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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- We all remember those television shows we watched religiously when we were little kids. From 1966 to 1970, kids in the Heartland watched “Miss Joyce” on the “Romper Room” airing on KTVO.

The Romper Room was a studio set up like a classroom. Joyce Kramer was “Miss Joyce,” the teacher.  She taught six students about little life lessons and playing nice with others.

The Romper Room was before the days of pre-school; this was the first glimpse into school for a lot of kids. 

“As their older brothers and sisters went to school, they could watch Romper Room and feel like they were at school too,” Kramer said.

The show aired every morning at 10:30 and ran for 30 minutes.  Miss Joyce taught the kids everything from the alphabet and numbers to good manners.

“I realized when they came up to me with their eyes big that this was a very special job. They wanted to see their teacher and until that time, I hadn’t put two and two together that there was an audience there,” Kramer said.

Kramer was a local celebrity and someone the little kids looked up to. Kramer is still stopped on a daily basis and recognized as “Miss Joyce.”

After the show ended, Kramer went on to teach kindergarten for more than 30 years.