“Those younger years helped shape me into the type of teacher and mother I wanted to be,” she said.
Bostick and three other teachers will receive the Excellence in Teaching award March 23. The 38th awards program is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club, the Springfield Foundation, the Greater Springfield Partnership and Meijer.
Throughout her schooling, Bostick had many teachers that left a lasting impression on the importance of teaching, and her field experience in college helped shape her passion for working with students in urban areas.
“I am very passionate about children believing in themselves and their abilities to be successful,” she said.
To Bostick, teaching means wearing many hats — from educator, to counselor, to nurse — as well as love, patience, empathy and hard work. She said it’s important to guide, foster, challenge and care for the students.
“It means possibly being the only person in the child’s life that is stable and consistent ... It means staying at work late, thinking about a child’s situation while making dinner, and praying for my school families,” she said.
“It is so important for me to teach children not only to learn, but how to learn, how to ask questions and interact with others ... I try to understand my students’ lives outside of the classroom by finding their interests and blending that into math problems with football, or choosing a book for a student based on their love for a performer.”
Society and educational delivery is constantly changing, Bostick said, so she works to figure out the best, most interactive way to present material.
“There are many times that I work to refigure a lesson to make sure it is understood in a different way when I see students struggle,” she said. “Most importantly, for me, teaching is about seeing and considering the whole child when making educational decisions.”
Bostick said she loves teaching second grade because it’s a “sweet spot” between gaining the foundation in kindergarten and first grade and having a “sponge-like attitude” to want to soak in the material. Her favorite part of being a teacher is realizing the potential in children, the light bulb moments when something comes together and the relationships she has made.
“Each day I am blessed to see the simple joys of smiles, laughter and curiosity. It is so wholesome to see how children forgive and move on,” she said. “(And) to be able to watch my kids and to share their progress with their families is a wonderful feeling.”
Bostick added it’s also rewarding to have former students come back to her classroom to say hi and reminisce, noting her first class at Perrin Woods are now seniors.
Receiving this award has given Bostick an opportunity to look back on her teaching career and appreciate her students, staff and families that “have come together to bring me to the place I am in currently.”
“This award means acknowledgement for the passion, dedication, and love I put into my career,” she said.
Before working in Springfield schools, Bostick taught in Columbus Public Schools, Anthony Wayne Local Schools and Toledo Public Schools. She earned her undergraduate degree from Toledo University and has taken many master level courses.
2026 Excellence in Teaching Award
This is the first story in a four-part series by the Springfield News-Sun on the teachers in Clark County receiving the 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award.
About the Author
