sick. sucks.

there is definitely a problem with me. i eat lots of vitamins, have never eaten this much healthy food in my life and i still get sick (cold, not stomach) every 3 months. actually, i was sick less than 2 months ago. maybe it is all the pollution. maybe i am just weak. either way it is no fun.

timmay, i liked your comments. i will respond to them at a point where focusing on the screen is less difficult.

i applied to wyoming today. we will see if they love me or hate me. i am guessing they have already hired someone as there are probably lots and lots of people who would love to live in northern wyoming. well, i would anyway, and i doubt i am that different from, well, ok. maybe i am. either way, i hope i get the job.

ok, i mentioned i need help with my cover letter. well, here it is. any comments or ideas are greatly appreciated. i wrote the first few drafts in a prosaic and somewhat long-winded style. i am going for brevity here, but feel i need to explain what the hell i am doing in mexico and why teaching english down here is still relative to teaching in the states (is it?).

here it is:

My name is William Davis and I am applying for the position of English teacher posted on the Higher Education Jobs website. I can offer to Sheridan not only skills as a teacher, communicator and creator, but also a perspective molded by international experience as I have taught in Mexico for the last three years with students of diverse social, economic and ethnic backgrounds.

My current position at the Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) involves designing and developing courses based on improving student writing and communication skills. A recent set of courses I have created intertwine the study of literature and technology (my students are high level English speakers who excel in exchange programs in English-speaking nations) in an effort to remind the students that reading, writing and creativity are inclusive ideas. Focusing on activities that allow learners to participate actively rather than passively, these classes invite not only student-teacher interaction, but peer communication as well.

The areas in which I give classes are the Bi-Cultural Program, the International Baccalaureate as well as in the Humanities Division in the university. The Bi-Cultural Program requires students to take half of the course load in English and half in Spanish. As a result, the language skills of these students can easily be compared to that of a high school student in the USA. The International Baccalaureate Program offers a special opportunity as my students have studied English since primary school and read and write in English on a level of first year college students (I also taught two years and two levels of undergraduate rhetoric and composition at Northern Arizona University and one year of high school in Virginia). With the IB program, I am free to design courses that not only encourage critical thinking and creativity, but blend other areas, such as Communication, Linguistics and Technology studies. The university courses combine the study of literature with developmental writing and communication skills through texts, art and web-based applications. In short, though I have taught classes in a foreign country for three years, the proficiency of the students is on par with some of the better secondary schools and colleges in the USA and a focus is on improving writing.

In graduate school I studied Native American Literature and Chicana/o Literature and presented papers in these areas. Undoubtedly the students at Sheridan College come from disparate backgrounds and age groups, and I would utilize this variety by explaining how differing points of view and perspectives enable a writer to communicate effective arguments.

At my current school, Blackboard and other web-based programs used to record grades, attendance, feedback, etc., form an integral part of the position. In order to better utilize these services, I have attended multiple training sessions and courses detailing their numerous attributes. I also participated in a 60 hour teacher training course designed to help educators better understand the needs of students, handle a variety of behavioral and external issues and incorporate values into courses taught.

Teaching at a small college in Wyoming greatly appeals to me as I am from a small town in Virginia and understand some of the nuances associated with areas of this type. As my CV exhibits, most of my teaching background is writing based and a large percentage of that with developmental writing courses. I feel that I would be an excellent addition to your staff and welcome the challenges this post entails. Please do not hesitate to contact me at wjurdan@itesm.mx if I can elaborate further upon any details or answer other questions.

two things today that i need feedback on pronto. anybody want to tell me about the best way to open a cover letter for a job? is it as simple as: My name is William Davis and I am interested in applying for the English Instructor position at Sheridan College. ?

i am sending in apps this week or next to one school in wyoming, in a town called sheridan (i would tell you its in the middle of nowhere but that describes wyoming in general). the other is in spokane, washington. not places you might choose, but places i might be quite content. plus, both are full-time and tenure track positions at community colleges and the pay is generous for the work schedule.

anyway, feel free to throw out your thoughts on this (although i am no longer sure who exactly might read this thing still). and please send any advice regarding cover letters.

of course, i may not get any position in the states and i could be back here next year. or i could be in colombia. or chile (where i have a connection now after my last trip to costa rica). or....