Jeanna Joyce grew up in California, but Joyce’s family moved to Mason City when she was 11. Her family later on moved to West Des Moines back in 2018. Her husband Mike was her fathers neighbor back in California and washer best friend when they were teenagers. “After we moved, I still spent my summers back home in California,” Joyce said.

Joyce and her husband Mike went 15 years without seeing each other and now they have four kids together, Sarah, Robert, Lillee, and Evangeline. “We went 15 years without seeing each other and have now been together for 11 years. Our oldest daughter Sarah is 21 and had our first granddaughter Donna, they live in California with our son, Robert who is 20. Our daughter Lillee is 20 and had our second granddaughter Melody, they live in Mason City where I raised Lillee. Our youngest daughter, Evangeline is 12 and goes to sixth grade in West Des Moines,” Joyce said.
Before Joyce came to East High School, she was a middle school teacher over at Hiatt Middle School, while she was there, she taught Language Arts. “I started teaching in 2018. My first school was Hiatt Middle School and I taught  sixth and seventh grade Language Arts,” Joyce said.

Joyce wanted to be a teacher all her life, but things didn’t go as planned for her, she went to Iowa Central Community College in 2000 but then dropped out when her first daughter was born. She later went back to school for cosmetology and became a cosmetology instructor. ”I then went to La’James cosmetology school and became a cosmetologist and a cosmetology instructor at the college,” Joyce said.

In 2007 Joyce went back to school at Iowa Lakes Community College and graduated in 2008. Later in 2008, she went back to school at Buena Vista University, but life got in the way and she later failed her classes in the spring of 2009. “I had health issues and failed my classes in the spring on 2009. I was put on academic probation for fall 2009,” Joyce said. Joyce started class up again three days after her youngest daughter was born. “She got sick, and I failed my fall courses,” Joyce said.

In 2016, Joyce went back to BVU and took as many courses as she could. In May of 2018 she graduated from BVU with honors. “I worked very hard and stayed in the dean’s list every term. I have been living my best life since then. I love being a teacher,” Joyce said.
Many students here at East love having Joyce as a teacher, coming into her classroom and seeing all the new fun things she has planned and all her good energy she brings into her class each and every day. “Jeanna Joyce is a good teacher here at East because she brings so much good energy in class and her actives she plans for us, she makes it fun to learn,” sophomore Azariah Crockett said.

Joyce is such an awesome teacher to have, the fun things she does to make students days and how much she is willing to learn from others. “One of my many favorite things about Mrs. Joyce is that she is willing to learn from her students. She takes and accepts any opportunity to provide students her full potential,” sophomore Jasmine Maceda said.