Welcome back to Teacher Spotlights! Introducing Mrs. Joyce and Mrs. Rippe, math teachers and twins on the Rio Norte staff.

Mrs. Joyce

Mrs. Joyce teaches Math 8 and has been teaching for 9 years. She first started teaching at an Elementary school and was teaching 5th grade students for 2 years. However, she wanted to teach math only and for older students. Mrs. Joyce got a job at Golden Valley High School.  She also coached JV softball for 1 year. Then transferring to Rio Norte, Mrs. Joyce has taught Math 7, Math 7 Parallel (elective class), Math 8 and Algebra. So far, it has been her 4th year here at Rio Norte.

When asked why she became a teacher Mrs. Joyce said that she’s always known that she wanted to work with kids, but was not sure in what aspect. She wasn’t always a great student and struggled with school, particularly math. Then when she got to high school, Mrs. Joyce had a really inspiring math teacher who was able to explain concepts to her in a way that made sense. She realized then that she wanted to be a teacher. Mrs. Joyce has also learned a lot of things as a teacher. The most important thing she has learned is, ”If you don’t put in the time to get to know your students and build a relationship with them, learning will never occur.” She says students learn when they trust and feel supported by their teachers and it makes the job so much more enjoyable when you know who your students are. 

Mrs. Joyce has 2 older brothers, an identical twin she is 6 minutes younger than, and a little sister. Mrs. Joyce’s twin is Mrs. Rippe, who also works as a math teacher here at Rio Norte. Her parents didn’t know they were having twins until she was born. Mrs. Joyce has been with her husband for 15 years and married for 9. They have 3 kids together who are her world: Connor who is 4 and a half years old, Reagan or Rea who just turned 3, and Walker who just turned 1 on Saturday, October 2. When she isn’t teaching she would probably be traveling and spending time with family. Mrs. Joyce and her family love traveling, camping, going to the beach, and just being together. Mrs. Joyce actually waited to have kids so that she and her husband could travel. She is the happiest when she’s with her family. Mrs. Joyce also loves snowboarding and has plans to teach her kids when they get a little older.

If not a teacher, Mrs. Joyce might be a dolphin trainer or radio host. Sounds fun! Fun fact, she played softball and volleyball in High School. She loves the New England Patriots, country music, sushi, and the show “Friends.” 

Advice from Mrs. Joyce is, “Work hard, try hard, don’t cheat, ask questions.”

Mrs. Rippe

Mrs. Rippe teaches Math 8 and Honors Algebra and has been teaching for 9 years. 4 years were spent at Saugus High School and 5 at Rio Norte. Mrs. Rippe has also taught REACH and math intervention. REACH is a college prep class to help prepare high school kids to get into a 4 year university right after high school. Math intervention is a class that helps kids who struggle with math, but want to do well. 

When asked this Mrs. Rippe said she became a teacher because she loves helping kids and knew she wanted a family. Becoming a teacher allows her more time at home with her kids as well as breaks off to spend time with family. Mrs. Rippe has 2 kids: A son named Easton who is around 3 years old and a daughter named Brooklyn who is 5 years old. She got married in Jamaica and has been married for 7 and a half years. Her husband is also a math teacher and teaches at Reyo Seco Junior High School. You can learn many things as a teacher and something important Mrs. Rippe has learned is, “Everyone learns differently and I make mistakes too.”

When Mrs. Rippe isn’t teaching, she is hanging out with her family. She loves taking them to different places and spending time with them. Any holiday they have off, they are camping. When they aren’t traveling/camping, Mrs. Rippe takes her kids to their activities. Brooklyn does softball, soccer and gymnastics and Easton does soccer and gymnastics. If Mrs. Rippe wasn’t a teacher; she says that she might be a photographer or something with kids. She enjoys taking pictures but did not know it till after she had kids.

A fun fact is that Mrs. Rippe used to be a private nanny for Dick Wolf, a TV producer who has produced shows and movies such as FBI, School Ties, and Law and Order. She also lived in Maui for a year in 2005 and she and Mrs. Joyce both weighed 7.5 lbs each when they were born. 

Lastly, some great advice from Mrs. Rippe,”Do your best and be a good person in society.”