Longtime Educator’s Career Honored at State Language Conference

The Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers honored Joanna Breedlove Crane for almost a half century of service in the field of foreign language education and teaching in Alabama at a luncheon at the Embassy Suites in Montgomery on Saturday, February 2.   Accompanied by her nephew, Mike Breedlove, his wife, Brooks Breedlove, niece Pam Nichols,  and nearly one hundred of her colleagues, Joanna was treated to a slideshow highlighting her long career and presented with a plaque by the Association’s Executive Director, Linda Paragone (pictured left).

Mrs. Crane was lauded for her energy, dedication and vision.  She became a hard-working advocate for foreign language education immediately upon entering the teaching profession nearly fifty years ago.  Through her effort, attendance, participation, time and generosity, organizations at the state, regional and national levels benefited from her expertise during a time when foreign languages were not considered an integral part of the curriculum.  She accrued many awards over the years, most notably the 1999 Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education given by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Joanna Crane received her BA in French and Music from Huntingdon College and her MA in French from Southern Methodist University.  She served Alabama students from her early years as a teacher at Sidney Lanier and Robert E. Lee high schools, and had over 36 years of service in the State Department of Education, primarily as a Foreign Language and Curriculum Specialist.  She collaborated and published with colleagues, and sat on the boards of many state and national foreign language organizations, most recently as parliamentarian and historian of the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers.  On Saturday, Mrs. Crane announced her retirement from the board of AAFLT, but her influence will remain as a scholarship in her name has been established to aid college students enrolling in foreign language immersion programs.