Joyce Walkup shares her keys to success
She taught at Centertown for two years after graduating from MTSU in 1968. “Then, I took four years off to stay home and raise a family,” she says, “but I just had to get back to teaching. I really love it.”
Walkup has been teaching at Centertown since then, and really enjoys teaching science to her fifth- and sixth-graders. “I once thought about being a nurse,” she recalls, “but I have a passion for books. I suppose I could have been a writer or a librarian, but teaching is what I most enjoy.”
Melanie Wright, who also teaches at Centertown and works closely with Walkup, says working with Joyce is an honor. “She really cares about those children, and they love her so much,” Wright says. “We had a birthday party for Mrs. Walkup recently, and you should see all the gifts they brought her.”
Wright says Walkup is very person-oriented, and loves to talk about her husband and her family. “She keeps so busy with her students, her children, and her grandchildren,” says Wright, “and is so proud of them all.”
When Walkup isn’t teaching, she is often pursuing another great passion. “I enjoy singing,” she says. “I grew up in a family that sang, and I believe in learning through music.”
She sings and plays the piano, often performing at weddings, funerals, and in the church choir. “It can sometimes be stressful,” she admits, “but I enjoy it very much.”
Her husband, Brian, is a pastor. She says the most important advice she has for a beginning educator would be to stay flexible. “Every time you have things planned out, be prepared for them to change. Even when lessons go well, schedules often change. Give yourself leeway.”
Walkup says she continues to learn each day as our culture changes. She has, indeed, learned several keys to living. Now her students learn from her.