Jacquie Duvall Grytza
Jacquie (Duvall) Grytza is a highly experienced and deeply committed middle school educator with 28 years of teaching experience, currently in her third year at St. Bernard Academy in Franklin, Tennessee. In her present role, she teaches 6th through 8th grade mathematics as well as religion, serving as both an academic instructor and a values-based mentor to her students. She also supports student development through homeroom leadership, supervision of daily school routines, and consistent after-school tutoring. Her work reflects a strong dedication to both academic excellence and the holistic development of young adolescents during a critical stage of their education.
Jacquie began her teaching career in 1998 at a Catholic school in Crystal Lake, Illinois, where she taught 7th and 8th grade science and literature. Since then, she has built a diverse and impactful career across multiple grade levels and subject areas, including elementary education, junior high mathematics, and specialized instructional support roles. She spent many years at Overbrook School in Nashville, Tennessee, where she served as a 4th and 5th grade teacher, junior high math teacher, and math specialist. During this time, she developed and implemented an advanced math enrichment program that enabled students to progress one to two grade levels ahead. She also coached MathCounts for seven years and created innovative interdisciplinary STEAM projects that integrated engineering, science, history, and mathematics to deepen student engagement and real-world application of learning.
In addition to her classroom teaching, Jacquie has extensive experience supporting diverse learners through her work with Kaneland School District, where she served as a homebound and maternity leave instructor across elementary and secondary levels. In that role, she taught a wide range of subjects including Algebra I and II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Physics, Biology, English, and History, adapting instruction to meet individualized student needs. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a Middle School Math Endorsement from the University of Indianapolis in 1996, where she attended on a tennis scholarship after being the top-ranked doubles tennis player in her graduating year.
Jacquie’s teaching philosophy is grounded in compassion, consistency, and high expectations. She is known for treating her students with the same care and respect she would extend to her own children, a reflection of both her professional values and personal experience as a mother of three successful adult children. She begins her school days early, typically arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 AM to thoughtfully prepare for her multiple daily classes, and often remains after school to provide additional academic support. Beyond academics, she is actively involved in her faith community and serves as a confirmation sponsor for students, further reinforcing her commitment to mentorship, character development, and leading by example in both education and life.
• University of Indianapolis - BS, Elementary Education and Teaching
• Number One State Doubles Player in Tennis (High School)
• Confirmation Sponsor at St. Bernard Academy
What do you attribute your success to?
I feel like I've raised three children who are all doing very well and adulting well, and I learned a lot about being a good teacher through raising my own children. I'm very much someone who likes to set a good example for my students, and I lead by example with my faith life. I think that helps the kids, and I really do love all my students - my husband can tell you I call them all my children. I try to teach with love, and I think about how I would want my own personal children to be treated, and I try to treat my students that same way.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received has been around discipline and how to manage the classroom, because that's always been my struggle. I try to keep a good balance between not being too strict where my students don't feel like they could come to me and tell me things or see me as one of their mentors, but also being strict enough where I have good classroom management. It's always been a hard balance for me to figure out. Having administrators or other teachers give me advice, or observing other teachers, has really helped me in my career. At the school I'm at currently, we do Tea Time Tuesday once a month where we get to go observe our teachers teach, and I've observed some teachers doing some good things with discipline, and that's really helped me move forward in my career.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I love teaching, but it's just so hard these days to be a teacher. The best thing you can do is just love your students. You have to have a passion for it and love kids - if you don't love kids, this is not the field for you because you're going to get really frustrated. And some days it's hard to love middle schoolers, but that love is what makes the difference.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say right now, the biggest challenge is the parents. As a teacher for 28 years, a lot of the parental support has changed through the course of the years. You have those wonderful parents that just support you 100%, but parental support has changed a lot. The next biggest challenge is just kids' discipline. Discipline is hard, and back in the day, you used to send the kids to the principal and they could paddle them, and now you can't do that, so it's really hard with discipline. Kids are more difficult than they used to be, and I think a lot of that has to do with food and screen time. Those are the two big challenges for me - discipline and parenting.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think my faith and trusting that God will provide for me and guide me to do the right things has always been my key guiding force. That's why I enjoy teaching at a Catholic school or at a religious school, because my faith has been my guiding light throughout my career and my personal life. All three of my children are strong in their faith, which is amazing - somewhat stronger than I was at their age - and I love that they're so strong in their faith. I think I've guided them and helped them to be that way, and I try to do that with my students too. I would also say respect is really important to me, as well as love and care for others. Being a team player with my colleagues is really important - I really do have a great team that I work with, and I think that's essential.