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Janice Bechtel Janice Bechtel was one of the "pioneer" teachers when Joy Christian School first opened its doors in 1997, and has been excited to see our school grow and thrive. Since second graders are "practically perfect" in her opinion, Janice has been happy to teach that grade for all the years she's been here, especially since it gives her the chance to build reading skills, and a love of reading in young children. Janice is a native New Yorker, but her family moved across the U. S. as she was growing up, and before landing in Arizona permanently, she lived in six other states. Her husband, Doug, came here straight from New Jersey, and they were married in 1975. Janice and Doug have three grown children, two sons, Derek and Chad and a daughter, Lauren. Their sons are married, and Derek is dad to little Simon, "the most wonderful grandchild in the world!" JCS has been a family affair for Janice, as all three of her children and even her husband have worked or helped out here at one time or another. Derek taught computers while he was attending college, and Chad worked for several years doing accounting in the office before he graduated from A.S.U. Lauren helped when Janice taught summer school during the first few years our school was open. Doug helped with computer repair and program installation before we got our tech people. Janice has enjoyed being a life-long learner. Her first degree was in Psychology. When her children were young, she stayed home and was a home-day care provider for 9 years. Next, she taught pre-school at church schools and A.S.U. West Child Development Center for a total of 8 years. At that point, Janice decided to go back to school, and earned her degree in Elementary Education. That accomplishment was so much fun; she went back and got her Masters in Elementary Education with Reading Specialist and Early Childhood endorsements. Janice is excited to see all the changes and growth happening at our school, while it still maintains the core values that we started with: sharing our love of the Lord with young learners, and following Jesus daily as a dedicated staff. From day one, she's felt that Joy Christian School was her "perfect fit", and ten years later it's happily the same! |
