Media Lit Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Christian Collins. I am originally from San Diego, CA, but I have been living in Rhode Island since the summer of 2016. I moved here with my boyfriend Ammar, as we both were placed in Rhode Island as part of the Americorps programs City Year (for myself) and Teach for America (for him). Without knowing a soul in New England, we moved from one of the largest and most populous states, to little Rhode Island.

I have since fallen in love with Rhode Island and New England in general. We have decided to make Rhode Island our long term home and have since put down roots here, including; buying our first house (yay!), adopting our dog/son Winston (super cute!), recently sold our first home to buy our second (that was fast!) and have created long term commitments with our employers.

Currently, I am teaching as part of the Americorps program Teach for America. I teach 6th and 7th grade English Language Arts (with "English as a Second Language" certification) at Del Sesto Middle School. I have just completed my first year of teaching and I am so excited to have my first summer! So far, I have spent most of my time building IKEA furniture and sleeping. In July however, I will be going on a cruise to the Bahamas, visiting my brother in Seattle, and have tickets to go see Hamilton! I am taking CURR 550 as part of my IMED program, which I will be finishing this July!

In my spare time, I love to garden, hang out with my boyfriend and dog, bake, play video games or go hiking.

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Going to school...but how do I get in?

The documentary "Going to School" investigates the reality of special education in Los Angeles School District in the early 2000's. The district was in the midst of revamping its special education services, due to the district having significant shortcomings in regards to its services for students with disabilities. The film follows several students, and there are many interviews with educators, support staff, students and parents about what education (and special education) means for them. Below are some of the quotes that made me think the most about the current state of special education and the inadequacies that are present even today. Throughout the film, a particular parent of a student named Richard, was a vocal advocate for the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Beyond advocating for her own son, she worked to help other students and parents understand the special education system and what they need to do in order to advo...

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

While I was not a Disney obsessed child like some friends I had, I believe Disney played an important role in my childhood as source of entertainment and culture. I fondly remember watching many Disney classics such as Fox and the Hound or Robin Hood. As an adult, I primarily remember watching the movies that were unrelated to the princesses, likely because those were mostly directed towards typical female audiences. An exception that I recall would be the movie Mulan, which seemed more appealing as a child with its action and fighting. Additionally, I was fortunate enough to have been raised in San Diego, CA, which was only an hour away from Disneyland. Disneyland as an attraction was always a desirable location to go to, and one that was rare to attend as a family of 8. Regardless of background, everyone loved going to Disneyland if they had the means to do so. I also recall the 'playground status' given to students in elementary school that came back from vacations wea...

Pecha Kucha + Reflection

Pecha Kucha Video Pecha Kucha Slides Pecha Kucha Rubric A central theme throughout this course has been the importance of understanding the ‘why’ behind our practice as educators. The day to day hustle of being a teacher can often cause us to neglect reflective processes, which can negatively affect our practice in the classroom. Having just finished my first year as an English Language Arts teacher for a 6th and 7th grade emergent bilingual population, my ‘why’ is tested daily. Juggling the various roles of teacher, mentor, counselor, and conflict negotiator, while attending professional development and master’s level courses, is a tiring day to day existence. Once I am at home, sitting down to reflect on my day and practice takes the back-burner to shutting my brain off for at least an hour, before going to bed in order to repeat the process over again. Like Sinek says in his TED Talk, knowing your ‘why’ is pivotal to having others buy into your messaging. If I want my students ...

Collins Compositions

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