Charlotte's diverse educational background and career have allowed her to direct two federal grants, an earlier one on teaching writing and writing across the curriculum and more recently a grant that was designed to help students not copycat violence in the media.
Charlotte has taught people of all ages in varied settings. In 2006 Charlotte shared Brain Gym techniques with students in Peru. In the USA, she taught at Charleston High (an inner city school), Sissonville High (a rural school) and Nitro High (a suburban school).
As an educator she has been an administrator in both the public schools and higher education as well as teaching teachers and students grades kindergarten through college. Charlotte continues her love of teaching through the varied classes she offers at Better Balance LLC, her educational and wellness consulting firm in Charleston, WV.
200l - 2004: Director, Grant Writer, and Teacher Trainer (Federal Grant - United States Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts: Grant Talkback: Students Take Action about Violence in the Media. (www.talkbackwv.com). Received nearly, $450, 000 from the United States Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts for the students at Chandler Elementary to discourage children from copycatting violence in the media. Children created their own non violent CD's, and DVD's. Their work can be heard on the website www.talkbackwv.com .
Teacher Training Component of the Grant: Responsibilities: Charlotte taught teachers and school personnel Brain Gym 101 techniques to use for the students and themselves for brain enhancement and stress management. Honors: First Lady Laura Bush praised the Talkback program on National Public Radio: A program was broadcast on Voice of Democracy to the international community concerning what the students at Chandler Elementary were doing to handle violence in the media.
1988-1985: Teacher, Nitro High School: Responsibilties: Taught: Advanced Junior English; English-Senior, Junior, Sophomore, and Journalism. Honors: Selected Outstanding Young Women of America, Selected to represent WV on the National Council of Legislators Committee on Arts, Toursim, and Cultural Tourism. Community Service: Board Member of Mountain State Press; American Association of University Women; West Virginia Young Writers Association; National Council Teachers of English; West Virginia Language Arts Articulation Study Group.
1987-1985: Director of Communications - Kanawha County Schools: Responsibilities: Publications and printed materials, speech writing, surveys, press releases, newsletters, schedules.
1985-1979: Writing Program Manager - Kanawha County Schools: Responsibilities: Writer-in-Residence working with students on writing techniques in schools throughout the county; Trained teachers (K-12) and principals on written communications; Developed curriculum for writing programs; Developed WMUL-TV programs for writing techniques; Developed lesson plans and study guides for Writing Across the Curriculum.
Honors: Selected as a participant in National Endowment for the Humanities Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia "Improving the Teaching of Humanities in the Secondary Schools." Selected for Executive Council for Language Arts; Articulation Study Group, WV Department of Education; West Virginia Representative for the Regional Oral/Written Task Force; Judge for the National Achievement Award in Writing NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English); Selected as feature Poet for the Poet's Corner Cultural Center, Charleston, WV.
1985-1979: Director - West Virginia Writing Project: West Virginia College of Graduate Studies: Responsibilities: Raised, budgeted and allocated West Virginia Writing Project Money; Met with business men and women, arts and community groups to gain financial support for the Writing Project; Organized 13 counties in the Writing Project network; Organized Summer Institutes, Pre-Summer Institute Social, Book signing events; Edited publication of Summer Institute (Reflections); Managed publicity of WV Writing Project; Selected national speakers for the Summer Institutes; Taught six-hour graduate classes; Taught three-hour graduate classes; Managed network of participants which included hundreds of teachers in the WV Writing Project Network; Developed the syllabus, selected, the texts and speakers, and evaluated the Writing Project Education classes: Ed. 520/590 Teaching Writing K-12 and Summer Institutes and Fall/Spring Follow-up classes. There were more than 5 (6 hour graduate) Summer Institutes and more than 20 (3 hour graduate) follow-up graduate classes within the time frame.
Instructor: 3 and 6 hour graduate classes for Teachers
Ed. 520 Teaching Writing K -12 3 hours
Ed. 590 Summer Institute 6 hours
Honors: Distinguished the WV Writing Project at the National Convention by being cited five times for innovative modifications to the National Writing Project Model. The only site in the international network to have 5 Summer Institutes going at one time coordinated by one director.
1979-1977: Teacher, Sissonville High School: Responsibilities: Taught English, Creative Writing, Advanced Grammar and Advanced Sophomore English. Honors: Selected as a Summer Fellow for WV Writing Project; Selected for national Teachers Teaching Writing Video, (Teachers Writing competition (Only 27 were selected from the entire USA).
1977: Graduate Assistant - Marshall University: Responsibilities: Taught Freshman English 101
1975 - 1973: Teacher, Charleston High School: Responsibilities: Taught Great Books, Honors Senior English, Creative Writing, Mythology, Humor, Literary Criticism, Advanced Senior English. Honors: Charleston High School Teacher of the Year; Selected by students as Peer Group Advisor.