Melissa builds learning that actually sticks.
Seven years designing instruction for the hardest audience there is: ten year olds who did not ask to be there. Now bringing that same rigor to adult learners, onboarding, and training programs.
fit
Move seven years of classroom instructional design into corporate Learning & Development, training, or instructional design work.
Curriculum design, standards mapping, differentiated instruction, and stakeholder collaboration, built for a K-5 classroom and ready to transfer.
M.S. Elementary Education, B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies (Old Dominion University), plus hands on committee and strategic planning experience.
Ask me about the curriculum realignment project below. It is the clearest evidence of how I think.
From classroom to corporate learning
I have spent seven years teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade math and science across both public and independent schools, most recently at Fredericksburg Academy. That work is instructional design under a different name: writing objectives, sequencing content, building assessments, and adjusting instruction in real time for a room full of different learners. I am looking to bring that skill set to a Learning and Development, training, or instructional design role, ideally fully remote.
M.S. Elementary Education, PreK-6
Old Dominion University
B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies
Old Dominion University
7 years, grades 3-5
Public and independent school settings
Math & science instruction
Direct explicit instruction, standards based design
What the classroom taught me, in your language
Curriculum realignment
Instructional design & content sequencing
Differentiating for IEPs and 504s
Learner centered, accessible course design
SOL standards mapping
Competency mapping & compliance alignment
School Improvement Plan Committee
Cross functional program development
PTO President, district strategic planning
Stakeholder communication & program leadership
Selected work
5th to Middle School curriculum realignment
Led a realignment of the 5th grade math and science curriculum in direct collaboration with Middle School faculty, closing gaps between grade band expectations and easing the transition for students.
School Improvement Plan Committee
Contributed to school wide planning and improvement initiatives, translating instructional priorities into concrete, measurable action steps.
District strategic planning, PTO President
Represented parent and community stakeholders on a district wide strategic planning committee alongside school principals and the Superintendent.
Why hire me
A direct case for hiring me, built from what the Teacher Onboarding Agent below actually demonstrates — not a bullet-point list of buzzwords.
Teacher onboarding agent
A self-serve tool that generates a customized onboarding guide for a new teacher based on grade level and subject — standards pacing, a platform walkthrough, a first-week checklist, and curriculum map orientation, all exportable to PDF.
Articulate 360 training module
A sample e-learning module is coming soon, built to demonstrate instructional design skills in a corporate training format.
Let's talk about your team's next hire
Open to fully remote Learning and Development, training, instructional design, and related roles. Available to start in early August.