Tennessee. North Carolina. Illinois. Missouri. China.

Jeffrey Walkington, a new AP English Language teacher at Bellaire, has been all over the world.

From learning how to kill and prepare a turkey in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee to teaching the rich and powerful in Chicago, Walkington’s travels through diverse environments have shaped his outlook on life and education.

“I learned how to get along with all kinds of people,” Walkington said. “There are cultural differences with people from Turkey or people from Mexico, so you learn some of those things. You also learn that people are pretty much the same.”

With a resume that spans numerous places and occupations, Walkington’s educational journey has been anything but ordinary. After receiving his PhD in English from the University of Tennessee, he decided to forgo the traditional academic path and choose an unconventional route to “go back to a simpler life.”

“After college, I decided to kind of drop out from the academic grad race,” Walkington said. “I went to do social service work to help people in the poor parts of Tennessee.”

While working with the United Methodist Mission, helping fix up homes of the economically disadvantaged, Walkington found his passion in working with teenagers.

“I started working with teenagers 24 hours a day and got to really like them. I knew I wanted to return to the classroom,” Walkington said. “I always wanted to be around kids and do something with the things I love: literature and languages. So, I thought if I got to be a high school teacher, I could continue my academic interests and also get to work with these super interesting young people.”

Inspired by this experience, Walkington found his way back to the classroom, where he spent years teaching and serving administrative roles across several schools, including the Latin School of Chicago and the University of Illinois.

“[Students] keep you young. They’re interesting. They’re funny,” Walkington said. “They bring me new ideas, tell me about new things that are going on in the culture, show me perspectives in literature that I’ve never thought of before.”

After spending 11 years as a principal in Illinois, he didn’t enjoy his job as much as he wanted to. He wanted “something new, something exciting.” This led him to explore opportunities in China.

As secondary school head at Dipont Huayao Collegiate and BASIS International School, he saw how the educational system that emphasized memorization and rote failed to engage students philosophically and prepare them for society. For example, they take 12 to 15 APs by the time they’re done with their junior year.

“[It is] a little bit of a factory. They don’t get to have enough fun. They’re too concerned about the right answer instead of learning,” Walkington said. “[It was] definitely a pressure cooker. It was a little bit too intense to watch them. They study so hard for the AP, you don’t really get to talk about life.”

Walkington’s time in China led him to understand that education should encompass more than just academic achievement. Upon returning to the U.S. to be closer to his children, he brought with him an experience that shaped his teaching philosophy—one that focused not only on academics but also on the development of their emotional and social intelligence to better prepare them for the future.

“I want to do a little more thinking and feeling,” Walkington said. “I want them to be able to critically read the world around them, to know that what we see in the country today are things that have been with us from day one of the first explorers landing on American shores.”

While Walkington understands that achieving a good score on the AP exam is important, it isn’t at the top of his priorities for his class.

“It’s all about how you become a good person, how you show leadership skills, how you have good work ethic, how you show gratitude,” Walkington said.

Throughout his past in China, these values were overlooked. This led Walkington to integrate them into his classroom at Bellaire. For junior Benaiah Trevino, Walkington’s experiences in various cultures and places have had an impact on his teaching.

“He’s learned a lot about cultural differences and applied that to his educational knowledge and how he teaches,” Trevino said. “He does a really good job of connecting with students and also making sure the students are connected to the class.”

Walkington has made this connection with students a priority to ensure that his classroom is engaging.

“It’s English – it’s not something you should necessarily be excited about, but the fact that he is the teacher, it really does get me excited,” junior Rustin Golshan said.

Walkington hopes that his lessons will instill in his students learning that goes beyond the classroom.

“I want them to have appreciation for what they have materially, appreciation for their families, appreciation for their culture and other cultures and appreciation for art and literature,” Walkington said. “Those things have enriched my life, so I’d like them to be able to have a richer life, too.”

In turn, Walkington finds that the diverse environment at Bellaire High School fosters his own personal growth.

“I have all races, all gender identities, all backgrounds, all religions, all everything around me,” Walkington said. “It’s breathtaking.”

Walkington’s classroom is not just a place for students to learn—it’s a space where he learns as well.

“Bellaire is good for me,” Walkington said. “It’s enriching me. I feel like I’m growing all the time.”