Joanie Carle
MLAJA Teacher
1980-2008
Joanie Carle moved to Sonora from the Glendale area in 1979 with her husband Lance when he was hired to teach 7th and 8th grades at MLAJA. The school board didn’t have a position to offer her right away, but Annette Reeves, the teacher of grades 1-3, announced her resignation at the end of the Carle’s first year in Sonora, and Joanie was offered the position. She taught from 1980-81 until early 1983 when she went out on maternity leave, and Troy was born later that same year.
While she was home enjoying being a full-time mom, Principal Dan Rathbun and the school board were busy trying to figure out how to add a Kindergarten program to MLAJA. They finally had all the details in place and asked Joanie to be the Kindergarten teacher three days a week starting in the fall of 1984. Joanie was interested in part-time teaching more than full-time at this stage of her life, and she was pleased to accept this position. All four of the classrooms were already being used, so the school made arrangements with the church to use the big classroom at the north end of the Sabbath School wing. This made a nice Kindergarten classroom for several years, until the school was able to add the modular classroom on the east side of campus. John Mooy moved his fifth and sixth graders up to the modular at the beginning of the 1991-92 school year, and Joanie moved her K-P1 room back over to the main school building.
All the years that Joanie had been in Kindergarten, she had been teaching three days a week. Just as Troy was ready to begin college, and she was thinking full-time work would be nice, the first and second grade classroom opened up. So in 2002-03 she “graduated” to grades one and two. In the fall of 2003 Lance announced that he was going out on medical leave to have surgery and some heavy duty medical treatments. Joanie also took leave the rest of that year so she could care for him. She returned to teach in 2003-04, but Lance remained on medical leave for another year.
On Friday afternoon, May 16, 2008, Joanie left her work in her classroom to run some errands. Lance stayed at school to continue working until she finished her errands. Campus was deserted except for a mom and her daughters who came back to pick up a forgotten item. Joanie saw them drive up, and stopped by their car to visit. Right away the parent realized something was wrong with Joanie and sent one of her daughters in to get Lance. She had recognized the signs of a possible stroke. Lance called 911, and the ambulance came right away. The paramedics started asking her questions to see how oriented she was. When they asked her name, she answered with a chuckle, “Dolly Parton!” The paramedics did a bit of a double take but soon realized she was joking. Even in the midst of having a stroke, she maintained her sense of humor!
She did well with all the hard work of recuperation and therapy, but she was never able to return to her classroom, even though she wanted to very much. On April 10, 2010, just after returning from a wonderful trip to England with her sister and Lance, she suffered a fatal stroke. Many former students, friends, and relatives attended services held for her in the Sonora Seventh-day Adventist church on April 17. The services included a sharing time and a slideshow in celebration of her life.
By Janet Johnson
School Secretary
March 21, 2011
The following letters were part of a memory book published by 9th and 10th grade students in 2009-10, and you may access a slideshow in Joanie’s honor on the site mlaja.org/history. Joanie’s actual classroom years at MLAJA total about 25 ½, but her influence will go on as long as her memory in the minds of friends and students.
From Sabrina Nash
Mrs. Carle was an awesome teacher. I have so many memories with her and about her. Some memories I had with her were: Going to Brentwood Lake, Covers Apple Ranch, the Thanksgiving lunch at school, and some other things. When I was in the first grade, Mrs. Carle took us to Brentwood Lake. We went swimming, had lunch, made sand castles, and had strawberry short cakes. Everyone had a blast going down the slide into the water, playing on the swings, or just walking along the beach.
When I was in first and second grade, every Thanksgiving we would dress up as Indians or Pilgrims, have lunch, and hang out and talk. It was really fun, and Mrs. Carle made it more fun, because when we were making our outfits, if we weren’t having fun, she would just make it all better. While we were in the school year, Mrs. Carle always made it fun, not boring. She loved painting. Sometimes she would show us what she had painted.
I will never forget Mrs. Carle. When I first arrived at MLAJA, she was my teacher and she knew I was shy. She took me to the front of the classroom and introduced me to everyone; she showed me my desk and we had worship. At first I thought I would hate this school, but being in Mrs. Carle’s classroom made me realize that this was the best school and that I belonged here. Whenever something bad happened in the classroom, Mrs. Carle was nice and happy. I am never going to forget her. She was the best teacher; she made school fun and was always happy. I never wanted to miss a day of school because Mrs. Carle was there to make it fun.
Sabrina Nash
From Juliana Mathews
Wow, where to begin! She was such a kind, loving teacher. I remember her classroom being cozy and warm, full of paintings and bird nests. She always had a candle burning and a carpet for all of us to sit on. She made school fun. I remember complaining to Mr. Carle in 7th and 8th grade about how we needed to celebrate the holidays in his class like we celebrated them in Mrs. Carle’s class, because she would always be creative and do things like give candy and cards on Valentine’s day, dress up like pilgrims and Indians on Thanksgiving, exchange gifts on Christmas, and, of course, when fall came around, we would have a wonderful time making fish and decorating a booth for Fall Festival. But she also taught me important things in my education, like my ABC’s, how to tell time, the days of the week, and spelling! And of course, she had her own special way to teach those. Every time I think of her, I want to smile because she was such a lovely person that helped make me who I am today. Whether it was her warm, calm voice and encouraging words, her beautiful paintings and creative ideas, or her festive smile, she always made my day a little bit better.
Juliana Mathews
From Karl Thalman
I will always remember Mrs. Carle for her kind attitude toward others. Whenever I would get stumped on a problem, she would come over and help me answer it. She was a really nice, kind, thoughtful, loving person, and I know I’m going to miss her very, very, very much. In fact she was one of the best teachers I ever had.
Karl Thalman
From Heather Palmer
Mrs. Carle loved ketchup! She always had some in her little fridge. During Christmas time she would buy yellow and green ketchup! One year for St. Patrick’s Day, everyone brought foods that were green. Some people were original, bringing green rice crispy treats or green spaghetti. Some people were boring, bringing salad and veggies. But Mrs. Carle’s food was my favorite—green ketchup roast.
Heather Palmer
From Mrs. Teri Deacon
Mrs. Carle was a wonderful friend and mentor to me. I loved her energy, humor, and laugh! We had a lot of fun times together. I always enjoyed seeing the costumes she created for her Kindergarten students. I have special memories of working on backdrops she dreamed up for our annual Christmas plays.
Mrs. Teri Deacon
From Kayla Henning
One of my memories of Mrs. Carle was when I was in Kindergarten. We made bird feeders by smearing peanut butter all over a pine cone and then sprinkling bird seed over it. I remember it being really fun. It was an art craft that I actually used; I’m sure that the birds near my house really liked it, and I’m sure they loved Mrs. Carle.
Kayla Henning
From Juliette Hutson
I’d have to say that my fondest memory of Mrs. Carle is ketchup! I remember that she brought it every single day. She put it on everything! She even put it on ice cream, but she said she didn’t like it. The only time she didn’t bring ketchup was when she brought peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. And that is my memory of Mrs. Carle.
Juliette Hutson
From Hannah Mirkin
Mrs. Carle was a great teacher. What made her a great teacher was her patience and kindness toward her students. She made school fun and enjoyable; when someone was down, she was the master at making him or her feel better. Now that I think of it, whenever Mrs. Carle smiled, I did too. It would start with a hello every morning from Mrs. Carle that made my day.
When I left Mrs. Carle’s class, I felt disappointment because I knew that I would miss Mrs. Carle very much, but luckily, whenever we had the chance, Mrs. Carle and I would ask each other how we’d been.
After her first stroke, I was very sad and upset, and I very much wished that after she recovered, she would teach again. My high hopes were lost after the news that she fell down a staircase on a train. I am very sad and my heart aches that Mrs. Carle is gone until I go to heaven, too—a nice thought. But when I think of it, that might be a while from now! I’m glad that I knew Mrs. Carle and that we could become good friends.
Hannah Mirkin
From Mrs. Julie Lewis
Joyful about life. I could always hear her big laugh next door to my classroom.
Over the top in her love of people.
Always willing to listen.
Nice to a fault. Could she say no to someone in need?
Inspirational to her students and colleagues. I loved to walk through her classroom and look at her students’ art.
Everywhere on campus. She could smell out trouble and stop it before it started.
Julie Lewis
From Erika Thalman
Mrs. Carle was a really wonderfully nice and patient teacher. She was happy all of the time with rosy cheeks and a beautiful smile. In Kindergarten she helped me get over my shyness sort of. She loved red and green ketchup, traveling and field trips, watercolor painting, and collecting bird nests. She gave us cookies and let us take the class teddy bear home for the weekend. In first and second grades she took us to Cover’s and Brentwood Lake for a field trip, and she would play songs on her guitar for us. Mrs. Carle also taught us how to paint with watercolor. I remember that she had a birthday box with things inside for the birthday person. She also called Trey “Troy” a lot. Mrs. Carle held me back because I needed help in some areas, and my parents said she like me and didn’t want me to leave her class. I’m glad that she held me back. Mrs. Carle was a totally awesome teacher.
Erika Thalman.
From Mrs. Emily Villeda
When I think of Joanie Carle, I think of: Her smile, her sense of humor, her consistently positive attitude, her thoughtfulness, and her encouragement.
Even after her first stroke when she was just beginning the hard work of recovery, her first concern seemed to be for the people around her—to make them feel at ease and comfortable. She often did this by saying something funny or telling an amusing story (frequently on herself) to lighten things up. She encouraged me personally many times by passing on anything positive that she had heard (and withholding, I’m sure, the negative). In addition, she was a supportive team player. When it was time for the Christmas program in 2007, we hadn’t delegated the decorating, so she simply did it…and how beautiful it looked!
I didn’t realize until I was in Dinuba that Joanie was one of the lead teachers for the Pathways program, and I was so proud! She loved her students, and her students loved her and flourished under her instruction. She would have PE with her first and second graders outside my classroom, and I would sometimes see her running with them. When the little ones were learning to ski on the slopes at Dodge Ridge, she would faithfully take quantities of photos of them, documenting their initiation into the world of skiing.
Joanie, or Mrs. Carle, was a blessing to all of us who had the privilege of knowing her, and our memories of her are such happy ones!
Emily Villeda
From Isabella Herrin
I am making this paper to honor Mrs. Carle, my 1st and 2nd-grade class teacher. Her first stroke made it so she couldn’t teach until after summer, or at least that’s what I thought. When I came to the open house before school started, I went to my new classroom and, after I picked my desk, I made a beeline towards Mrs. Carle’s classroom, or I should say, Mrs. Deacon’s class. It was kind of a disappointment to know that she wasn’t coming this year, but she didn’t because she fell on a train. When she was going up the stairs, it came to an automatic stop. So she couldn’t come the next year. I remember the last day I saw her—I was at Starbucks getting my Net 10 phone ready to use. A few months later I found out that Mrs. Carle had yet another stroke. Our class split up into groups and prayed. It made me happy to know that God helped me when I went up in a helicopter. I lived and thought that Mrs. Carle would live. But sadly, she didn’t. I’ll miss you, Mrs. Carle!
Isabella Herrin
From Mrs. Janet Johnson
Tim and I first met Joanie Carle in May of 1981 when we moved to Sonora from Southern California and enrolled our son Tim, Jr., in third grade. At that time she taught grades 1-3 in the classroom where grades 1-2 are now taught. She graciously accepted Timmy into her room for the last month of school. We didn’t even realize that this was Joanie’s first year teaching at MLAJA and Lance’s second year. We thought they had been at MLAJA for years!
In the fall of 1984, Joanie started MLAJA’s first Kindergarten class in a church classroom, and our son Jeff was in her first class. She had her picture taken with each student on the first day of school that year and gave the pictures to the parents. We also have one taken at Christmas time that year. It was placed in a little folder, and it was Jeff’s gift to us for Christmas. What a treasure those little pictures are to us all these years later.
In the fall of 1991, after John Mooy and grades 5 and 6 moved into their new portable classroom on the hill, Joanie was able to move her K-P1 classroom from the church over to the room just vacated by 5th and 6th. That must have been a huge job, but I imagine she was happy to be back in the elementary building with grades 1-4 and her teacher friends.
I started working in the office here at MLAJA in the fall of 1994, and Joanie and Lance were a great support team, always encouraging and helpful. Over the years, I can remember many times looking up from my desk to see Joanie standing there smiling, and then she would say, “Oh, you, who knows everything….” I always knew what followed would be a really hard question, to which I hardly ever knew the answer, but she never seemed to lose her confidence in me!
In the fall of 2002 Joanie was “promoted” to be the teacher of grades 1-2. Troy was in college, and she needed fulltime work instead of three days a week. She moved into the 1st and 2nd grade classroom, and Kristin Dorchuck came to teach Kindergarten.
Joanie was such a hard worker, spending many extra hours in the afternoons and on Sundays working in her classroom. Her classroom was always a fun place to visit. I often took a shortcut through her room when going over to the elementary building, so I wouldn’t have to stop to unlock a door. If I went through her room at worship time, I would stop awhile to listen to the kids sing as she played the familiar choruses on her guitar. The kids were always happy to have an audience and sang all the louder. Joanie would say, “Hello, Mrs. Johnson,” and I always felt special even though I was really probably interrupting.
Joanie had a wonderful collection of interesting and beautiful nativity sets. During December she would bring down a special set every week for the kids to enjoy.
Joanie was an accomplished artist, taking watercolor and other art lessons whenever she had an opportunity. She was able to teach her students to do watercolors rather nicely. One year she had them all paint a purple iris in a vase and displayed their work on her bulletin board. They were great pictures, several worthy of being framed, I thought.
Joanie had a great sense of humor and a wonderful laugh. It really warmed my soul to hear it! It was always fun to visit with her, and she always wanted to hear the latest about my boys, and later about my grandson. She always wanted to see pictures, and sometimes she would give me pictures she had taken of Jeff. Jeff and Troy worked at camp together a couple of summers. A picture that I treasure that she gave me is of Troy, Jeff, and Sarah Dunn—and “The Mango.” I had bought a mango to have when Jeff was home from working at camp on his day off, but it wasn’t ripe enough to eat yet, so I sent it back to camp with him. I’ll always remember Joanie’s jolly laugh and the way she said “and the Mango!”
Joanie was a great one for celebrating secretary’s day, boss’ day, and birthdays. She would remind me when boss’ day was coming so I could get a card for everyone to sign for the principal. She would get a card for me for secretary’s day and make everyone sign it for me. When a staff birthday card was going around for everyone to sign, she would write his or her name in large fancy block letters on the envelope. I have saved several over the years to keep in my scrapbook at home.
Once when Joanie was still teaching Kindergarten, I gave her a folder with some student information in it for her to look at. Later, when I asked her for the folder back, she looked for it but had to finally tell me that she couldn’t find it. I remember thinking about this for a week or two and then deciding I would go look for it myself. I waited until a Tuesday or Thursday when she wasn’t at school, and I went in her room and shut the door. I remember praying that I would find the folder because it was important, and I started looking through the things that she had stacked on her table. I was quite pleased to eventually find it, and then it occurred to me—I was going to have to admit to Joanie that I had been in her room rummaging through her things. I thought, “She is likely going to be mad at me.” When I told her, she laughed and laughed. If she was aggravated at me, she never let on. Many times after that, when I went into her classroom, she would ask me, “Are you here to pray over my piles?”
How blessed we have been, those of us who could count Joanie as a friend, and there are many. How many teachers and staff did she work with over the years, how many students did she have in her classroom, how many parents did she encourage, befriend, counsel, and laugh and cry with? I guess no one counted. But all of us love and miss her very much.
Janet Johnson