Distinguished Alumni Joretta Duncan

Joretta Duncan (BSE 60 - Elementary Education)

A Lifelong Educator Who Never Stopped Believing in Her Students

For more than 60 years, Joretta Duncan has inspired learners from all walks of life — from young children to teens and adult learners, across classrooms in Kansas and Oklahoma. Her career reflects a singular devotion to students and a lasting legacy of persistence, compassion and resilience.

From the Heart of Kansas to a Life of Teaching

Duncan was born during the Great Depression in Augusta, Kansas. Her childhood dream was always to become a teacher — a goal she would pursue with determination, even when the path wasn't easy.

Her first stint at Emporia State University (then Kansas State Teachers College) ended abruptly when her mother, displeased with her daughter’s academic efforts, “yanked” her home and issued an ultimatum: If she wanted to return to college, she had to foot the bill. “And that's what I did,” Duncan said. “I worked two jobs and got going.”

She began teaching in a two-room schoolhouse in Gordon, Kansas, after earning an associate degree at El Dorado Junior College. In 1958, she returned to Emporia to complete her bachelor’s degree, then launched a decades-long career teaching English and speech and coaching girls basketball across the state.

Earning Trust, Changing Lives

In 1970, Duncan and her husband Gene moved to Jay, Oklahoma, near her family. There, she taught in a rural district where many students came from Native American communities and faced economic hardship.

“It took me a couple of years to get where they believed in me,” Duncan said. “But I’d go back in a heartbeat.”

Over time, Duncan became a beloved teacher and mentor in Jay, known for her energy, her fierce belief in her students and her no-nonsense encouragement. She taught in the district for 27 years — and even now, former students still stop by to visit.

Duncan also spent time teaching adult learners, including incarcerated individuals pursuing their GED. In every setting, she brought the same message: education is a path to dignity, opportunity and hope.

Advice from a Teacher Who Never Stopped Teaching

Duncan’s passion for the classroom never faded — she was teaching GED classes at Northeast Oklahoma A&M College when she retired at age 88.

“I’d go back in a heartbeat,” she laughed. “I just love to be with the kids. It’s in my blood, I guess. I just have a lot of energy, and I love teaching.”

To future Hornet educators, her advice is simple: the bond of understanding comes first, before learning can begin.

“You have to understand the child,” she said. “That’s where it starts.”