Meet Rhonda Crane: Lakeview Academy’s Teacher of the Year

If you ask Rhonda Crane when she first knew she wanted to teach, she’ll tell you it happened back in second grade, long before she had her own classroom, her own students, or her now 28-year teaching career.

“Every day I would play school,” she laughs. “But when I really knew this was my calling was in fifth grade. The year I had a teacher who didn’t care for me. I promised myself that no child in my class would ever feel the way I felt that year.”

That promise became the cornerstone of her career. Nearly three decades later, Crane has shaped the lives of generations of Baldwin County students, teaching across multiple campuses, from Southside Elementary to Eagle Ridge to Lakeview Academy, and always keeping her focus on one thing: reaching the students who need her most.

From At-Risk to Advocate

Crane’s empathy comes from experience. “When I was in school, I was labeled ‘the red group’, the lowest in every subject,” she recalls. “It wasn’t until middle school that a teacher stopped and taught me how to learn. That one teacher changed everything.”

Mrs. Rhonda Crane in 4th grade! :)

With new strategies, she went from struggling to succeeding and eventually graduating second in her class, earning a 4.0 in college, and completing her master’s degree in Reading and Writing from Walden University while teaching full-time and raising two boys. Now, she pays that forward.

“I refuse for kids to think they’re an at-risk student,” she says. “My job is to help them see what they can do and help them believe it.”

A Heart for Public Education

Crane’s teaching journey began in early childhood education, back before pre-K was considered part of the public school system. But after a short stint teaching in private school, she knew her heart belonged in public education. “I missed the diversity,” she explains. “It’s easy to teach an easy classroom. But it’s powerful when you can reach kids with different academic levels, backgrounds, and needs. I thrive in that environment.”

That sense of purpose has made her not only an outstanding teacher, but also a mentor to others. “I’ve had wonderful mentor teachers, and now I get to pay that forward,” she says. “I’ve learned from the best, and I want to share that with my colleagues and college students coming into the field.”

The Reward That Keeps Her Going

Many of Crane’s students have grown up and many have children of their own. For her, seeing former students thriving in the community is the ultimate full-circle moment.

“My whole family hears it,” she says, smiling. “We’ll be out somewhere and someone will say, ‘Your mom taught me!’ That’s the reward. Seeing students who once struggled now succeeding — that’s why I do what I do.”

She’s even taught multiple generations from the same family. “When I’ve already taught the parents, it’s like having an automatic bridge with the kids,” she says. “They come in excited. They’ve heard, ‘You’re going to love her class!’ And that makes it all the more special.”

Final Word

After nearly 30 years in education, Rhonda Crane remains as passionate as ever about teaching especially when it comes to empowering her students. And that’s exactly what makes her a true Baldwin County Teacher of the Year.