Kathleen S. Balma

Objective

To serve as school library media specialist or Spanish teacher, emphasis on teacher-librarian collaboration and the creation of authentic, interdisciplinary, multimedia learning experiences that integrate writing, technology, and critical thinking components into the curriculum with respect to national and state standards

Education

Master of Library Science, school media specialization: Indiana University, Bloomington, May 2007

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, poetry and pedagogy specializations: Indiana University, Bloomington, including a summer of overseas study in Italy

Bachelor of Arts in Spanish: Southern Illinois Univeristy at Carbondale, including a creating writing minor and a year of overseas study in Spain

Pre-Professional High School Diploma, visual art and creative writing specializations: Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, Michigan

Licensure

Indiana K-12 teaching license in school media and Spanish language, May 2007; willing to take appropriate exams and coursework for licensure in other states and/or subject areas

Professional Experience

Fulbright Fellow through the Institute of International Education and the Community of Madrid, 2007-08

• Duties: taught English conversation to first, second, and third graders in a bilingual elementary school in Spain; collaborated with classroom teachers and administrators in the areas of curriculum development and design, selection of media and materials, and the creation and dissemination of multimedia materials; conducted independent research on contemporary Spanish culture and multiculturalism, school and public librarianship in Spain, and bilingual education in Mediterranean Europe

• Duties: collaborated with a team of education professionals to design and teach multimedia culture classes to high school Spanish students in a variety of schools

• Duties: taught basic Spanish vocabulary (writing and pronunciation) to children and adults of all ages; designed creative writing lessons and taught multi-age classes collaboratively with a licensed education professional; designed and taught standards-based lessons on West European geography for students of multiple ages/grade-levels

• Duties: designed and taught university writing courses; served on the Graduate Curriculum and Policy Committee; led educational outreach efforts for departmental national resource center; planned and led panel discussions on various academic topics; managed a small, departmental library collection; Courses taught: W103 Introduction to Creative Writing, W131 Elementary Composition, W203 Poetry Writing, W233 Professional Writing

Related Experience

Freelance Writer and Translator, 2005 to present

• Publications: poetry in various literary magazines of note; book-length poetry manuscript currently on the publication market; young adult novel translation and second original manuscript in progress

• Duties: submissions reading, editing, copyediting, data entry, professional correspondence, reception, and mass mailings

Technology Skills

Experienced at web editing and online searching; experience working in both PC and Mac environments, and with the following technical tools:

• Operating Systems: UNIX, Mac OS X, Windows XP and below; Software Applications: Microsoft Office 2003 and below, including Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook; WordPerfect; Dreamweaver, SnagIt (for screen capturing); Codes/Languages & Protocols: HTML, XHTML, CSS; Telnet, FTP, SFTP

Awards and Activities

Winner: Fulbright grant awarded for international teaching and research in bilingual education, 2007; Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Study (Spanish), Interlochen Arts Academy, 1992; Roy Battenhouse Memorial Award for Poetry, National Society of Arts and Letters, Bloomington, Indiana Chapter, 2004; Editor's Choice Award, James Wright Poetry Contest, Mid-American Review, 2003; Grassroots Poetry Contest, Department of English, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Nominee: Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship, Poetry Foundation, 2003; AWP Intro Journal Award in Creative Nonfiction, 2002 Professional Memberships: American Association for Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Young Adult Library Services Association, American Association of School Librarians

References