January 2014

Vita

Nelda Jean Rachels

Contact Information / Work International Programs / Gooch 144 The University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, Tennessee 38238 Office: 731-881-7340 Fax: 881-7322 nrachels@utm.edu Personal Information Birth: Lansing, Michigan Marital Status: Married, 2 children, 2 grandchildren Hobbies: Reading; writing; antiquing; history; collecting fans, baskets, lighthouses Religion: Church of Christ Education MS Education, concentration in English UTM 2009 BA English UTM 2000 Continuing Education TESL 700 course UTM Fall 2013 TESL 710 course UTM Spring 2013 West Tennessee Writing Project Institute (WTWP) UTM Summer 2008 Taming Turabian UTM May 2007 Citizen Police Academy Martin 2005 Computer classes---Beginning Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Access; Internet Basics; Front Page 2000 UTM 2002-2005 Employment Tennessee Intensive English Program (current) UTM 2010 – 2014 Co-owner, Vaughan Brothers Hardware (current) Dresden, TN 2008 - 2014 Reading Center Graduate Teaching Assistant UTM 2006 - 2007 Writing Center Writing Consultant UTM 2000 – 2006 English Developmental Instructor UTM 2001 - 2003 Writing Center Student Worker UTM 1998 – 2000 Educational Assistant in K – 12 Special Education Palmersville 1994 – 1997 Other—Self-employed crafts—cornhusk dolls (mail order, craft demos & sales) P’ville 1988 – current Other—W.S. Wormser & Kellwood Sewing Factories; Miller Hams Weakley County 1973-1993 Classes Taught in TIEP from 2010 - 2014 Grammar 2 Grammar 4 Grammar 5 Academic Skills Research Writing 1 Writing 2

Academic Skills Content Reading 2 Reading 4 Reading 5 Listening 1 Listening 2 Takasaki City University of Economics visiting students from Japan, Fall 2012 and Fall 2012 (Economics class taught with Tom Johnson Fukuoka Jo-Gakuin University visiting students from Japan, Spring 2013 and Spring 2014 (American Indian History and Cornhusk Doll Making class) Participation and Assistance in Social Activities in TIEP Discovery Park Road Trip, November 16, 2014 (Katie and Nelda—leaders, van drivers) International Quarterly Editor, 2013 - 2014 International Café in April (I created a PowerPoint for advertisement and work the refreshment table) Movie and Field Game Days (my assistance given where needed) Reelfoot Lake Trip, June 13, 2013 (Katie, Ryan, and Nelda—leaders) Conversation Corner, held periodically (Janice and Nelda—leaders) Kim Chi Festival at Dresden April 6, 2013 TIEP Committee work: Editor for CEA submission Current (2014) project Orientation for New Hires Current project (Chairperson for writing the orientation packet) Curriculum Guidelines Spring 2013 (Writing Curriculum Committee) Conferences and Workshops / Professional Development TNTESOL Memphis, TN March 14-16, 2013 What about Students Who Can’t Read Complex Text?—Pruitt Recycle! Vocabulary Strategies that Work!—Lisa Zachau Rigor, Vigor & Relevance in the ESL Classroom—Paraiso Teaching the Research Process—Martin Writing Through Genre Study Using the Optimal Learning Model and Conferencing—Woodroof SETESOL Knoxville, TN Sept. 2012 Turn up the Volume on Academic Talk!—Lesaux Teaching Students to Research Without Plagiarizing—Jackson Using Your ESL Textbook Creatively—K. Boswell Everyday English Verb Wheels: Understanding Informal Phrasal Verbs—Chitty Meet the New Kid on the BrainPOP Block—Whinery TNTESOL Nashville, TN March 2012 TPR with Blaine Ray Nashville, TN Nov. 2, 2011 TNTESOL Murfreesboro, TN March 2011 Embrace Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: Create and Manage a Web Site –Scaramucci Dare to Differentiate: Vocabulary Strategies for All Students –Danny Brassell English Ed in EL classes in Japan & S. Korea Studying Intensive Arabic in Lebanon—Lawrence Davis Lanier You Can Be Published; Preparing an MS for the TNTESOL Journal—Dorothy Valcarcel Craig Word Study Intervention for Adult ELLs—Becker & Shaw Writing on the Water Retreat (WTWP) Paris Landing Oct. 2010 Professional Development with Int. Ctr. for Leadership in Educ. UTM Oct. 20, 2009 Published Writers Panel for Creative Writing 496 UTM April 2009 WTWP Writing on Water (People who have inspired you) Paris Landing Oct. 17, 2008 Writing Food, Tennessee Writers Alliance Workshop Martin March 24, 2007

Music and Writing Workshop UTM Aug. 18, 2007 Beyond Scrapbooking: Writing Family Stories UTM March 5, 2005 Poetry Workshop with Bill Brown UTM March 6, 2004 Poetry Day Camp with Connie Green, a TWA workshop UTM March 24, 2001 Writing Our Own Stories—TWA workshop with Margaret Skinner UTM March 25, 2000 Writing into Print, a TWA workshop UTM March 2, 1996 Honors and Awards ETS Recognition of Excellence in English Content Knowledge (Praxis): June 14, 2008 Gibson County Visual Arts Association Short Story 1st Place Award for “Tomato Wars”: Sept. 2003 Various UTM Awards—Robert Todd Memorial, English Student Award; J. Paul & Myrtle Phillips LA Scholarship; Faculty Women’s Club Scholarship; Winner of the 2000 UTM English Department Writing Awards in Poetry and Scholarly Essay: Fall 1999 – Spring 2000 Weakley County Arts & Humanities Council Writing Award: Winter 2000 Current Memberships National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) TN TESOL Weakley County Habitat for Humanity, board member in charge of PR Weakley County Library Board Trustee Palmersville Historical Society, Secretary Activities in and for Organizations Initiated a community library with Palmersville Historical Soc. Palmersville January 2014 Judging of Scholastic Writing contest with West TN Writing Proj. Martin January 2014 Speaker at FCE Council on “Life Lessons from a Cornshuck Doll” Dresden March 2013 Weakley County Library Recipes (I was editor of this fundraiser.) Dresden 2010 WCAHC Art Exhibit (Poetry & photography participant) Martin Dec. 2010 WCAHC Arts Camp (taught doll making to 5th-6th graders) Dresden SU 2008, 2009, 2010 Writing Center Poetry Workshop (Reader) UTM April 15, 2008 WCAHC Soybean Festival Literary Readings (coordinator) Martin 2001 - 2008 WCAHC Obion River Anthology (editor) Martin 2007 WCAHC Bill Brown Writing Workshop (coordinator, grant writer) Dresden March 4, 2006 Book Reviews on Writing (participant) UTM Nov. 22, 2005 Citizens Police Academy Graduate Martin May 2005 TWA Read Around Tennessee Union City Apr. 3, 2004 Freelance Writing (Partial list of published work): “CCC: Conversation Cards and Calendars” (submitted, not yet published) TNTESOL Journal Jan. 2013 “Weakley County Habitat for Humanity Begins 16th House” Dresden Enterprise June 6, 2012 “Habitat for Humanity Donation” Weakley County Press June 16, 2011 “Welcome Home” (PR for Weakley County Habitat for Humanity) Weakley County Press Jan. 18, 2011 “Maxey Family Memories” Palmersville Historical Society Newsletter July 2008 Poem: “Another Commute” English Journal May 2008 Poems: “Holy Garments” and “Sewing Machine Operator” Blue Collar Review Oct. 2007 Nonfiction: “Visiting with Mrs. Rickman” Palmersville Historical Society Newsletter Oct. 2007 Poem: “Mother’s Hands in Church” Muscadine Lines: A Southern Anthology 2006

Short story: “Asronomy, Family Style” Muscadine Lines: A Southern Anthology 2006 5 Parenting articles: The Jackson Sun Apr. 6/May 11/June 1/Aug. 3/Sept. 21 2004 Nonfiction, travel: “Taking Tea in the PeterTaylor Home” The Tennessee Writer SU 2003 Poem: “Casting for God in the Writing Center” The Purdue Writing Lab Newsletter Apr. 2003 Nonfiction: “Horse and Mule Farming Field Day” Rural Heritage: The Evener Directory 2002 Nonfiction: “Seeking Respect for the Writing Life” The Tennessee Writer SU 2001 Activity booklet for Ridgemont Elementary Festival: Heritage Days Trails Apr. 2000 Nonfiction: “Tales from the Great Depression” Journal of the Jackson Purchase Hist. Soc. June 1998 Self-published quarterly newsletter on crafting: The Cornshuck Artisan 1993 -1995 Nonfiction: “Broom Master Swept Up in Family Tradition” Back Home in Kentucky May/June 1995 Crafting: “Cornhusk Santa” Country Handcrafts Holiday 1990 Poem: “Resolutions” Happiness (plus TV Guide) Dec. 30 – Jan. 5 1990 Crafting: “Cornhusk Irises” Country Handcrafts Winter 1989 Nonfiction: “Awww Shucks” Extra Income SU 1987 Staff Writer for a regional northwest Tennessee magazine Hometown 1999-current Sample articles: “Weakley County’s Grand Canyon” August 1999 “The Rise and Decline of Austin Springs,” Parts I and II Sept. / Aug. 1999 “Big Cyprus Tree State Natural Area” Nov. 1999 “A 1930’s Christmas” Dec. 1999 “Barns: Treasures Worth Keeping” Feb. 2000 “Palmersville’s Grounded Pilot” June 2000 “Mustering Your Relatives from the Civil War…” October 2000 “Book Review of Ahab’s Wife” Dec. 2000 “The Iris Festival” April 2001 “Kill the Snake” April 2001 “Ice Cold Memories: The Icebox Tales of Weakley County” June 2002 “Remembering the Early Days of Television” June 2002 “The Bell Witch Visits LBL” Oct. 2002 “Educating Dick and Jane” Oct. 2003 “Riding Tall at Hoof Beats of Hope” Oct. 2004 “Stone Soup Santa” Dec. 2004 “Fresh Start in America” (an immigrant story) March 2005 “Volunteer: Park Your Shopping Cart!” April 2006 “From Weakley County to San Francisco—with Joey Guest” June 2006 “Collecting—From the Beatles to a B-17” Jan. 2007 “Friendly Encounters With an Eight-Hooter” Jan. 2008 “Chiggers—What Mama Never Told You” Sept. 2008 “Former Teen Driver Tells the Tales” Jan. 2009 “Return to Austin Springs” July 2009 “On the Road with Lauren Smethwick” Jan. 2010 “Red Fern Animal Shelter: A Place Where Love and Red Ferns Grow” Dec. 2010 “Weakley County Quilters” Aug. 2011 “My (Two) Grandmothers’ Dressing” Dec. 2012 “Marvin Downing: A Working Retiree” Feb. 2012 “Clay’s Team: Working to Strike Out Cystic Fibrosis” June 2013 “You Might Be a Baby Boomer…” Jan. 2014 “Journaling Adventures” (Submitted) Feb. 2014