Writing Tutor English Teacher
Resume:
Patricia Jan Ruland
Educator, Writer, Editor
********@*****.***
Brooklyn, New York
SUMMARY,
PUBLISHING AND EDUCATION
Extensive experience in the following areas:
• Authoring educational books and workbooks for elementary and middle-grade level readers, designing accompanying classroom and homework activities
• Preparing and creating content including passages and items for Grades 3-10 state assessment tests
• As an online writing tutor, guiding high school to doctoral students from all over the world in mastering academic writing and documentation methods
• Designing and conducting community college classes in reading, writing, study skills, Microsoft Word, and career management
• Researching and writing investigative newspaper articles, interviewing witnesses, attending court hearings and trials
• Researching and writing feature articles, blogs, and sales copy published on online and in various print publications
• Compiling public relations press kits
• Fielding student queries as university library reference desk assistant
• Employing AI in writing in research of original compositions sold to publishers PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE,
PUBLISHING AND EDUCATION
CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING
Position: Author and Researcher
Duties: Research and write trade book copy; write headlines and captions; research and write sidebars; find art and graphics for trade books and children’s encyclopedias released by national publishers. Titles in Print:
From Painted Scrolls to Anime: Literature and the Arts of Japan, Lucent Library of Historical Eras, 2007 [Byline: Patty J. Ruland]
All About You, Worldbook Childcraft, 1992, 1996 [Byline: Patty Mullins, married name] All About Sports, Worldbook Childcraft, 1992, 1996 [Byline: Patty Mullins] Pets and Other Animals, chapter author, Worldbook Childcraft, 1992 [Author Credit: Patty Mullins] Science Anytime Unit D Seabase Nautilus, unit author, Harcourt Brace, 1995 [No byline] Highlights: “All About” books are still housed in more than 150 libraries in the U.S. and Canada. ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR
Position: Adjunct Instructor, Passaic Community College, Paterson, New Jersey, September-December 2024, upon assignment
Duties: Teach English Language Studies (ELS) classes, intermediate level Duties: Conduct classes in English grammar and writing skills STAFF ONLINE WRITING, STUDY SKILLS TUTOR
Position: Generalist Tutor, ESL Specialist, Creative Writing Specialist, for Smarthinking.com, a division of Pearson Education, 2009-August 2023 (due to closure of service) Duties: Provide thousands of two- to three-page written asynchronous reviews, according to a strict, monitored pedagogy, of academic essays submitted by students, from high school to doctoral level, in the social and physical sciences, business, humanities, nursing, computer science, psychology, study skills, and the arts; provide asynchronous grammar and documentation reviews instructing in the use of major academic style guides, including The Associated Press, MLA, APA, Harvard, and Chicago Manual of Style; provide asynchronous reviews of resumes, cover letters, and personal statements used to apply for academic programs. Highlights: Received many positive reviews by students they shared with my supervisors. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Position: Contract Passage Searcher, Preparer, for Questar Assessments, Inc., then acquired by NWEA.org, then acquired by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016-Present Duties: Locate Grades 3-10 reading passages for statewide assessment tests. Write Grades 3-10 original reading passages, test items, distractors, and rationales. Write Alternate Assessment passages, test items, distractors, and rationales. Align passages and items to state Common Core standards. Highlights: Became the go-to specialist in locating “hard-to-find” Grades 6-11 diversity reading passages in public domain and published sources.
Position: Contract Passage Searcher, Passage, Item Writer and Reviewer, for various clients, including the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Psychological Corporation, Enrollment Management Association, APASS, and Educational Testing Service, upon assignment
Duties: Locate and write passages, items, distractors, and rationales; populate complete passages in respective Learning Management System (LMS); review others’ complete passages in respective LMS. Highlights: Composed 2,500 items for translation on Spanish-language tests for Harcourt Psychological Corporation.
WRITER, JOURNALIST
Position: Freelance Search Engine Optimized (SEO) Blog Writer, 2008-2022, per assignment Duties: Write SEO blogs on a wide variety of topics, including pet care, interior design, fashion, cybersecurity, crime and courts, banking procedures, lifestyle and wellness, outdoor recreation, and home repair, for various websites, including Vetinfo.com. Verblio.com, eHow.com, Now That’s Cool.com (discontinued), TheRichest.com, among others.
Highlights: Story on FBI’s Most Wanted published on The Richest.com website received more than 200,000 views.
Position: Freelance Investigative Reporter/Photojournalist, Austin Chronicle, 2006-2012 Duties: Research and write criminal justice beat, mental health beat, and animal welfare beat stories, take accompanying photos for publication. Attend city, county, and state governmental meetings; cover court cases, attend trials.
Highlights: Covered national and international stories on immigrant rights and litigation regarding incarceration of children and families in for-profit detention centers. Archives: https://www.austinchronicle.com/authors/patricia-j-ruland/ Position: Staff and Freelance Reporter/Photojournalist, Various Publications, 1980-2010 Duties: Write, edit, and lay-out news and feature stories, take photographs for regional publications, including the San Antonio Express-News, North Lake Traves LOG, and The Hill Country News; write news and feature stories, take photographs for the Hutto News, Taylor Daily Press. Cover governmental meetings, community events, and court cases for all publications. Write long-form feature stories for Coast Magazine, Galveston, Texas. Highlights: Covered two civil court cases for the NLT LOG finally heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. Position: Staff Information Writer II, Institute of Texan Cultures, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1983-1984 Duties: Pitch and write publicity stories spotlighting a variety of Texan cultures and the 33 nationalities that had historically immigrated to Texas; compile press kits publicizing Institute exhibits and events, including the annual Institute of Texan Cultures Folklife Festival.
Highlights: Based on press releases I wrote, was interviewed by the local press for coverage of the festival. PROFESSTIONAL EXPERIENCE,
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Position: Sales Associate, Fragrances, Holiday Season 2024; Sales Associate, Housewares, Staff Men’s Shoes Stockroom Expediter, Macy’s Herald Square, New York City, 2014-2016; Sales Associate, all departments, Macy’s Barton Creek, Austin, Texas, 2007-2010 Duties: Provide excellent customer service in beauty (fragrances and make-up) department; women’s, men’s, children’s, housewares, jewelry and accessories, linen and bedding departments. Work in and maintain fitting rooms and stockrooms in various departments. Highlights: Marched in the 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Named Employee of the Week, Men’s Shoes, Stockroom. Completed in-house Magic of Macy’s training. Position: Reference Desk Assistant, Trinity University Library, 1980 Duties: Field calls made to the Reference Desk by patrons seeking information about library holdings and research strategies.
Position: Student Library Assistant, University of Texas at Austin, 1972-1977 Duties: Work in the stacks at the UT Main Library. Field student queries at the main desk at the UT School of Communications library.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film, School of Communications, University of Texas at Austin, Texas, with Honors (3.5 GPA)
Master of Liberal Arts, Concentrations in Writing and English, St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas (3.7 GPA) Certificate of Completion, “Legal Investigation” course, administered by the University of Houston in Texas Advanced screenwriting courses, administered by UT-Austin, Full Sail University, ScreenwritingU (Los Angeles), and Roadmap Writers (Los Angeles)
Certificate of Completion, “Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change” course, administered by the University of Michigan through Coursera
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