Deborah Joyner spent most of her student years at a small school in Calvin, La., where she saw her teachers as great role models. She loved school and learning was important to her, so she decided to become the first educator in her family. Her career has surpassed 30 years now. It all began in 1990, where Joyner taught at Mansfield Elementary. She then taught at Epps for five years.
In 1998, Joyner joined Lincoln Parish Schools at Hico and continues her career today at Dubach School. She taught third through fifth grades since joining LPS, with most classes in fourth and fifth grade ELA and social studies. Joyner coached cross country, a natural to transition as she was a past runner, and now teaches PE and runs the library. With her background music, Joyne teaches also cardio drumming and enjoys teaching the rhythmic activities.
“I do enjoy teaching,” Joyner said. “My passion has always been English-Language Arts. I love reading and writing.”
Knowing that writing can be scary to some, she said she tries to take the mystery out of the expectations. Joyner said she hopes her passion fosters a love in her students for books and writing.
Joyner said she believes students can achieve anything and sets high expectations for them and herself.
“I think these high expectations encourage students to strive for excellence,” she said. “I make mistakes, and I try to show students how these mistakes are learning opportunities, not failures.”
One year she taught “new” math (not her strongest subject) to fifth grade students. Transparent with her students, she learned a new way to teach, studied lessons nightly and learned with the students. Her students earned the highest LEAP scores in the district that year.
“Growing up in a small school setting, and teaching in a similar setting, has allowed me to see how relationships with students and teachers is important,” Joyner said.
This helped her understand her students better. She said she loves when students think of her and reach out to her even though they have moved on from her classroom.
“(It’s) awesome to see a student truly grasp something that they have struggled with” who just didn’t get it, she said.
She has numerous stories where it suddenly clicked and the students felt proud of themselves – from jump roping to reading.
Looking back at over 30 years in education, Joyner advises parents to let their children make mistakes and help them learn from them. Teachers are doing their best and we all have the same end goal: Student Success, which looks very different from student to student and teacher to teacher. For future teachers, she simply advises to “be authentically YOU.”
“I teach because I genuinely love learning,” Joyner said. “I hope that has shone through in my career.”
