Rebecca Thomas

Current

• Lead Instructor at Sylvan Learning Center

Past

• Municipal Liaison (Volunteer) at National Novel Writing Month
• Site Coordinator at Science Enrichment Services
• Volunteer at LiveJournal

• Assistant Editor at Harcourt Assessment, Inc
• Volunteer at Amtgard
• Student Assistant at Museum of Texas Tech & Moody Planetarium
• Administrative Assistant II, Department of Applied Mathematics at University of Colorado-Boulder
• Docent (Volunteer) at Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
• Student Volunteer at Fiske Planetarium

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6 more...

Education

• Texas Tech University
• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
• University of Colorado-Boulder

• Texas Military Institute

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1 more...

Recommended

2 people have recommended Rebecca

Connections

16 connections

Industry

Primary/Secondary Education

Websites

• Dead Bunny Educational

Rebecca Thomas’s Summary

Career Summary:
Dedicated informal educator with 14 years of experience developing, implementing, and presenting curricula and special programs on a variety of topics to diverse populations. Skilled at improvising and facilitating activities on short notice.

Successful writer with 10 years of experience creating educational materials. Extensive experience creating and editing resource guides and process documents. Passion for creating curriculum materials.

Respected leader with 10 years of experience managing people and resources. Delegational leadership style. Strong communication and organization skills. Specializes in training employees and volunteers within a very short deadline.

Teaching Certificates:
Texas Provisional Elementary Self-Contained (1-8)
Texas Provisional Elementary Mathematics (1-8)

Career Goals:
I want to take my past experience as a teacher and curriculum developer in informal settings and my love for cartoons and games and merge them into a carer in K-12 educational media. If the projects I get to work on just happen to focus on math and science, that will be the icing on the cake!

Current Projects:
Dead Bunny Educational- A collection of articles and videos to help algebra students

Rebecca Thomas’s Specialties:

Technical knowledge:
Internet, Research, HTML, CSS, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice; Photoshop (basic familiarity), GIMP, Google Apps, Tech support, Editing, Proofreading, Technical writing

Other skills:
Teaching, Training, Event planning, Volunteer management, Coaching

Personal traits:
Quick learner, Problem solver, Self-starter, Team player, Flexible, Adaptable, Analytical Thinker, Creative, Great at seeing patterns

Rebecca Thomas’s Experience

• Lead Instructor

  Sylvan Learning Center

  (Primary/Secondary Education industry)

  March 2005 — Present (4 years 9 months)

  Over the last three years, I've taught nearly every subject the center offers. In fact, I spent the better part of a year as the entire upper level math department. I support my fellow teachers by teaching their students and locating instructional materials, even if I'm already teaching. I also maintain students' daily workload, and report any problems to the directors. I provide both initial and on-the-job training in teaching and test administering to teachers and directors. When needed, I also test students for initial placement and measuring progress.
  
  Achievements/Accomplishments
  # Teacher of the Year- 2006
  # Teacher of the Month- November 2005, June 2006, October 2007
  # Promoted to Lead Instructor seven months after starting
  # In charge of center in directors' absence fourteen months after starting
  # Took on administrative duties fifteen months after starting
  # Developed a job aid for each of my responsibilities

• Municipal Liaison (Volunteer)

  National Novel Writing Month

  (Writing and Editing industry)

  October 2003 — November 2005 (2 years 2 months)

  (This position only works in October and November of each year.)
  
  While I have participated in NaNoWriMo as an author every year for the past six years, for two years I stepped up as my local chapter's leadership. As an author, I've crossed the 50,000-word mark four times. As a Municipal Liaison, I've grown local participation by word of mouth and encouraging current authors to recruit their own friends. I've encouraged local participants and friends to take on the challenge, and then meet it. I've organized activities for my group throughout November, and supported others in the group who've wanted to host meetings. I also moderated the local forum and LiveJournal community.

• Site Coordinator

  Science Enrichment Services

  (Primary/Secondary Education industry)

  April 2005 — August 2005 (5 months)

  Originally hired on as an after-school teacher, I spent the following summer bouncing between being a Site Coordinator and an Instructor. As a Site Coordinator, I was responsible for making sure my Instructor knew what she was teaching and that she had her supplies as well as teaching my own lessons and managing the camp site. As an Instructor, I taught students science through themed, hands-on activities.

• Volunteer

  LiveJournal

  (Internet industry)

  September 2002 — November 2004 (2 years 3 months)

  As a volunteer, I started out with the Support team where I learned to craft concise , informative responses to users' requests for help. I was slowly moving my way up through the different groups within team, being trained to become a fully privileged support volunteer, before I no longer had the time to devote to the team. I also volunteered with the Userpics team right after I taught myself how to use Microsoft Image Composer. As a volunteer in the Userpics team, I created static and animated avatars based on users' descriptions. While with the team, I also taught myself the basics of working with both Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro.

• Assistant Editor

  Harcourt Assessment, Inc

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Publishing industry)

  April 2002 — June 2004 (2 years 3 months)

  I started off as a contracted Reader, scoring open-ended responses from various states' reading and math assessments. By the end of my first year, I became a contracted Proofreader, checking reading, math, science, and social studies tests for technical errors. Nearly a year later, I was hired on as a full-time Assistant Editor, and was assigned to a state project where I served as the math editor, assisting with an in-house test when I had time. I was also selected to test out an online training system being released to the company.
  
  Achievements/Accomplishments
  # Created a Statement of Procedure for my workflow
  # Was team reference for software questions
  # Beta tester for upgrade of Smartforce interface
  # Presented to my editorial team on the training opportunities available through Smartforce and NetLibrary

• Volunteer

  Amtgard

  (Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

  July 2000 — April 2004 (3 years 10 months)

  During my time in the game, I became very active in group leadership, special events, and the arts and sciences. Less than six months after I started playing, I became the activities director for my chapter, and then stepped up as my chapter's arts and sciences coordinator. Then, I moved to another chapter and became the leader of a six-chapter group. At special events, I planned, set up, and coordinated activities, and I trained volunteers on the spot. I was also active in the arts and sciences as an artist, a judge, and a mentor.
  
  Achievements/Accomplishments
  # Awarded game's two highest honors for service
  # Awarded one of the game's highest awards for service in office
  # Recognized repeatedly for excellence in service and in the arts and sciences
  # Assisted with organizing children's quest at national event

• Student Assistant

  Museum of Texas Tech & Moody Planetarium

  (Museums and Institutions industry)

  August 2000 — December 2001 (1 year 5 months)

  My primary responsibilities at the Museum included program and special event development, but I also wrote and updated teaching guides for existing and visiting exhibits. I also trained volunteers for workshops and special events. While I was at the Museum, I also had the opportunity to revamp some of the old traveling trunks to better align them to the district's curriculum.
  
  Accomplishments/Achievements
  # Developed a Halloween special event that drew nearly 1,000 visitors in a year when museum attendance was low.
  # Researched and wrote a five-minute introduction to a summer planetarium show that was attended by hundreds of school children and local residents.
  # Handpicked to conduct a video tour of the Museum for a nearby children's hospital
  # Researched and wrote a five-minute introduction to a summer planetarium show that was attended by hundreds of school children and local residents.
  # Technical Assistant for Astronomy labs each semester.

• Administrative Assistant II, Department of Applied Mathematics

  University of Colorado-Boulder

  (Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  February 2000 — July 2000 (6 months)

  As the departmental administrative assistant, I completed the usual administrative duties. I also prepared meeting rooms for weekly seminars held by the department chair and assisted in pulling together the annual report for the department. I also had the opportunity to assist the department chair and other professors who refereed academic publications. I mainly facilitated correspondence between authors and the editors, but I did have the opportunity to play around with LaTex to help format an accepted article.
  
  Accomplishments/Achievements
  # Assisted professors in their editorial duties for refereed publications
  Learned a couple of tricks on LaTex

• Docent (Volunteer)

  Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

  January 1998 — December 1998 (1 year )

  I was accepted as a First-Grade Program docent, where I taught classes on dinosaurs, one-room schoolrooms, and life before electricity. Shortly after starting, I discovered a GIrl Scout Badge Book in the museum's library and gained permission to create programs allowing Scouts to earn a few badges at the museum. Although I left before my work was implemented, I later learned that my guides led to programs for both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
  
  Accomplishments/Achievements
  # Created guides that became the foundation for a scout badge program in the museum

• Student Volunteer

  Fiske Planetarium

  (Museums and Institutions industry)

  September 1993 — December 1995 (2 years 4 months)

  As a volunteer, I started out assisting with show production, special effects development and teaching labs. I then was trained to run shows in the theater, and to operate the star ball in order to give star talks.
  
  Achievements/Accomplishments
  # Created 85% of the slides for a storytelling program
  # Provided the technical support for that storytelling program
  # Assisted with labs offered by the planetarium.

Rebecca Thomas’s Education

• Texas Tech University

  Museum Science, Secondary Education 2000 — 2003

  As a student in the Museum Science Program and in the School of Education, I developed exhibition guides and layouts, multidisciplinary lessons, and a lesson on stories as learning objects which I was then invited to present in the planetarium.
  
  Accomplishments/Achievements
  # Developed and presented classes and weekend workshops in conjunction with current planetarium shows and museum exhibitions.
  # Developed teaching guides for various exhibits and programs in the museum.
  # Developed or assisted with various special events hosted by the Education Department.
  # Researched and wrote a five-minute introduction to a summer planetarium show that was attended by hundreds of school children and local residents.

  Activities and Societies:

  American Association of Museums, Museum Science Student Association, Legion West, Ballet Lubbock, Amtgard

• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

  BSIS , Elementary Education, Mathematics , 1996 — 1998

  Texas A&M- Corpus Christi began implementing a field-based teacher preparation program in 1996.
  
  During my field experience, I had the opportunity to work with younger students in whole-class groups, small groups, and on an individual basis. I worked in a day care setting, a reading classroom, and a science lab, where I was permitted to create and teach a lesson on day and night.
  
  For my student teaching, I was placed in a third-grade classroom. While there, I taught the highest section of math and regular sections of reading, science, and social studies. I also had the opportunity to develop and teach classes on the different jobs in a theater and music and movement.

  Activities and Societies:

  Student National Education Association, American Association of Museums, Corpus Christi Concert Ballet, Referee- Intramural Program

• University of Colorado-Boulder

  Open Option August 1993 — May 1995

  volunteered or worked at: Fiske Planetarium, Moody Auditorium, University Theater

  Activities and Societies:

  Golden Buffalo Marching Band

• Texas Military Institute

  Honors/AP September 1986 — May 1993

  Activities and Societies:

  JROTC, NJHS, NHS, Band, Choir, Drama, Yearbook, Swim Team Manager, Volleyball Manager, Prefect, Student Council, Computer Club, Debate, Computer Chips, Library Assistant

Additional Information

Rebecca Thomas’s Websites:

• Dead Bunny Educational

Rebecca Thomas’s Interests:

informal education, learning real world skills through gaming, e-Learning, design, creativity, motivation, management, changing careers, resume writing, blogging, training, creating documentation and resources

Rebecca Thomas’s Honors:

Sylvan Learning Center- Teacher of the Year 2006
Sylvan Learning Center- Teacher of the Month- November 2005, June 2006, October 2007

Rebecca Thomas’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• expertise requests
• reference requests
• getting back in touch