Rachel Bates

Rachel Bates is a passionate educator with ten years of teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary levels. In May, she graduated with her PhD in English with concentrations in Literary and Cultural Studies and Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse Studies. She holds an M.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in creative writing from Dartmouth College and a B.A. in History and English from East Tennessee State University.

Rachel's creative writing is featured in several journals such as Appalachian Review, West Texas Literary Review, and Broad River Review, and Finishing Line Press published her debut chapbook, Dear River, in 2020. She draws inspiration from Appalachia, her family, her students, and life's general mundane and quotidian ongoings.

Her research focuses on the Anthropocene via Contemporary Appalachian literature and culture. She approaches these studies using ecofeminism, place studies, and affect theory methodologies. Additionally, she has a strong research interest in writing pedagogy with a focus on first-year composition studies. She frequently presents both her academic and pedagogical research and knowledge to professional colleagues. She is a motivated teacher who inspires students, shares her knowledge, and often leads teams toward new curriculum and social endeavors. As an educator, her highest priority is creating equitable and diverse spaces for all students, and she works toward dismantling historical and contemporary barriers for historically marginalized groups. Her current role as an academic director requires her to hire and develop talent, coach, observe and evaluate English teachers using the Danielson Framework, create innovative professional learning opportunities for faculty and staff, manage multiple projects, contribute to course programming, and analyze and present school data. 

Her organization, planning, and communication skills are excellent. She always meets deadlines and is an exceptional multitasker. Teaching continues to enhance her extraordinary conflict resolution, time management, and interpersonal communication skills.

Connect at rmbates423@gmail.com