Leslie Michaels
About Me
Hello! I’m Leslie.
I am an English language and literature nerd, looking to transition from the classroom into edtech and/or e-learning. By trade, I am an educator, recently a middle school humanities teacher; previously, I taught writing composition to college students and upper level high schoolers. I currently tutor middle school, high school, and college students in all areas of English. Even though I left the classroom last year, I want to continue working towards innovation in education. I am someone who is laser focused on content—especially English Language Arts—and I want to use the content knowledge, organizational systems, and communication skills I have cultivated these past few years in a purposeful way outside the classroom. I am looking for a sustainable and exciting career switch in the education space, particularly in e-learning and edtech.
Here are skills I’m looking to develop in order to work full time in the edtech space:
Curriculum development
Instructional design
Assessment writing
Product development
UX and UI design
Data analysis and visualization
A little more about me…
I hold a BA in English from the University of Georgia and an MA in interdisciplinary studies—emphasis on writing, literature, and digital humanities—from New York University. Throughout my time as an educator, I have learned to not only design and develop my curricula and instruction, but also to implement, evaluate, and adjust to make my practice increasingly more informative and engaging for learners. Through these experiences, I have gained subject area expertise and the ability to create informative and engaging lesson plans, prioritizing critical thinking and writing skills for my students, whether they’re students in a classroom or tutees online. My teaching background as well as my digital humanities studies—the academic hybrid of UX/UI and data visualization—positions me to help find solutions in content presentation that makes learning enjoyable and impactful.
Education
New York University
The John W. Draper Program is a master of arts program in interdisciplinary studies at NYU. During my time in the Draper Program, I studied writing, literature, American history and politics, literary cultures, and technology with an emphasis in the Digital Humanities. As editor-in-chief of the grad journal Anamesa, I pushed for innovation in our digital and physical presence, redefining how we present and distribute. From working with the Freer|Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian to conducting my own thesis research and writing, many of my projects focused on the innovation and utility of communication technologies in spreading knowledge and information. My first large project was "The System of Telling the Visual Story in Wartime America," available to read online. My final thesis is entitled, "The Red, White, and Blue Rumor Mill: Rumor, Différance, and Modes of Communication Technology in American Politics" and can be sent to you upon request. Activities and societies: Editor-in-chief of Anamesa Journal, Relay for Life participant, Culture Mapping presenter, and Threesis Competition Semi-Finalist
University of Georgia
I studied English with a concentration in creative writing at the University of Georgia. Further, I minored in religion. Activities and societies: Alpha Gamma Delta, Relay for Life, UGA at Oxford, Her Campus, IMPACT UGA
Work & Experience
English and Writing Tutor
Varsity Tutors
● Assisting students with current class work & core language concepts ● Tutoring middle school to college students in areas including, but not limited to, college preparedness, creative writing, composition, & study skills
Lead History Teacher
Success Academy
● Led and presented history courses and advisory for 20-36 students ● Prepared materials & lessons based on the curriculum to teach scholars content as well as soft skills (e.g. critical thinking & accountability) ● Maintained learning management system for assigned courses and advisory ● Maintained and updated learning materials and assessments to tailor to student learning needs based on data and in-school noticings ● Managed classrooms as well as lunch, recess, study hall, & testing ● Built relationships with families to involve them in scholar education ● Graded student work using clear, high expectations Previously Associate Humanities Teacher
ELA Tutor
Planting Seeds Tutoring & Test Prep
● Tutored groups of 1-5 middle schoolers in Harmony Charter Schools ● Prepared materials & lessons to ready students for the state competency exam, resulting in an 82% pass rate for 2022 (up from 50% for 2021) with PST ● Liaised with school teachers & administrators to assess student progress ● Created specialized lessons for English language learners
Adjunct Lecturer, English
McLennan Community College
● Created instructor plans & lesson plans based on learning requirements ● Taught reading & writing to classes of up to 26 students ● Kept track of student grades, attendance, participation, & progress in LMS ● Held office hours weekly for conferences with students ● Integrated technology into the classroom, both in-person & virtual ● Additional duties concerning my students, including writing recommendation letters, proofreading admissions essays, & looking over cover letters
Fellow, Higher Education
Finn Partners
● Proactively devised media strategies for 15 higher education clients from social media to media relations to thought leadership campaigns ● Created engaging & informative content for clients’ online presence including websites, blogs, & social media accounts & placing clients in outlets such as Financial Times, NPR, & Campus Technology ● Performed social media audits, produced strategy documents, compiled briefing papers, & wrote op-eds ● Collaborated on proposals & presented in new business meetings ● Researched conferences, publications, & other opportunities for client participation & visibility
