College of Education Directory

Short Bio

Sara Ahnell, Ed.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor and the Program Coordinator for the Foreign Language Education Programs in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching. Dr. Ahnell teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in world language methods, assessment, literacy, and culture. Her research interests include integrating high-leverage teaching practices for language acquisition into instruction for novice learners, developing proficiency-based thematic curricula, and implementing effective classroom management strategies for secondary world language teaching. Her work has been published in The French Review and ACTFL’s The Language Educator.

Before joining the faculty full-time at Auburn, Dr. Ahnell taught French for 14 years, including levels I through V as well as AP and IB French, in Alabama schools. She also spent four of those years teaching both English Language Arts and French. From 2013 to 2024, she served as an instructor of classroom management in the department, mentoring both aspiring and veteran language teachers. In 2018, she achieved National Board Certification in World Language for Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood in French and in 2022 maintained her certification. In 2023, she was named the Alabama World Languages Assocation (AWLA) Language Teacher of the Year, part of ACTFL’s national teacher of the year program.

Dr. Ahnell is a passionate advocate for world language education. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the Alabama World Languages Association (AWLA) as Secretary and frequently presents workshops and sessions at state, regional, and national language education conferences. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.