Portland State University Sept 2018 to August 2020
Portland, OR
Instructor - Spanish
- Taught 1st year level classes of up to 25 students.
- Adhered to university requirements for student assignments, testing and grading of work.
- Followed established course outline to prepare lessons, conveyed information, and enhanced understanding of materials.
- Designed lesson plans and course materials.
- Collaborated with colleagues in designing course materials.
- Attended professional development practicum weekly.
I taught at Portland State University as a GTA in the Master’s Program for Spanish Language and Literature from September 2018 until June of 2020, and after that I taught a 102 summer session in July and August of 2020 as an adjunct. I opted to participate in the Master's program because of my lifelong relationship to the Spanish language, in conjunction with my previous 14 years of experience as an ESL teacher. Teaching had become a passion for me, and I wanted to expand my abilities to not just teaching ESL, but teaching Spanish too, in particular at the university level.
Metropolitan Opera, Lindemann Program Jan 2013 to Jan 2015
Lincoln Center, New York, NY
English Language Instructor
- One on one ESL instruction for international artists of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
- Developed curriculum and materials.
- Developed intercultural connections with artists from Latin America.
- Helped artists translate opera reviews from Spanish to English.
Teaching at the Metropolitan opera was an amazing experience in many ways. I was essentially the private English tutor to a select group of foreign artists who had been accepted to this mentoring program. They were training to be professional Met artists, and needed English tutoring so they could communicate easily with accompanists, conductors, directors, stage crew, teachers, coaches, and other artists. The job offered me flexibility and a good wage, as well as the opportunity to interact with these dynamic artists, and opportunities to see them perform on stage.
CUNY/Queensborough College Sept 2011 to April 2012
Port of Entry Program
Queens, NY
English Language Instructor
- Provided ESL and TOEFL instruction for mostly immigrant population.
- Developed curriculum and materials.
This program was designed for immigrant students who wanted to go on to a higher education at the college level. Part of my interest in working for CUNY in this program was to acquire a greater understanding of the needs of the young, immigrant population of Queens, NY, and to help them integrate into society by means of education, so they could ultimately pursue better job opportunities.
Kaplan/Aspect International Schools Jan 2001 to August 2011
New York, NY
English Language Instructor
- Provided ESL instruction for English learners.
- Developed curriculum and materials.
- Taught Business English.
- Provided TOEFL instruction.
This was my first experience teaching ESL, and the institution at which I remained the longest – ten years. Kaplan trained me to be an ESL and TOEFL instructor, which was a decided benefit to me, as I was able to take my training and experience from this job and expand it to other teaching opportunities. It was here I had the privilege of getting to know mostly university-oriented foreign students from all over the globe. These students were mostly studying at Kaplan on student visas – it was not, for the most part, an immigrant population. It was, however, a fascinating time of learning about different cultures and backgrounds while I honed my teaching skills.
CUNY/Queensborough College Jan 2011 to May 2011
Immigrant Hotel Workers Program - Omni Berkshire Hotel
New York, NY
English Language Instructor
- Provided ESL instruction for immigrant population of mostly Spanish speakers.
- Developed curriculum and materials.
This was a short-lived program, made available to the employees of Omni Berkshire Hotel in NYC by means of a grant from the hotel chain to Queensborough College, and I was selected to teach it. These students were adults, mostly between 30-70 years of age, some of whom had been working in the U.S. for years, even decades, with little knowledge of the language. While it was a challenge to impart the intricacies of the English language to older people who had not studied it much, it was incredibly rewarding, as they had great motivation to become more valuable employees and seek advancement in the company by improving their English skills.
English For Life Language School Jan 2005 to Jan 2009
Astoria, NY
Director/Instructor
- Wrote curriculum and grant proposals – received grant from New York City for school operation.
- Managed registration.
- Instructed in ESL and Civics a mostly immigrant and refugee population from Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Asian countries.
I was motivated to start and run this small program because I saw the need in my immediate community of Astoria, NY for immigrants, both documented and non, to improve their situations in life. Many of them spoke little to no English, but needed to learn the language in order to find better employment and provide better care for themselves and their families. In this class we also studied Civics, because some were preparing for, or intended to prepare for, the U.S. citizenship test. This was more a volunteer effort than not, because the grant I received from NYC to run the school only provided me with a fraction of what might be called a salary. Therefore, I taught it during the hours I was not teaching my regular ESL jobs, but the reward in terms of satisfaction was immense.
Artifacts:
Original assignment which I created, used to reinforce vocabulary learned in unit:
Example of in-class technology use
