Victoria Opalewski

Overview

Victoria Opalewski is an Associate Educator in School of Education at Wichita State University. She joined Wichita State University in 2013.

Academic Interests and Expertise

Academic Interests

• 2004 – MA.Communication UW-MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, 2004 , Thesis: “Presidential Non-Military Crisis Response Rhetoric: Eulogy, Apologia, and the Noble Endeavor” featured in UW-Milwaukee’s Research Profile, Fall/Winter 2005
• 2003 – Wisconsin Communication Association “Top Paper Panel” presenter
• 1997 – Comprehensive English/Secondary Education, UW-PLATTEVILLE, Wisconsin

Areas of Teaching Interest

Teaching Interest

• Clinical Educator at Wichita State University 
• Adjunct instructor position at Hutchinson Community College 
• Fourteen years experience as a high school English and Communications teacher 
• Two years experience as new teacher mentor, including training from New Teacher Initiative 
• Member of committees on developing district-wide assessments and aligning curriculum to Wisconsin State Standards 
• Master of Arts in Communication 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft word processing and presentation software programs (such as Inspiration and PowerPoint), Internet and other database searches, spreadsheet programs, grading and attendance programs (such as Infinite Campus and BlackBoard), and e-classrooms (such as Moodle and Nicenet) 
• Excellent communicator, both in written and oral formats 
• Meticulous attention to detail, even when simultaneously working on multiple projects 
• Two consecutive years Wisconsin championship Academic Decathlon speech coach

Courses Taught

• CI 423 (3-credit course: Instructional strategies, assessment, and management),    2 sections
• CI 424 (1-credit course: corresponding practicum to CI 423)                                          2 sections – Spring 2014 
• CI 427 (3-credit course: Philosophical, Historical, and Ethical Foundations of Education), 2 sections 
• CI 317 (2-credit course: Literacy Strategies in the Content Areas)
• CI 318 (1-credit course: corresponding practicum to CI 317) 

Professional Experience

Professional Experience            

• March 2013-Present – Clinical Educator, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
  • Prepared and taught lessons – Fall 2013
  • Liaison between WSU and 2 Wichita public schools as part of Teacher Quality Grant
  • Presented motivational workshop to math interns 
  • Search committee member for history/government position 
  • Piloting program of video coaching software (Focus) for pre-service teachers 
  • Co-advisor for Kappa Delta Pi, educational honor society V
• 2012-2013 – Part-Time Instructor, Hutchinson Community College, Newton, KS
  • Prepared lessons for Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, and Basic English in accordance with college benchmarks, Taught face-to-face and ITV (Distance learning) classes, maintained electronic gradebooks and templates for hybrid (web-assisted) courses
• 2000-2011 – Teacher, Eisenhower High School, New Berlin, Wisconsin
  • Maintained budget, scheduled registration, travel details and judges, and prepared students as Forensics Coach
  • Selected play and CEDt, designed scenery as Director of Fall Play
  • Coached Academic Decathlon speech category, in person and via Skype, resulting in consecutive 1st place trophies 2011 and 2012. 
  • Designed assessment, prompts, and publicity brochure and scored assessments as part of district-wide writing assessment team 
  • Aligned English and Speech courses with State Academic Standards and developed assessments to meet those standards as a member of the District Curriculum Committee 
  • Planned and presented workshops to colleagues (Inspiration, building’s NCA accreditation goal of Writing Across the Curriculum, Alternatives to Parent-teacher contact hours schedule) 
  • Mentored two new teachers in accordance with New teacher Project (lesson design and evaluation of student product, parent communications, classroom management, personal assessment and growth, district record keeping)
  • Developed Speech curriculum in accordance with Wisconsin State Standards
  • Taught engaging lessons to teenagers in the areas of Speech, English 9, English 10, Senior Composition, Advanced Placement Language and Composition (AP 11)
    • Speech – Emphasis on controlling nerves, research, applying message to audience, eliminating barriers to communication, listening, and using voice and technology aides effectively
    • English 9 – Emphasis on use of technology, critical thinking, and writing
    • English 10 – Emphasis on analysis, writing, research o Senior Composition: Emphasis on real-world writing (considering role, audience, format, task)
    • AP 11 – Emphasis on analysis and writing, scores on College Board exam were significantly higher than national and school average Victoria
• 1997-2000 – Teacher, Washington High School, Two Rivers, Wisconsin

• • Taught engaging lessons to teenagers in the areas of Speech and English
  • Maintained budget, scheduled registration, travel details and judges and prepared students as Forensics Coach
  • Planned and executed makeup and costuming as Assistant Director of Play
  • Monitored content and budget, assigned deadlines, and scheduled photographers as Yearbook Advisor
  • Participated in Action Research group on special education and Site Team on alternative scheduling