Strathmore's Roundtable Biography for
Joan F. Harper, Educator
 | Joan F. Harper, Educator |
| Biography | Born in a log cabin on Cherokee land allotted to her half-Cherokee father, Joan Harper is the second of eight children born to Clifton Breckenridge and Auda Euphema Mattox Taylor. The family farmed and raised cattle for 19 years on land located on the Illinois River until the land was taken when the Army Corp of Engineers built Tenkiller Lake, a reservoir in eastern Oklahoma formed by the damming of the Illinois River. She attended grade school in a one-room schoolhouse. After graduating from Gore, Oklahoma High School, she went on to Connors State College and Northeastern University, which her future husband also attended. They married on July 24th, 1950 and had two children. Moving to Arizona, she enrolled in courses at Tempe Arizona University and Northern University. Both Joan and her husband taught at the same schools for 36 years including a two-room school and later at the Navajo Reservation where she taught second and twelfth grades. As more schools were built on the reservation, she was invited to teach Home Economics at the junior high school level. Finding the students eager to learn, Joan enjoyed and found gratification in teaching these students skills that would serve them the rest of their lives. Both Joan and her husband received numerous awards and recognition for their outstanding teaching skills. Joan now devotes her time to her numerous hobbies and is currently writing a biographical book about her life experiences. |
| Industry | Education |
| Title | Teacher (Retired) |
| Expertise | 36 years experience in teaching and preparing children for the future |
| Current Organization | Chinle Public Schools Navajo Reservation/Retired Teachers Organization. Eufala, Checotah Oklahoma Retired Teachers Organization |
| Type of Organization | High school, junior high school |
| Major Product | Middle and secondary education |
| Area of Distribution | Chinle, Arizona |
| University/Degree | B.S., Home Economics, English, Northeastern State University, 1956; Master's Equivalency Degree, Connors State College, Warner, OK; Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ |
| Born | September 6, 1928, Stilwell, Oklahoma |
| Honors & Awards | Outstanding Teaching Awards; Awards from Navajo leaders for outstanding teaching; Picture displayed at Times Square in New York City; Who's Who Among America's Teachers; America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals, Professional of the Year, 2007 and 2008; America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals, VIP member, 2007 |
| Affiliations | Retired Teachers Association |
| Hobbies & Sports | Poetry, arts and crafts, drawing, cooking, gardening, reading, home decorating, time with family |
| Career Accomplishments | Mrs. Harper feels that preparing children for a bright future is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have. She truly enjoyed her career and shared that love with her late husband who taught in the same school with her. |
| Children | Patricia Ann Harper, Larry Joe Harper; Grandchildren: Christian Ste. Marie Kamps, Cyan Callihan Banister, Joseph Afshin Noorbakhsh; Great grandchildren: Montana Alexandra Kamps, Devin Banister |
| Spouse | Joseph H. Harper |
| Married | July 24, 1950 |
| Full biographical and contact details are available to logged in members only. If you are a member please log in using the form in the header to see more data. If you are not already member you may Click Here to Register for consideration. | |
