Experience Summary
Extensive experience as a freelance educator in variety of school and arts-based settings
Taught English-as-a-Second-Language in Madrid, Spain for two years as third-level student
Former Youth & Family Outreach Coordinator for University of Kansas' Spencer Museum of Art
Former Assistant Director with Douglas County District Court "Child-in-Need-of-Care" Review Board
Published freelance journalist and editor
Currently employed as an editor and administrator with KU Science & Technology Center
Teaching Style
Creative teaching style, pulling on a variety of influences from my own schooling in Ireland; and as a freelance instructor with KU's Continuing Education "Osher" program. Over five years' experience working with children, teens and retired professionals. Strong track record incorporating arts-based teaching mechanisms to facilitate learning, particularly for students who study with reading, writing and comprehension. Extensive experience as a substitution teacher in Ireland, covering History, English Literature and Geography lessons.
My Hobbies
Freelance Yoga Instructor. Teach every Monday night at Be Moved Studios, Lawrence, Kansas.
Freelance Instructor for KU's Lifelong Learning Institute - teach classes on Irish history, literature and culture for the "Osher Foundation".
International traveler - speak French and Irish.
| Composition |
Proficiency: Expert
|
| As a former freelance journalist, with a BA in English Literature, and as an editor with a Science and Technology center, I have extensive experience composing and editing content. In my current role a good 40% of my work consists of editing and assembling reports for the National Science Foundation and NASA. |
| English |
Proficiency: Expert
|
| English is my first language; but I also speak French and Gaelic (or "Irish" as it is more correctly known). I have studied English and Anglo-Irish literature and also taught English as a Second Language to elementary level children in the EU. |
| Geography |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| I am currently employed with a Science & Technology center at the University of Kansas where I work directly with Glaciologists, Climate Change Analysts, Geologists and Electrical and Aerospace Engineers. |
| Journalism |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| I have published multiple articles in a variety of print and online magazines, primarily in the Arts and including The Dublin Event Guide, Scotland-on-Sunday and for www.lawrence.com. I have also been credited for contributing to a social studies text on the position of foreign nationals in the Irish schooling system. |
| Language Arts |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| I have extensive experience in Irish high school and home-school settings teaching literacy and English literature, as a substitution teacher; and as an ESL teacher to foreign nationals. I have also worked with local artists, as the former Youth & Family Outreach Coordinator for the KU Spencer Museum of Art, to devise "art into literacy" projects for children and youth who are challenged in areas of reading, writing and composition. |
| Literature |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| Highly qualified to teach English literature, specifically British and Irish literature, but also American literature. I curated an exhibition at the Spencer Museum of Art (KU) titled "That Invisible Dance: British and Irish Art and Literature from the 1800s to the present" - it was highly successful and a voluntary project. I am currently working KU's Spencer Research Library to draw attention to a large collection of Irish Literature there. |
| Poetry |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| I am a curator and founder of the "Eight St. Taproom Poetry Series", which is a bi-weekly local poetry event, with Open Mic and visiting guest poets in Lawrence, KS. I also edit poetry for local writers and have studied poetry extensively for my BA in English Literature. |
| Reading Comprehension |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| I am particularly adept at teaching children and young people how to read; by using a variety of non-conventional and creative methods, including traditional learning techniques. I excel in helping challenged readers to relax and appreciate the power of the written word. I use visuals and audio, along with film and reading aloud (Slam Poetry for example) in my efforts to find various ways to tailor a class to specific student needs. |
| Shakespeare |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| Shakespeare was a requirement for both high-school honors level English; and throughout my BA in English literature. I have studied and attended multiple well- and lesser-known Shakespearean plays, both in the US and in Ireland. |
| Social Studies |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| My Master's Degree was in Film Theory and my final year thesis focused specifically on racism in a post-colonial context. I specialized in studying how Ireland's ethnic and semi-nomadic minority, the "Tinkers" or "Travelers" as they are not called, were represented in a variety of Irish films about land ownership. I have also worked extensively with social issues in the USA, mainly as the assistant director of a court-based volunteer advocacy program for children in foster care. |
| World History |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| As a dual Irish and American citizen I have studied world history from two perspectives; that of a small, formerly colonized nation with its own very deep history (Ireland); and that of the USA, as a world superpower and relatively new Empire, on the world stage. |