1. Mr. C's BIO
Christopher Collins, M.A. is RISD UIL Academic Coordinator, RHS Director of Theatre Arts, GT Specialist, and Teacher of English and Broadcast Journalism at RISD/Rains High School in Emory, Texas. A native of both Carthage and Nacogdoches, Mr. Collins earned his Master of Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University and is currently in his twenty-fifth year of teaching. He has taught on every level from Kindergarten to university, teaching everything from theatre to music, Spanish to reading, English to history, Algebra to Pre-Cal, and many writing and literature classes.
For many years, he served as a consultant and education specialist at Region 7 ESC and since then, has continued that role in his own independent practice every summer. He has authored twenty-four plays, two of which have been performed for the UIL One-Act Play Competition, one of which earned him the 2006 TETA Texas Resident Playwright of the Year, and several of which have been performed from Texas to Virginia. In addition to teaching and directing at RHS, he consults with teachers from other districts and is currently in the process of writing three books. He has directed over sixty shows, including “Oklahoma,” “Hamlet,” “Moon Over Buffalo,” “The Kentucky Cycle: Fire in the Hole,” “Urinetown,” “Paganini,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Rhinoceros,” and many, many more. He has directed several community theatre shows, including “Twelfth Night,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “On Golden Pond,” and "Big River." He has also acted in several roles including his portrayal of Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Buddy in Soldheim’s “Follies,” Audrey II in “Little Shop,” and Feste in “Twelfth Night.” In 2012, Mr. Collins was selected by the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to receive the National Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teaching Award, one of only ten educators in the United States to be given that honor. As a result, in May 2102, the city of Emory and the County of Rains declared May 5th to be "Chris Collins Day" and pronounced Collins an honorary citizen. In addition, he has recently been a nominee for Texas Exes Teacher of the Year, the Texas UIL Coaching Award, the Region 7 Secondary Educator of the Year, and the Texas Educational Theatre Association’s Secondary Teacher of the Year. As well as teaching theatre and writing, he plays the piano and sings at various events, churches, and other venues. He is the pianist at his church. "I am delighted to be continuing my professional life at RISD/Rains High School and honestly look forward to coming to school each and every day to work with the wonderful kids and the dedicated professionals at RISD. Most people with little to no experience with theatre have major misconceptions about what it's actually all about. I know I used to. Theatre is not about feel-good fluff and games. It's about learning how to present oneself, how to speak in front of others, how to feel comfortable in one's own skin, how to move professionally and believably, how to impress others, how to be creative, how to expand one's comfort levels, even how to interview for jobs! On a deeper level, theatre is about understanding the human experience, analying why we act the way we do at times, and understanding others around us and from other places and other times. Producing good theatre is a lot of hard work: memorization, character development, costume design, set design and construction, color and thematic choices, blocking, sound design, music design, promotion, advertisement, and much, much more that can't be explained without having actually gone through it. Yes, it's hard work, but it is SO worth it. Just ask an actor or tech. I honestly believe that 'Once you do it, then you get it.' Many students find that colleges LOVE to see 'theatre' on their high school transcripts and individual shows on their resumes. In fact, there are more theatre scholarships out there than almost any kind available. Contact Me: Christopher Collins Director of Theatre Rains High School 1651 West U.S. Hwy 69 Emory, TX 75440 903-473-2222, x 1501 [email protected] |
2. MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
My Philosophy of Education
L. Christopher Collins, M.A.
I have been asked on several different occasions to discuss my teaching philosophy, and I have to say that through the years, it hasn't changed that much.
Life in an amazing gift, and one of the tools that we have along the way is learning. To learn something, to explore a topic more deeply, to develop a new understanding of an issue, to experience something previously unthought is one of the joys in life. Every day of every week of every month of our time of this planet, we should be learning and growing and becoming better human beings, better understanding the human experience, and living better daily.
I want to teach my students to appreciate life itself and to love learning. I want them to strive to become lifelong learners in any pursuit they choose and to be successful and happy.
Everyone is different. Everyone thinks differently. Everyone learns a little differently. Everyone sees the world around them a little differently. In that sphere of differences, I am a strong advocate of curricular differentiation. To the best of my ability, I hope to match my instruction to the specific needs of each of students I am privileged to have on my rolls.
I think education first and foremost should be about some basic principles. First, whatever we teach has to be revelent to the students. If they don't know why it is important that we are learning something, they don't have the proper "buy in." Next, the way we present information and lessons must be (in some way) interesting or entertaining. Research shows that attention spans are not what they used to be. We as educators must be willing to make learning as pleasant as possible for this generation while still insisting upon the importance of standards. Last, students must be successful at what they do. They need to feel as if the learning of information, the completion of assignments, and the presentation of performances are worthwhile and important. They need the feeling of self-accomplishment, not money or gifts or elaborate praise. Maturity means accepting that a job well-done is its own reward.
Everyone is capable of some sort of success. While not every student will be an Albert Einstein, a Leonardo da Vinci, a Morgan Freeman, or a J.K. Rowling, all students are capable of being better versions of themselves and to looking into their own possibilities.
I love people: young and old, tall and short, fat and skinny, grumpy and thrilled, brilliant and a bit less than. To be able to help provide experiences for self awareness and growth is indeed an honor. Kids are what I call "soon-to-be" adults. In future years, I want them to remember my class fondly. They may not remember every little thing I taught them, but they will always remember how I treated them. Therefore, I believe in rigor and excellence, but I also believe in mutual respect.
3. Mr. C.'s DAILY SCHEDULE
1st Period--Conference: 8:00 a.m. -8:47 a.m.
2nd Period--District UIL Coordination: 8:52 a.m. - 9:39 a.m.
3rd Period--Theatre Arts 3 & 4: 9:44 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.
4th Period--Broadcast Journalism: 10:40 a.m. - 11:27 a.m.
5th Period--Gifted Education: 11:32 a.m. - 12:19 p.m.
B Lunch: 12:24 p.m. - 12:54 p.m.
6th Period--Pre-AP English I: 12:59 p.m. - 1:46 p.m.
7th Period--Theatre Arts 2: 1:51 p.m. - 2:38 p.m.
8th Period--Theatre Production 1, 2, & 3: 2:43 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
2nd Period--District UIL Coordination: 8:52 a.m. - 9:39 a.m.
3rd Period--Theatre Arts 3 & 4: 9:44 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.
4th Period--Broadcast Journalism: 10:40 a.m. - 11:27 a.m.
5th Period--Gifted Education: 11:32 a.m. - 12:19 p.m.
B Lunch: 12:24 p.m. - 12:54 p.m.
6th Period--Pre-AP English I: 12:59 p.m. - 1:46 p.m.
7th Period--Theatre Arts 2: 1:51 p.m. - 2:38 p.m.
8th Period--Theatre Production 1, 2, & 3: 2:43 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.