Rose Carroll regularly takes her Teacher Cadets to visit Charleston Southern University.
Carroll, who teaches Teacher Cadets 1 and 2 and creative writing at Cane Bay, said her cadets get invited to the campus all the time to get information on financial aid opportunities, eat in the cafeteria, tour the campus and visit the classrooms. Her students also receive a college ID, which gives them the full privileges as CSU college students – which her cadets love.
A trip to the campus in March turned out to be extra special when Carroll learned that because of her long-time work with Teacher Cadets at Cane Bay, she would be the first-ever recipient of the Guiding Light Award.
Carroll said she was very honored to receive the award.
“It is a special honor to be recognized as an educator and even more amazing to be acknowledged for inspiring future educators,” she said.
In an e-mail to Cane Bay High, Susan Z. Gresh, Executive Assistant to the Dean in the College of Education, said Carroll has inspired Charleston Southern University to create this award through her dedication to the Teacher Cadet program.
“Over the last few years, we have seen the program at Cane Bay grow, and the students become more excited about teaching,” Gresh wrote. “She brings her students to our annual Teacher Cadet day in the fall and has started bringing them again at least once or twice in the spring. Berkeley County should be very proud of her and the time she gives to help foster a love for education.”
Carroll is a native of Berkeley County as well as a product of Berkeley County School District; she graduated from Berkeley High. She studied English at Charleston Southern University and also has a Master’s Degree in reading from The Citadel.
Carroll has taught in the district more than 30 years, previously serving at Sedgefield Middle before coming to Cane Bay High when the school opened in 2008.
She became the Teacher Cadet instructor in 2009; at the time, Cane Bay had a very small teaching population because the school opened with two grade levels – ninth and 10th grade – so her first class of Teacher Cadets was very small with only four or five students.
As the name would suggest, the Teacher Cadet program is geared toward high school juniors and seniors with an interest in a career in teaching. Carroll took on the Teacher Cadet program at Cane Bay because, as a veteran teacher, she said she feels like teaching is a passion and a calling.
“I was given the opportunity through this wonderful program to inspire students to answer their calling to teach,” she said. “This recruitment program allows students to experience education from many vantage points. As a result, many cadets become excited about teaching because of field experience at Cane Bay Elementary.”
That class size has grown significantly since 2009. In one school year, Carroll could have upwards to 45 to 50 students interested in the class.
The students really do learn a lot because it is very hands-on. Carroll has had countless students who learned that teaching was their calling, and they went on to pursue the education path after high school.
When she sees her students in action teaching, Carroll said it makes her feel like the Teacher Cadet program is very effective and impactful. The students they interact with at Cane Bay Elementary look up to them and see them as role models. Carroll said her students, in a short amount of time, become mentors and influencers.
“The Teacher Cadet Program is working,” she said. “Many cadets have shed tears on their last day of field experience because they have formed indescribable bonds with their students. The primary goal of the program is to foster a love and appreciation for education so that cadets consider teaching as a rewarding career field.”
Every year (for the most part) since 2010, Carroll has had students who receive the Teaching Fellows Scholarship. This year she had four: Ashley Kelly, Madison Mayne, Tarik Henderson, Jr. and Jacob Hurd, plus Bradlee Kubitz, who was named an alternate for the scholarship. This year is the highest number of Cane Bay recipients Carroll has ever had, which made her feel very accomplished because she knows she is helping students reach their goals, all while promoting education in a positive way. Read more about BCSD's 2025 Teaching Fellow recipients HERE.
Some of her cadets, as well as Principal Dr. Glenda Levine, joined her at Charleston Southern University on April 29, when Carroll was recognized during the College of Education’s awards and graduation reception on April 29. The Guiding Light Award was presented to her by Dr. Julie Fernandez, Dean of the College of Education.
“This group of cadets has been phenomenal,” Carroll said. “Teacher Cadets have worked in the field, inspired young children in their classrooms, and learned so much about critical issues related to the field of education. Even if they do not become educators, they will advocate for education in a meaningful way.”
Carroll is married and has three children and three granddaughters. She feels so strongly about the dedication of her Teacher Cadets that she tells them: if her grandchildren could have them as a teacher, it would be an honor.
“It is especially rewarding to work with students of this caliber, students who will positively impact education,” she said. “There is a dire need for amazing educators who will meet the needs of our growing communities in Berkeley County, and I am honored to play a small role in shaping the future.”
