Resume

Teaching Experience

2023 - Present

Kingsway Regional High School - English Teacher

Develop and teach innovative literature courses which center on close reading analysis and critical writing; explore writers from different backgrounds, periods, and genres; and foster a dynamic, supportive classroom environment that optimizes student learning.
Utilize a backward design model to develop thematic curricula that integrate language arts, history, and civic standards; use canonical texts from a variety of genres; and move logically from knowledge base into higher order critical thinking.
Collaborate with specialists and other teachers to create innovative instructional methods that incorporate music, art, and movement to meet the needs of diverse learners.

2016-2023

Rowan College: Senior Adjunct Professor

Design and teach composition courses in both face-to-face, online, and hybrid settings that develop argumentative and logical thinking; emphasize writing as a recursive process of questioning, researching, reflecting, drafting, and revising; and focus on variety of compositional forms that are relevant for 21st century work, public discourse, and debate.
Selected to original cohort of teachers that initiated the Advance Learning Program (ALP) in August 2017. ALP mainstreams basic writers into a section of ENG 101 to raise the success rates and lower the attrition rates of students placed in developmental writing.

2016 - 2021

Delaware County Community College - Adjunct Professor

Designed and taught basic and advance composition and literature courses that emphasize critical thinking and creativity through encouraging inquiry, investigation, experimentation, understanding, critiquing, problem solving, and reflection to diverse populations, including special needs, ESL, and international students, in face-to-face, online, and hybrid settings.

Developed strategies for responding effectively to a wide range of writing abilities, including encouraging students to develop writing goals and then working to tailor each assignment to meet those objectives; utilizing the Socratic method to conduct metacognitive discussions that emphasize analytical and evaluation skills and the pleasures of reading; and breaking down complex compositional assignments into parts so students can master the writing process.

2007 - 2011

Audubon High School - English Teacher

Raised standardized test scores in general, college prep, and honors classes by modernizing and individualizing curricula and lesson plans through data analysis and technology incorporation.
Collaborated with history, art, and music faculty to develop thematic units that allow for interdisciplinary learning and team-teaching.

2013 - 2014

String Theory Charter - English Teacher

Created composition and literature iTunes U courses collaboratively for a new 1:1 Philadelphia charter school by utilizing 21st century technologies, standardized test data, and writing and neuroscience research.
Designed rigorous, interesting, well-organized, and fun thematic courses that utilize grade-level texts in line with state and school district standards; organized units in a way that enhances conceptual awareness, cultivates student motivation, and facilitates learning and retention of knowledge; and aligned educational objectives with class activities and assessments.

2004 - 2007

Burlington County Institute of Technology - English Teacher

Established dynamic, supportive, student-centered classrooms where teens learn how to read, analyze, and write about nonfiction, literature, and poetic texts and express themselves using a clear, intelligent, creative, empathetic, and convincing manner.
Created and taught lesson plans for all learning styles and academic abilities by incorporating self-directed learning and employing dramatic reenactments, audiovisual immersion, and student-led discussions.

Awards

LEADERSHIP Philadelphia - 2015
Teacher of the Month - 2014
ETS Recognition of Excellence - 2012; 2004
Villanova Fellowship Award - 2011
South Jersey Coaches Association Swim Coach of the Year - 2011 & 2010
Collingswood’s Board of Education Recognition of Excellence in Coaching - 2011 & 2010
Audubon’s Board of Education Recognition of Excellence in Coaching - 2011 & 2010
Courier Post’s Boys/Coed Swim Coach of the Year - 2010

Education

2006 - 2010

• Summa Cum Laude

• Rutgers Graduate Composition Challenge Finalist for “The Audubon Writing Manifesto” (2008) and “The Feminist Approach to Frankenstein” (2006)

2000 - 2004

Rowan University
Bachelor of Arts in English

• Magnum Cum Laude and Rowan Scholars Scholarship Recipient

• Dean’s List (2000-2004) and Rowan Scholar Senior Award (2004)

• Rowan Scholar Athlete (2001-2004) and Second Team All-Conference (2002-2003)

• Study Abroad - University of Reading - 2004

Certifications

The State of Pennsylvania - English 7-12 Instructional I Certification
The State of New Jersey - Teacher of English 7-12 Certification
Blackboard Learn - Online Teaching Certification
AP English - Language & Composition and English Literature & Composition Certifications

Rutgers, The State University of NJ Master of Arts in English

Skills
& Expertise

Digital Media Specialist
- For the past 8 years, my research, which has been highlighted at national and regional conferences, has focused on web 2.0 tools’ abilities to engage audiences, foster relationships between diverse groups, and build hospitable and productive communities of spirit so I am able to leverage digital technology and social media for communication and community-building purposes.
Writer
- My graduate dissertation, Beloved: A Political Composition, was published into a book, and two of my Masters research papers, “The Audubon Writing Manifesto” and “The Feminist Approach to Frankenstein,” were finalists in the Rutgers’s Graduate Composition Challenge, a contest that recognizes the best researched and written English papers submitted during an academic year.
- Many of my poems have been published in literary magazines, and I have been a convention documentarian for the annual Conference of College Composition Conference.
Editor
- I served on The Baron Literary Magazine Editorial Board where I assisted with content, layout, and design decisions for print issues and contributed to the creation and maintenance of a website for the literary journal.
Project Manager & Fundraiser
- My groups consistently accomplish their annual objectives because I develop and implement effective actions plans; recruit, train, supervise, and mentor student staff; collect, maintain, and evaluate accurate records; and build productive relationships with diverse groups of people.
  - LEADERSHIP Philadelphia - Core Class Member: Enhanced leadership skills and civic awareness by workshops, community service, and nonprofit board training.
  - The Rosenbach Museum and Library - Young Friends Committee: Conceptualize, organize, and raise funds for special events with visiting authors, speakers, and performers; biblio-themed cocktail parties; offsite visits of other Young Friends' organizations, and insightful and interesting tours of the collection for outside guests.
  - St. Christopher’s Hospital - Association Board: Supported the health and well-being of children through organizing fundraisers like Applefest whose proceeds support programs like the Community Health Initiative, the Farm to Families Initiative, and the Child Protection Program.
  - Women’s Way - Advocacy and Public Policy Committee: Advocated policies that expand women’s access to health care, prevent violence against women and girls, and promote women’s economic self-sufficiency.
  - Philadelphia Museum of Art - Young Friends Committee: Elicited donations for silent auction for the Philadelphia Museum of Art Rodin Garden in order to raise funds for art educational and outreach programming as well as acquisitions, conservation, and preservation of works.

Coach
- I have extensive experience creating and cultivating championship swim programs. Because of my success, I was named South Jersey’s 2010 Boy’s Swim Coach of the Year, nominated for South Jersey Coaches Association Swim Coach of the Year twice, and was awarded Collingswood and Audubon’s Board of Education Recognition of Excellence in Coaching.
Club Proctor – Diversity
- As the proctor of Student and Teachers Against Racism and Stereotypes (STARS), I reduced bullying incidents in PPACS and Audubon district by training members in conflict resolution and QPR suicide prevention, planning and running community-building events, and mentoring students during lunch periods.
Curriculum Developer & Instructional Specialist
- I have extensive experience creating, implementing, and facilitating compositional programs, policies, and professional development that support educational staff and intentionally integrate the writing process into all courses and assignments within an institution.
  - At Rowan College, I was part of a writing team that created teaching templates for the core critical skills outlined in the English department so that writing instruction and assignments become aligned with the college’s core values of excellence, equity, and inclusion and standardized across composition classes, subject area departments, and the tutoring center.
  - As the K-12 Writing PLC Director for Audubon Board of Education, I collaborated with staff and administration to evaluate, improve, and standardize compositional practices throughout the school district.
  - As the Adult Literacy Director for Philadelphia’s Workforce Education & Lifelong Learning Program, I organized and led reading groups for the Mayor’s Mission on Literacy to get adult learners engaged in literary discussions and short writing exercises.
  - At both Freire and String Theory Charter Schools, I improved the writing outcomes and test scores for an entire grade level by creating and co-teaching literacy courses that utilized assignments of structured choice based in concrete learning objectives and clear compositional outcomes.
  - As an Academy Assistant for Mighty Writers, I created lessons and taught them to Philadelphia children ages 7 to 17 to think and write with clarity, so self-esteem grows and success is achieved at school, at work, and in life.