whose lives have been impacted by Mary Nell Anthony would say she does a lot of good every day.
