Jones and three other teachers will receive the Excellence in Teaching award on March 16. The awards program is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club, Ohio Edison, The Springfield Foundation and The Chamber of Greater Springfield.
Each recipient will be introduced and will give a short presentation on what teaching has meant to them and the importance of being a teacher. Recipients will also receive a $1,000 check, a recognition plaque, a glass apple, and proclamations from the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.
Jones said she became a teacher because it is something she has felt passionate about since she was a little girl.
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“I would make my brothers and cousins play school during summer break,” she said.
Education, Jones said, seemed to be her “calling” as she always went back to it to help the community.
“I have been working with young people since the age of 17, and from that point on, education seemed to be my calling,” she said. “No matter what other profession I tried, I always went back to education and helping build a stronger community.”
Jones has lived in Springfield her whole life, which she feels is an important aspect of being a teacher.
“I am honored to be teaching in the city I was raised in,” she said. “Teaching helps build the minds of young people that will one day run our country.”
Teaching middle childhood education is enjoyable for Jones, she said.
“Sixth grade is a huge transitional year for students,” Jones said. “They are trying to come into their own and I can relate to that as I had my own struggle in sixth grade.”
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Along with teaching English, Jones has also taught one year of Social Studies.
“My favorite part of being a teacher is being able to see the aha moments,” Jones said. “When students understand the lesson and it connects them, you see their faces light up with joy.”
Jones’ childhood teachers and being raised by strong women in her family is what inspired her to pursue her dreams.
“Growing up having teachers that look like me, being able to experience their connection with students was extremely inspiring,” Jones said. “Being raised by four strong women laid the foundation for me to pursue my dreams in education.”
Jones said receiving this award is an honor she will cherish and share with others.
“Being one of the first in my family to earn a college education and being able to pursue my dream career, receiving this award is a high honor that I will share with my family, my students and the community.”
2020 Excellence in Teaching Award
This is the third story in a four-part series by the Springfield News-Sun on the teachers in Clark County receiving the 2020 Excellence in Teaching Award.
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