Harold Palmera

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HAROLD PALMERA ACOSTA's resume 2348 Sapphire Valley Drive, Raleigh, 27604, NC, US Cell phone (919) 5399865 bornsamario@yahoo.com hpalmera-acosta@wcpss.net

OBJECTIVE To obtain an ESL or Spanish teacher position

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY • Sixteen years of experience as a teacher • Leadership and organizational abilities • Qualified to design curricula for different academic programs and to evaluate materials. • TEFL Teacher trainer and tutor of the Colombian Ministry of Education.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS September 2008 to present ESL teacher, Wendell Middle School, Wake County Public School System, Raleigh, NC. • Teaching English as a second language to students who speak other languages • Helping teachers to deal with non English speaking students and their parents. • Translating documents form Spanish to English and vice versa • Soccer coach assistant

January 2003 to August 2008 Academic Coordinator and English and Spanish teacher, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, Colombia • Taught English and Spanish as foreign languages. • Designed and supervised academic programs. • Designed and implemented extracurricular activities. • Designed teachers and students schedules. • Trained TEFL teachers.

August 2007 to December 2007. English Teacher Trainer, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia. • Taught English teachers how to improve their teaching techniques

January 1992 to November 2002. English teacher, Colegio Diocesano San José, Santa Marta, Colombia. • Taught English and French as a foreign language. • Head of Language Department. • President of the teachers’ club .

January 1992 to June 2003. English teacher, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Santa Marta, Colombia. • Taught English in International Business and Systems engineering programs.

January 1992 to November 2004 English and French teacher, Colegio Ateneo Moderno, Santa Marta, Colombia • Taught English and French in 9th and 10th grades

EDUCATION Master of Arts in Education, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia, 2008 • Designed of programs for different degrees specially those related with English teaching

• TEFL specialist, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia, 2006

• Tutor training, Ministry of Education and British Council, Bogotá, Colombia, 2007

• TKT training, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia, 2004

• Education Specialist, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Santa Marta, Colombia, 2000

• Degree in Modern Languages, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, Colombia, 1991

HAROLD PALMERA ACOSTA

RECOMMENDATION LETTER FROM MY CURRENT EMPLOYER

3409 NC 97 HIGHWAY WENDELL, NORTH CAROLINA 27591 PHONE: 919.365-1667 FAX: 919.365-1686

APRIL 30, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

Wendell Middle School is a new middle school that opened two years ago with just sixth grade. I was fortunate to be able to hire the entire staff. I wanted to hire a diverse staff that could bring the best that the world has to offer to our students. I contacted David Howell, who is our VIF contact in Wake County and asked if he could help me find an ESL teacher. He sent me several video applications of prospective ESL teachers. After watching them, I was very impressed by an enthusiastic, energetic man named Harold Palmera. I called him and we talked for about an hour. During our phone interview, I knew that he would be an asset to our school. I offered him the position and he accepted. The rest is history!

Mr. Palmera has worked hard to share his culture and knowledge of his global experiences with both the students and the staff. He displayed items from his country in his classroom and shared video clips from Colombia with his students. He taught us phrases and words from his language. He continues to share his country and customs with us. At the same time, he has been learning about the culture of the United States and our area. Teaching in a more rural school, has provided him with challenges and unique experiences. One of the most difficult challenges for him has been to motivate students to learn. The previous students that he taught in other countries were very motivated to learn. He has learned that it is not the case for all American students; some of them need motivation to succeed at the high levels that he expects. He struggled with ways to motivate his students to work hard at their studies. Harold and our staff have had many discussions about the different mindsets of students. We talked about strategies that he could use to feel more successful. He met these challenges with courage and perseverance. It has been exciting to watch him add new skills and methods to meet these challenges to his teaching repertoire. He has gained confidence and has felt much more successful this year as a result.

Mr. Palmera has been a tremendously positive addition to the Wendell Middle School family. There are many positive attributes that can be used to describe this dynamic and energetic teacher. For starters, there is a true passion for learning and teaching that is expressed daily by Mr. Palmera. The students are instructed using best practices. Harold uses a variety of approaches from learning stations, hands on activities, and technology to ensure that students can apply the strategies learned in their ESL classes. His instructional delivery and practices ensure that he allows for their needs but maintains a focus on excellence. He sets high standards for his students and provides the structure and scaffolding needed for them to succeed.

Mr. Palmera has worked to involve himself not only in the school by serving as an assistant soccer coach, but in the greater community by taking a group of students to the Hispanic Summit at North Carolina State University. This opportunity allowed students to gain knowledge about higher education and to set a goal of attending college after high school. He has shared with us his knowledge and passion for this beautiful sport. He could be your next soccer coach, too! He is often asked to translate for student conferences, for IEP meetings and with parents. He translates written documents and has helped produce bilingual phone messages that are sent out to our families on a regular basis.

Mr. Palmera is using a content based approach in his ESL classes. For example, he has integrated science curriculum in the area of genetics, social studies by focusing on India and China this spring. This has enriched and extended his students ability to increase their understanding of core content along with developing their vocabulary. In summary, Mr. Palmera would be an extremely valuable asset to your school.

Sincerely,

Mary Castleberry Principal