Powers, Lisa J.
lisa@eslwise.com
CV
Lisa Jeanne Powers
Tallahassee FL 32312
Summary of Qualifications
Certifications:
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All-Level ESL in NJ and KY Public Schools
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Secondary English in TX, NJ and KY Public Schools
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Secondary Generic Special Education in TX Public Schools
Education:
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Master’s Degree in English including 18+ graduate English hours
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15 College hours in Computer Electronics
Experience:
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Twenty+ years’ experience in teaching English to LEP and non-native speakers
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Some work experience in journalism and desktop publishing
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Practical work experience in non-teaching fields
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Web development experience, including interactive web page design:
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See http://crackesl.com
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Using Blackboard Academic Suite 8.0 as an integral component of Adult ESL courses
Special Skills:
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XHTML
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CSS
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Javascript
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PHP
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MySQL
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phpBB installing, modifying, styling, administering
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GIMP
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Digital audio and video recording and editing
Professional Academic Experience
With Current Employer:
ESL Adjunct Instructor, Northern Virginia Community College
American Culture and Language Institute, Annandale VA
5/2007 - present (Intensive meet 10 hrs/week, Part-time/5)
Students in my F2F courses at NVCC have been adult non-native English speakers of all ages.
The intensive semester courses meet in the classroom ten hours per week. For two out of these
weekly ten hours, in a pc lab, I teach with the internet, Blackboard, asynchronous discussion
forums, and my own proprietary CAI program. In the classroom, I conduct various group
activities, see http://www.crackesl.com/viewforum.php?f=10&start=0 .
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BE2 (Beginner) Intensive Reading/Writing Spring 2010
C (Intermediate) Intensive Listening/Speaking Spring 2010
BE2 (Beginner) Intensive Reading/Writing Fall 2009
C (Intermediate) Intensive Listening/Speaking Fall 2009
BE2 Intensive Reading/Writing Summer 2009
BE2 Part-time Reading/Writing Summer 2009
BE2 Intensive Reading/Writing Spring 2009
Powers, Lisa J.
lisa@eslwise.com
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C Intensive Listening/Speaking Spring 2009
BE2 Intensive Reading/Writing Fall 2008
C Intensive Listening/Speaking Fall 2008
BE2 Intensive Reading/Writing Summer 2008
A1 (High Beginner) Part-time Listening/Speaking Summer 2008
BE2 Intensive Reading/Writing Spring 2008
C Intensive Listening/Speaking Spring 2008
BE2 Intensive Reading/Writing Fall 2007
C Intensive Listening/Speaking Fall 2007
TOEFL Review Part-time Fall 2007
BE1-2 Part-time Reading/Writing Summer 2007
BE1-2 Part-time Listening/Speaking Summer 2007
Previous Employment:
Campus Reading Coordinator, British Literature Teacher
Presidio Independent School District, Presidio, TX
8/1997 - 6/2001
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For Limited English Proficient and ESL students, I coordinated the high school campus
reading program (the district-adopted Accelerated Reader Program) including:
administering campus-wide diagnostic testing and individual student level pre and post
assessments; supervision of Reading classes; facilitating campus Reading teachers;
collaborating with campus librarian on book selection and computer assisted instruction;
budgeting and operating campus reading incentive store; and preparing official campus
progress reports for the Assistant Superintendent.
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My last year at this campus, I taught British Literature, including salient works spanning
from 650 AD to the present, to Limited English Proficient twelfth graders. I adapted my
curriculum by focusing on timeless literary themes, in particular the parallels between the
class struggles in historic Britain and the modern day US/Mexico border region, and how
technology influences the evolution of a culture. I adapted the content to optimize student
comprehension of concepts and to eliminate student frustrations with archaic language
structures.
Alternative School English Teacher, Special Education Reading and English Teacher
Weslaco Independent School District, Weslaco, TX
8/1995 - 6/1997
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For the fall semester, I taught English to sixth through ninth graders in the exit level room
of Weslaco ISD's Alternative School, known at the time as Grace Academy. All of the
students were either LEP or Title One Migrant. These students had been removed from
the general population for the offenses of fighting, public intoxication, and general
incorrigibility, generally tending to lack positive social interaction skills.
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For the spring semester, I taught seventh and eighth grade Special Education Reading
and English Resource and Content Mastery at Weslaco ISD's Central Middle School
campus. I supervised teacher aides in the instruction of these students in vocabulary,
grammar, and composition because a lot of my instruction time was occupied by
Admission-Review-Dismissal meetings. I routinely met with the Science and Social
Studies teachers about our students' Individual Education Plans. I taught in this position
for another full year.
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I developed lesson plans for my teacher aides that applied the Language Experience
Approach.
High School Campus ESL Teacher
Pleasantville Public Schools, Pleasantville NJ
9/1994-6/1995
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I was the only ESL teacher on campus, responsible for instructing ESL and tutoring ESL
Powers, Lisa J.
lisa@eslwise.com
students in all of their content area subjects. I returned to teaching for a previous
employer in TX the following year.
Part Time English Instructor (while working on ESL certification)
YMCA/YWCA, Princeton, NJ
6/1994-8/1994
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I continued to apply my conversation weaving methods with my immigrant students at the
Y. Then I accepted a full time ESL teaching position in Pleasantville, NJ.
Part Time English Instructor (while working on ESL certification)
inlingua International, Princeton, NJ
8/1993 - 6/1994
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inlingua trained me in various conversation weaving methods that maximize student
output while minimizing teacher input, and that provide students with guided practice in
all the grammatical parameters of each lexical item.
English Teacher, Yearbook Advisor
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District
8/1992 - 6/1993
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I taught Senior English, Photojournalism, and Exit Test Review. I was also the yearbook
advisor for that academic year.
English Teacher, Teacher Team Leader
Weslaco Independent School District, Weslaco, TX
8/1988 - 6/1992
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During these four years, I taught seventh grade English at the Central and Cuellar
campuses and was the Team Leader of a Cuellar Middle School campus team of
teachers. Our team's student body was 99% Limited English Proficient.
Part Time English Instructor
U.T. Pan American at Brownsville TX, Brownsville, TX
1/1988 - 6/1988
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U.T. Pan American at Brownsville had satellite "campuses" all around the Texas Lower
Valley. I taught one section of Provisional Freshman English at the Mercedes, TX
location.
High School English Teacher
Los Fresnos Consolidated ISD, Los Fresnos, TX
8/1986 - 1/1987
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This was my first public school teaching job. I turned in my resignation accompanied by a
declaration against corporal punishment at the end of the fall semester because high
school students were required to be paddled for such minor infractions as chewing gum
or not having their shirts tucked in. (Even though many school districts in TX still practice
corporal punishment, many do not.)
Intensive English Instructor
Durham's Business College, Austin, TX
6/1985 - 6/1986
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I taught English to adult foreign students on student or business/professional visas, Basic
English in the morning session, and TOEFL prep in the afternoon. I left this position to
pursue TX teaching certification.
Part Time BASK English Instructor
El Paso County Community College, El Paso, TX
1/1985 - 6/1985
Powers, Lisa J.
lisa@eslwise.com
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I taught two sections of Basic Skills English, one at the Transmountain Campus, and one
at the Central Campus. All of my students were immigrants trying to pass the college’s
minimum writing skills test.
GraduateTeaching Assistant
University of TX at El Paso, El Paso, TX
1/1982 - 12/1984
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The Graduate English Department assigned me to teach two sections of Freshman
English per fall and spring semester under the supervision of a full time faculty member. I
taught Basic Composition and Expository Writing. During the summers I worked as a
Research Assistant.
Non Academic Work Experience
Community Learning Center Coordinator
eBigBend, Inc., Alpine TX
11/2004 - 12/2005
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On a very small scale, I enlisted instructors, supervised curricula, developed and
produced semester course catalog, coordinated instructors and participants, maintained
registration database, coordinated board members and community, planned budget,
handled all paid-ins and paid-outs, registered students, and managed the office. I also
taught beginning and intermediate computer classes. Much of my work was on a
voluntary basis.
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A copy of the semester course catalog I produced is available for examination upon
request.
Website Manager, Sales Clerk, Cabochon Cutter
Moonlight Gemstones, Marfa, TX
6/2002 - 6/2004
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For a rock shop/jewelry store, I clerked, developed, and maintained online sales web
pages, cut cabochons for sale, and translated for Spanish-speaking vendors and
clientele. The management of online sales extended my web development skills.
Creator/producer, Local Zine
Self, Marfa, TX
1/2003 - 1/2004
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I created The Green Marfan, a local zine targeting a readership interested in
environmentally friendly lifestyles and business practices. Using MS Office and Adobe
Photoshop, I designed, built, wrote, photographed for, and produced two issues.
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Sample issues are available for examination upon request.
Night Manager, Wine and Coffee-Bar Bookstore
Marfa Book Company, Marfa, TX
1/2001 - 1/2002
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I processed book orders, supervised and served in coffee and wine bar operation,
restocked, clerked, maintained the espresso machine, and closed out the registers for the
day.
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I also wrote the company’s first official policies and procedures manual, available for
examination upon request.
Correspondent Feature Writer, Assistant Copy Desk Editor
The Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TX
6/1987 - 8/1988
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I started out as Correspondent Feature Writer, but when one of the Assistant Copy Desk
Editor positions opened up, I filled that.
Powers, Lisa J.
lisa@eslwise.com
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Sample articles I wrote as a correspondent are available for examination upon request.
Credential Details
Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
9/2006 - 5/2007
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18 hrs undergraduate Computer Electronics Coursework Completed (as of May, 2007)
Kentucky Certifications: Professional Certificate for Teaching English, Grades 8 Through 12;
Professional Certificate For Teaching English As A Second Language, All Grades; Professional
Certificate For Middle Grades English And Communications, Grades 5-9, (All issued 7/2006)
College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ
9/1993 - 6/1994
New Jersey Certifications: Secondary Teacher of English, All Level Teacher of English as a
Second Language
University of TX, Austin, TX
6/1986 - 5/1987
Texas Certifications: Secondary English Language Arts (Grades 6-12); Secondary Generic
Special Education Grades 6-12 (added 1996) (This data can be viewed at:
https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECONLINE/virtcertdisplay.asp?spid=711670&mode=C)
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
1/1982-12/1984
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Master's Degree, English (Creative Writing)
St Lawrence University, Canton, NY
9/1978 - 12/1980
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Bachelor's Degree, English, Writing Emphasis
References
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Supervisor: Darlene Branges, NVCC Annandale CE ESL Intensive Program Coordinator,
dbranges@nvcc.edu, 703-323-4299
Supervisor: Program Coordinator, Tonia Rodgers, NVCC Annandale American Culture
and Language Institute, trodgers@nvcc.edu, 703-323-3346
Supervisor: Karen Vlaskamp, NVCC Annandale CE ESL Part-time Day Program
Coordinator, kvlaskamp@nvcc.edu, 703-323-3323
Supervisor: Celia Leckey, NVCC Annandale CE ESL Part-time Evening Coordinator,
cleckey@nvcc.edu, 703-323-3323