Joene Joostberns Story

 “Home is where we should feel secure and comfortable.”

—-Catherine Pulsifer

The end of an era is on the horizon for Wattles Park Elementary School (WPE) when classes resume in August. Third-grade teacher Joene Joostberns will begin her first school year as a retired teacher. She has been a long-time member of the Wattles Park (WPE) and Harper Creek family, starting in 1974 when she was four years old. Joene’s time at WPE began in kindergarten and continued through sixth grade. Following elementary school, she attended Harper Creek Middle School and then Harper Creek High School, from which she graduated in 1988. Joene transitioned to college after high school to pursue her teaching degree, only to return to WPE, where she would spend her entire teaching career. 

Joene reflected on her childhood growing up a mile down the road from WPE. “I was born in 1970, the youngest child of Gary and Kay Pearson. My brother Jeff is the oldest. My twin sisters Jana and Jeannie were next, and I am the baby. We grew up on Keathley Drive in Emmett Township, not far from WPE.” Like Joene, her siblings also attended WPE and Harper Creek Schools. Many of Joene’s and her siblings’ classmates lived in the area surrounding their home. She talked about the fun times growing up. “There were lots of kids who grew up in our neighborhood. It seemed like we were always outside playing. Winter memories were created from ice skating on Hoffman’s Pond. Our summer days started outside first thing in the morning, where we spent much of the day playing before coming back in before bedtime.”  

Joene enjoyed the hours outside with her friends, but she also appreciated her time in school. She gave details about her elementary years. “Mr. Hughes, our principal, was still at WPE when I began my first year of teaching in 1995. WPE was always so much fun. I remember my 3rd-grade teacher, Mrs. Rabbit, hosting a class party during the school day at the end of the year. All of her students walked to her house just a few blocks away. Mrs. Dilno, my 4th-grade teacher, also had an end-of-the-year celebration at her house with a sleepover pool party for the class.” Joene’s class missed out on one of the highlights of the entire elementary school experience. She reflected on this. “The only disappointment during my elementary years was having to miss out on 6th-grade camp. It was an experience that everyone always looked forward to.” During the early 1980s, Harper Creek Schools experienced a short-term financial crisis, which resulted in the cancellation of 6th-grade camp for a few years, including the year Joene was in 6th grade.

Joene was shy as a child, and transitioning from elementary to middle school was a little bumpy initially. She would eventually make new friendships and enjoy the experience in a new building with new classmates and teachers. Sports were something that took up her free time after school hours, and it was part of what made school such a positive experience for her. Her first time with organized sports was with the Wattles Park Men’s Club League, participating in basketball and softball during her elementary school years. She gave details about her involvement in sports starting in the 6th grade. “In middle school, I played basketball, volleyball, and ran track. In high school, I played basketball and volleyball pin my freshman and sophomore years and then transitioned to tennis during my junior and senior years. Tennis was my only sport for my last two years. Our team qualified and participated in the state tennis tournament in my senior year.” 

Joene’s career in becoming a teacher was inspired by her mom and her best friend from school. She talked about this influence and the process of choosing teaching. “Mom was a teacher in Iowa before our family moved to Michigan. I can remember playing school when I was younger and pretending to be a teacher. Later, Mom was the director at Little Friends Day Care Center. Initially, when planning what I might want to study in college, I considered being a daycare director like Mom, but these plans would be adjusted. Unfortunately, Mom passed away just after I graduated from high school. She had survived cancer when I was younger, but the cancer returned during my senior year, and she was very sick. I planned on enrolling at Kellogg Community College (KCC). My best friend, Kim Evans, had also enrolled at KCC in hopes of getting an elementary education degree. After Mom passed away, I decided to follow Kim’s lead.” Joene and Kim took classes at KCC for two years and then transferred to Western Michigan University (WMU). They roomed together and graduated from WMU in 1993.

While at WMU, Joene met Randy Joostberns. “Randy and I met in 1991 and began dating”, Joene said. “We got married in 1992. Randy lived in the WPE neighborhood and was raising his two daughters, Jenny and Rachel, as a single parent. When Randy and I married, I moved in with them. Jenny was attending WPE, and Rachel started kindergarten there a year later. Randy and I were blessed with the birth of our son, Kameron, in 1993. With the circumstances of living near WPE, Jenny attendng school there, and Rachel and Kameron going to school there in the future, I thought the perfect scenario would be for me to get a teaching job at WPE.”

After graduating from WMU, Joene sent out her application to only Harper Creek. This was her home, and it was where she wanted to teach. “After finishing at WMU, I began subbing at other area schools, but mainly Harper Creek, for one year,” Joene recalled. “ I got my first full-time job at Wattles Park in 1995, teaching 2nd grade. After one year, I moved up to 4th grade. I taught 4th grade for many years and eventually moved to 3rd grade, the grade I would teach the remainder of my teaching career.”  

Like it had been since she started kindergarten, WPE became her home away from home with her students, their families, and her co-workers becoming her tribe. She and Randy moved from their home on French Lane the same year she started teaching, purchasing a house on Keathley Drive just a few doors down from where Joene grew up. She and Randy raised their three children in their home on Keathley Drive, and they still live there today. 

Being a teacher for thirty years has been a blessing for Joene. Joene reflected on what this journey has meant to her. “I have enjoyed watching kids learn, and have always liked teaching the content. Curriculum demands have increased through the years, making it more of a challenge to do some of the projects that I did in the beginning of my teaching career, but I have always tried to make learning fun for my students. I have evolved over the years and have tried to get to know each student as a whole child, not just as a learner. Teaching has also been a great career for raising my children.”  Being a teacher has been something that Joene has appreciated, but spending her entire career at WPE, her home, has meant the world to her. She shared her thoughts about this. “I have made friendships with teachers. WPE has always been my social outlet and my family. Many of the people I have taught with have turned into my friends. I have learned from many of the teachers I have worked with. It feels bittersweet knowing that my time at WPE is done. I’ve always felt pride in being a teacher at WPE. I love seeing my students out in public. Wattles Park has been my home for many years, and I feel lucky to have been a student and teacher here, and to live in the WPE neighborhood all of these years.” One of Joene’s 3rd grade teaching partners, Angela Taft, has witnessed the deep connection that she has with Harper Creek and the influence she has had on others. “When I think of Joene, the first thought that comes to mind,” said Angela, “is the Harper Creek pride that runs deep inside of her. She has been a part of the Harper Creek community for most of her life. When I came to Harper Creek, she took me under her wing.” Beyond teaching her students the elementary curriculum, Joene has modeled to students and staff her values of making healthy choices. “She works out daily, hosts workouts for staff, and brings in healthy snacks to share with co-workers,” Angela stated. 

With Joene’s retirement, WPE will lose one of its long-time family members. She has hinted that she will visit and might even sign on to substitute teach at WPE, but it won’t be the same as having her there every day. It will mark a huge change for both WPE and Joene.