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Curriculum Vitae/Resume

Jillian Miesen

Maryland Heights,MO 63043

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School Year 2022 2023
Professional Info​rmation

I have been successful in the education field for 25 years and have experience teaching high school Advanced Placement and 1818 program curricula along with English literature, rhetoric, and composition, language arts to gifted students from 4th grade to senior year in high school as well as elementary and secondary remedial reading. I also have served as advisor to Journalism and Speech/Debate co-curricular programs. I believe in constructively teaching the whole child in his or her own zone of proximal development and specialize in teaching the periphery groups of learning disabled/gifted/twice exceptional.  I have written extensive curriculum in both Communication Arts and for a wide variety of interdisciplinary units.  I have also worked in various consulting roles, from writer to art director to project manager and editor, in the communications/journalism industry.

Work Experience
Related Academic Experience:
Riverview Gardens School District

1370 Northumberland Drive, St. Louis, MO 63137

August 2020-present

Gifted Education Specialist
• Responsible for screening of entire 3rd grade classes with NNAT3 test.
• Developed, taught, and progress monitored gifted education curriculum for K-8th grade.
• Collected and analyzed data for a district-wide talent pool as required by Missouri state law.
• Designed and delivered professional development on gifted education and differentiated curriculum.
• Worked with guidance counselors to identify talent pool and followed up with individual batteries of intelligence quotient screenings, like the KBIT, Slosson, and Williams Test of Creativity.
• Guided and counseled students on goal setting and administered practice of SEL skills.

DDC Academy

575 Fifth Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017

November 2021-present

Freelance Educator

• Developed and taught integrated language arts curriculum based off the Michael Clay Thompson approach.

• Evaluated skills of English Language Learners who were also high achieving and gifted students.

• Consulted on the social and emotional learning skills and growth mindset of gifted students.

• Advised administration as to placement and educational plan for students who wished to study more in depth independently.

Savvy Reading

Provo, Utah

May 2021 - September 2022

Virtual Reading Coach
• Taught balanced literacy common-core oriented curriculum part-time for beginning readers, ages 4-3rd grade using a proprietary online learning platform.

 

Bayless School District

4530 Weber Road, St. Louis, MO 63123

August 2017 - May 2020

Secondary Reading Specialist
• Responsible for assessment of all 6th-12th grade reading ability.
• Developed, taught, and progress monitored a remedial reading curriculum for 6th-12th grade.
• Collected and analyzed data as part of a district-wide literacy initiative.
• Designed and delivered professional development on dyslexia, reading strategies, disciplinary literacy and using technology in reading comprehension for general education teachers.
• Worked with guidance counselors to utilize a variety of RtI strategies to place students in secondary remedial reading classes.
• Adjusted individual reading plans per assessment and progress monitoring of each student using FastBridge and SRI.

VIPKID

Hong Kong, China

2017 - present (part-time)

Online English as a Foreign Language Teacher
• Taught over 8000 and growing English as foreign language classes to over 1000 students as a teacher part-time for a Hong Kong based company in China. 

Project MEGSSS Summer Camp

Two City Place, Ste. 200, St. Louis, MO 63141 

2013 - 2020

 

  • Wrote original multidisciplinary curriculum for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade highly gifted students focusing on language arts in recurring two week-long sessions during the summer.

  • Taught 6th grade students a unit connecting science and literature in science fiction (xenotransplantation and cloning).

  • Taught 7th grade students a unit about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Sacred Geometry.

  • Taught 8th grade students a unit about computer programming using the short story, “The Lady or the Tiger,” and Skratch sandbox.

Huntington Learning Center

1370 Clarkson Clayton Center, Ellisville, MO 63011

January 2017 - June 2018

 

  • Assisted and advised new franchisees in opening up the center which had not had a presence in St. Louis for some years.

  • Successfully tutored high schoolers in practice for the ACT English/Reading subtests and assisted them in raising their scores 5-10 raw score points.  

  • Tutored middle schoolers and high schoolers in study skills, reading comprehension, and writing.

  • Trained center tutors on protocol while tutoring.

  • Organized and delivered professional development during tutor meetings.

 
Hazelwood North Middle School

4420 Vaile Avenue, Florissant, MO 63034

2016 - 2017

 

• Taught 7th grade Communication Arts to a population testing below 50% in reading on state standardized tests.
• Implemented a multi-cultural SEL infused curriculum in a one-to-one technological environment using Google Chromebooks and Google Classroom.
• Collected and analyzed data as a PLC as part of a collaborative planning grant.
• Utilized PBIS, Kagan cooperative learning and various restorative justice type practices in classroom management.
• Participated in cultural competence training, 4E training and Google Guru training as well as served on the technology committee.
• Implemented a variety of RtI strategies as most of the building on Tier 2 strategies for behavior.
• Progress monitored using eValuate, SRI and district-wide assessments, collaboratively grading the latter with a grade level PLC.

Lifeguards Unlimited

4709 LaGuardia Drive, Ste. 180, St. Louis, MO 63134

2016 - 2017 (Summers)

 

  • Supervised college-aged managers of 6 North County area pools and high school aged student lifeguard staff throughout the summers.

  • Trained managers in leadership skills and delegated daily responsibilities of pool cleaning and testing to staff.  

  • Met with clients and association boards to fulfill contractual obligations each summer.

  • Responsible for meeting Health Department codes and record keeping.

 

St. Dominic High School

31 St. Dominic Drive, O'Fallon, MO 63366

2015 - 2016

 

  • Taught juniors 1818 honors American literature curriculum for a 6-week medical leave in November and December, including administering and calculating final grades. 

  • Taught seniors 1818 honors British literature, World Literature, and Science Fiction curriculum for an 8-week paternity leave from February through April.

  • Wrote original curriculum for both classes and handled all phases of classroom management, administration and grading.

  • Utilized unique and new technology in a one-to-one setting – familiar with eBackpack, Google Classroom, and various iPad applications.

 

Ladue School District

9703 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63124

2008-2015

 

  • Taught 6th grade Communication Arts to identified gifted population.  Developed a rigorous and classical curriculum to address verbally talented students, especially in grammar.

  • Wrote and taught various interdisciplinary units in the grades 6-8 in the identified gifted population.

  • Wrote original curriculum for a successful video journalism curriculum, including a leveled production class.

  • Vertically collaborated with the middle school and other high school broadcast teachers.

  • Managed $150,000 publications department budget once moved to high school publications.

  • Supervised scholastic journalism staff of a combined 150 student editors, writers, photographers and artists.

  • Advised nationally award-winning publications department, including yearbook, newspaper and literary magazine publications.

  • Developed and taught ethics and law curriculum for beginning journalism students.

  • Refined editing curriculum to include coaching writers model.

  • Included leadership and community building activities and editorial board model of decision-making process into the current curriculum.

  • Served on the CARE RTI team at the middle school level and the Intervention Committee on the high school level.

  • Authored curriculum on an iBook platform and utilized technology in the classroom while maintaining a student news website, complete with photography and videography.

 

Rockwood School District

111 East North Street, Eureka, MO 63025

2004-2008

 

  • Taught 7th grade talented and gifted caseload high-interest interdisciplinary curriculum focused on project-based, problem-solving and critical thinking as well as a compacted accelerated language arts curriculum.

  • Taught “City Planning” to 4th grade gifted students each week in a thematic-based pull-out center.

  • Wrote 6 original 9-hour curriculum units such as “Animation,” “Courts and the Law,” “Decision Making and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” “Utopia – How Do We Reach It,” “What Does It Take to Believe in War,” “Linguishtik,” and “Meet the Renaissance.”

  • Designed and maintained an informative, entertaining, and innovative classroom website with classroom “blogs” for sharing communication between classes.

  • Wrote and was awarded a $5,000 Rockwood Schools Foundation Grant to implement a student-produced news magazine television show.

  • Served as a member of school improvement teams on such topics as Special Populations and Technology.

  • Developed standards-based grading system for class assessment.

 

Affton School District

8701 Mackenzie, St. Louis, MO 63023

1989-1991, 2001-2004

 

  • Successfully resurrected a middle school gifted education program.  Wrote and delivered curriculum founded in classic education and differentiated with high-interest, multi-disciplinary units.  Served as an advocate for parent group and as a consultant to regular classroom teachers needing to engage gifted students.  Infused technology into the classroom through videoconferencing, video editing, personal data assistants, and SmartBoard technology.

  • Supported ESL and at-risk literacy in remedial reading using the Scholastic Read 180 program.  Differentiated reading workshop and language arts in context curriculum using constructivist activities.  Authored a school-wide independent reading curriculum, and integrated technology into that curriculum by publishing a district website to feature an online book club.  Assisted over 80% of caseload to test off the At-Risk Reader List for the Missouri Assessment Program.

  • Developed and advised a Columbia Scholastic and National Scholastic Press Associations award-winning newspaper journalism program.  Wrote and instituted the first high school journalism curriculum to be offered in six years.

  • Proposed to the Board of Education and established first computer desktop publishing laboratory.

  • Wrote adviser/student publication policy, training modules and operational procedures, and trained a 40-student staff in desktop publishing principles, basic computer operations and production of a student newspaper.

  • Guided and taught 9th grade honors English program (School Within A School).  Curriculum was genre-based literature, grammar, composition, and study skills.  Revamped curricula as program shifted into challenging college preparation feeder program for AP programs.

  • Taught 11th grade remedial American literature based curriculum.  Revised curriculum and developed teacher-based materials and tests.  Wrote and implemented outcome based objectives for future accountability.

  • Taught 12th grade English literature survey and Advanced Composition.  Restructured curriculum to include elements of rhetoric, college placement test preparation, cooperative learning projects, literary analysis and writing portfolios.

 

School District 155

8500 Virginia Road, Crystal Lake, IL 60014

1994-1995

 

  • Taught 10th grade American literature basal based curriculum.  Introduced performance event based assessments into the curricula.

  • Taught 10th grade speech and drama.  Curriculum focused on interpersonal communication and presentation skills.

  • Advised and coached state-award winning speech and debate team.  Assisted students with drafting of original oratory and declamation speeches and dramatic cuttings performed in a readers’ theater setting.

 

Related Industry Experience:

 

Interior Design Publications

1001 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431

1993-1994

 

  • Assisted publisher with operations and planning of publication, including press checks.

  • Forecasted monthly advertising sales and variances.

  • Implemented collection procedures to recover over $20K of previously uncollected debts.

  • Managed office staff, including commissioned sales representatives.

  • Organized article submission and content.

 

Plants, Sites and Parks

10100 West Sample Road, Coral Springs, FL 33065

1992-1993

 

  • Coordinated traffic flow of production of ads of bi-monthly publication.

  • Assisted sales staff with closing of publication and advertising schedules.

  • Implemented streamlined production controls.

  • Responsible for system administration of office Unix, Universe, and Macintosh networks.

 

South Florida Media & Marketing Corporation

1620 S. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach, FL 33062

1991-1992

 

  • Directed production of quarterly 150-page four-color high-end real estate magazine.

  • Managed art department staff, coordinated production flow, supervised color correction, oversaw high-end separation and composed film output using Scitex Visionary.

  • Responsible for mechanical and electronic design of page makeup, display advertising, brochures, corporate identity and in-house administration print pieces.

  • Maintained Macintosh and DOS computer networks and training programs.

  • Trained sales staff on principles of mechanical and electronic design.

  • Administered quarterly mailing lists using dedicated mainframe mailing software.

Education​
Languages

Bokmal/Nynorsk

HTML/CSS

PHP

 

 

Skills
  • 21st Century Skills

  • Adobe Creative Suite

  • Advanced Placement

  • APA Style

  • Associated Press Style

  • Barton Spelling and Reading

  • Backwards Design

  • Chicago Style

  • Differentiated Instruction

  • English as a Second Language

  • Flipped Classroom

  • Gifted Education

  • Google Suite for Education

  • Jane Schaffer Writing

  • John Hattie "Visible Learning"

  • Literacy Coaching

  • Marzano Strategies

  • Michael Clay Thompson ELA Curriculum

  • Orton-Gillingham

  • RtI/MTSS

  • READ180

  • Scholastic Journalism - Newspaper and Yearbook

  • Science of Reading

  • SEL

  • Silver & Strong/Thoughtful Education

  • SIOP

  • Structured Literacy

  • Understanding by Design

  • Wilson

  • WordPress/Social Media

  • Master of Arts, Teaching with an emphasis in Communications and Reading – Webster University; 2003. Outstanding Graduate Student Achievement Award Recipient.

  • Bachelor of Arts, English -- Bradley University; 1989.

  • Bachelor of Arts, Broadcast Journalism -- Bradley University; 1987.

 

Certification:

 

State of Missouri English 7-12 Teaching Certificate, Lifetime, Issued 1990.

State of Missouri Remedial Reading K-12 Teaching PC II Certificate Endorsement, Expires 2109.

State of Missouri Gifted Education K-12 Teaching  PC II Certificate Endorsement, Expires 2109.

State of Missouri, Journalism 9-12, Provisional Certificate Endorsement, Expires 2015.

Journalism Education Association, National Certified Journalism Educator, 2015.

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