Following in her mother’s footsteps
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“My mom, who was teacher, inspired me, but it was when my third-grade teacher, Mary Clark at William Biles, let me mix the powdered paint that I knew I wanted to teach. I just thought it was so neat she would allow me do that,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix began her career at Centertown Elementary after earning her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from MTSU in 1985. She earned her master’s degree in elementary education in 1990 and her education specialist degree in 1996.
After teaching the fifth and sixth grades at Centertown for nine years, she was transferred to Warren County Middle School, where she remains. During her years at the middle school she has taught eighth grade and, most recently, sixth grade English and reading.
Asked what she has learned over her career, Hendrix said one key to successful teaching is to make the students look forward to class the next day.
“That’s my philosophy and it’s something I try to do each day,” she said. “I’ll share stories about my life and do lots of educational games and incorporate music into my lessons. I’m very dramatic. You have to be if you’re a teacher and want to keep their attention.”
She added she also tries to make each of her students feel important, as students who feel good about themselves will perform better.
To learn, as many teachers will attest, a student first has to be present. In trying to set an example for her students, Hendrix strives to never miss a day of school and was recently honored for five years of perfect attendance, a streak snapped only last week when she had to go to a doctor appointment in conjunction with her first pregnancy.
In addition to teaching, she also fills several other roles at the middle school. She serves as a sponsor for several groups: sixth-grade mediators, juvenile duty, and the character education program Love in the Big World. She is also a mentor for the SISTER Act program.
When not at school, Hendrix said she enjoys spending time with her husband, Jeff, and her family.
She also enjoys singing in the choir at Christ United Methodist Church, putting together jigsaw puzzles with her dad, teaching aerobics to fellow teachers, writing poetry and painting.