Alison S. MacLeod ESL Writing Specialist amacleod@bryant.edu

While my title at Bryant University is ESL Writing Specialist, I discovered early on that to some extent, we are all English Language Learners. Thus my students come from everywhere—from across the world or just down the road. Those who find their way to my desk receive whatever help and encouragement I can give them to improve not just the assignment at hand, but tools to use for future writings. I’ve been an educator for many years, and have discovered with each new challenge that students are unique, and it is my job to find the best ways to communicate with each one. Thus I wear many hats, finding that what works for one may not work at all for another. Since coming to Bryant in the fall of 2007, I have been truly humbled by the courage some of these students have mustered to face not only the challenges of attending college far from their homes, but to do so in a language not their own.  It is an enormous gap they must bridge to be able to articulate complex ideas using an entirely different language structure. To speak a foreign language is difficult enough; to write well can be daunting.

Education:

M.Ed.	Northeastern University Special Education - Learning Disabilities
B.A.	Cornell University Cultural Anthropology and Southeast Asian Studies
Other	Providence College Coursework for RI Certification in Special Education & Administration

Professional Teaching and Education Experience:

• Private Tutor - Wheaton College (Norton, MA)
  
  
• Learning Specialist - Personalized Learning Services Program - Dean College (Franklin, MA)
  
  
• Adjunct Professor of Anthropology - Dean College (Franklin, MA)
  
  
• Learning Specialist - Learning Opportunities Program - Mount Ida College (Newton, MA)
  
  
• Special Education Director - Kingsland Bay School (Bristol, VT)
  
  
• Special Education Director - Community Counseling Center – Valley Community School (Pawtucket, RI)
  
  
• Education Director – The Learning Center - Protestant Guild for Human Services (Waltham, MA)
       
• Special Education Director - St. Mary’s Home for Children (North Providence, RI)
  
  
• Teacher - The League School (Boston, MA)
  
  
• Student Intern/Teacher - The Pierce School (Brookline, MA)
  
  
• Teacher - AMIC Day School (Watertown, MA)

Community Affiliations:

• Member, New England Learning Disabilities Network
• Member, Aspergers Association of New England

Honors:

• Kappa Delta Pi National Education Honor Society

Travel:

• India, Nepal, Europe, Canada, U.S.A. and USSR (AAMD Study Tour, Special Education in the former Soviet Union)

Current Project:

I have operated Dunvegan Farm, a family-owned horse boarding, training, and rescue facility in Wrentham, MA since 1984.