Faith and family are as important to Bovina Elementary School’s music teacher as teaching. “All my time is with church activities, school activities and family activities,” said Jennifer Tillotson.
She has taken mission trips to Africa, China and Honduras where she had the chance to teach piano to children.
“Bovina is a small community school. When you get to know a student, you get to know their whole family,” Tillotson said. She also said she has always loved working for the Vicksburg Warren School District and she loves working for Bovina.
“We are trying to help teach these kids to become leaders, and most importantly they’re going to be our leaders in the future,” she said.
“It is very rewarding to know that I might have a small impact on their lives,” she said.
Tillotson takes teaching very seriously and believes that music is a vital part of life. She teaches music, supervises school plays and directs choir and honor choir at the school.
She also implemented Bovina’s Disney’s kids’ production, a Disney Junior Broadway show. This year will be the third year Bovina has put on the Disney Broadway show, which is held at Warren Central High School.
Tillotson has taught music at Bovina and in the VWSD for 19 years.
Before Bovina she taught at Redwood, South Park and Warren Central High School.
She went to Mississippi State and has a master’s degree in music education with an emphasis in piano and began her teaching career as a private piano teacher before going to work for the VWSD.
Tillotson has no desire to retire soon and says she will teach as long as she is physically able. “I love every child and that’s one of the most wonderful things about being a teacher because I’ve taught for many years. I’ll run into people that are adults now that I’ve taught and they’ll come hug me,” she said.
“They know, and children see your heart through your eyes and how you treat them all. That is a blessing to me that students still come up to me and tell me that they love me, Tillotson said.
“I must’ve made some kind of impression on them and that’s just the greatest reward ever.”