(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights West Marion Primary kindergarten teacher and 2016-17 Marion County School District Teacher of the Year Leonia Bozeman.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Laurel Jan. 24, 1974.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I attended West Marion High School and also Franklin High School. I went to Southwest CC where I got my AA degree, then on to USM where I got my bachelor’s degree, then William Carey where I got my master’s.
Q: Where all have you lived?
A: I have lived in Foxworth, Jackson and Lucedale.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: My role at West Marion Primary begins with a bus route. I’ve been driving for about 12 years, and I’ve been teaching kindergarten and special services here for 10 years. I teach kindergarten presently and am the lead teacher in the classroom. I instruct students on reading, math, writing and various activities. Teaching kindergarten you have to teach them the basic fundamentals for reading, counting, knowing their shapes and colors, getting them engaged in learning and opening their minds up to the future that’s ahead of them.
Q: What awards have you received?
A: I was the Marion County School District’s Teacher of the Year last year, and for that I was invited to put in an application for the Mississippi Teacher Council with the Mississippi Department of Education. I was selected as one of the members to join their committee, and we discussed many issues within our school, what’s going on and what will be going on in our school, county and state. We’ve talked about the writing process, which I’m really excited about. I think even in kindergarten writing is a process that will grow through each grade. We’ve talked about technology in our schools and how kindergarteners are learning how to type for third-grade testing. The meetings have been really informational, and we’re working with the Mississippi Department of Education to improve our writing process.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: I’ve been teaching for close to 19 years. I started out with my degree from USM in early childhood, and I just progressed since then. I worked at the McCoy Federal Building in Jackson, teaching 1-year-olds and 4-year-olds. Then I moved onto Gary Road Elementary School in Byram, and when we moved to Lucedale I was home with my children. When we moved back to Marion County I pursued a job at First Baptist, but I wanted something on a higher level because I saw the potential in children. That led me here.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: Just seeing the children light up when they’re learning to count, learning to add and learning to read; it’s the excitement of seeing them learn to read and them realizing they’ve learned to read. It’s like an eye opener to them, and it’s thrilling to see them get excited about it.
Q: What was your first job?
A: McDonald’s.
Q: Who is the person who has been most influential in your life?
A: My grandparents had a big impact on me. My grandmother, Marie Mullins, and also my mother, Barbara Bonner, has always told me about the importance of education. They told me to go get a degree. They’ve had a good say in pushing me.
Q: If you could relive one day from your life, which day would you choose?
A: I think what I would do, as well as getting the early childhood development degree and learning how children think at a younger age, would be to pursue an upper elementary degree to teach higher grades and older kids. I think I would change that.
Q: What is your spouse’s name? What does he do for a living?
A: Chase Bozeman. He works for the Department of Labor.
Q: Do you have children?
A: Amanda Bozeman is 17 and in the 11th-grade, and Thomas Bozeman is 15 and in the ninth-grade.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Crawfish.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I think I would go to Australia. Australia has always interested me. I don’t know if it’s the water or the Australian lifestyle, but I want to go there.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: My family goes camping, boating, tubing and have been on adventures where we’ve gone hiking. We like outdoorsy adventures.
Q: What do you enjoy about living and working in Columbia and Marion County?
A: Just the friendly folks. You get to know who is in your small town.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: I think it would be Jim Carrey because he’s got a lot of humor. With his personality he seems like a fun guy.
Q: Would you rather read a good book or watch a good movie and why?
A: I would rather read a good book if I had the time because I think reading engages the mind and you can get lost in a different would when it comes to reading.
Q: What moment in your life has had the biggest impact on you?
A: I think the biggest moment in my life is when I became a teacher. I realized the minds I had in my care were special, and I was leading them to take a path in learning.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: I think it would be skydiving. It’s just the sense of that freedom and the adrenaline and excitement of knowing that I’m flying through the sky.
Q: If you could describe your morals in three words, what would they be?
A: Do what’s right. I believe in doing what’s right.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I would like to be remembered as being nice, giving and trying to help others in time of need.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: West Marion Primary School kindergarten teacher Leonia Bozeman enjoys when students realize they know how to read. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
