Hello, my name is Maura Collins. I am an 8th grade home room teacher and I specialize in teaching ELA, Social Studies, and Religion.
I am from a big family, (I have eight siblings!) which contributes to my loud, outgoing personality. I grew up in a small suburb of New Jersey and attended Catholic school from Kindergarten through high school. I graduated from Widener University with my degree in education. I moved to Philadelphia after marrying my husband, a Philadelphia police officer. I have two children who attend an Archdiocesan school nearby, where I serve as a member of the Home and School Association. In my free time, I enjoy reading, attending sporting events, and spending time with my family. My silliest fear is catching a fish and not knowing what to do afterwards.
I am most proud of my commitment to Catholic education. I have taught in Catholic schools for 13 years; this is my seventh year at SJS. I treasure the bonds I am able to build with my students, and I enjoy the time I spend with them. Being a product of Catholic schools, I deeply cherish our education system and believe in its ability to develop strong, faith-filled followers.
Our Catholic faith, history, and morality are the focuses of 8th grade Religion. We will continue to practice our faith in school, and will strive to continue the mission of the Catholic Church by spreading messages of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.
In 8th grade ELA we will focus on reading, writing, language, speaking and listening. We will read across genres in order to grow and develop our skills. We will make connections across those genres through analysis and interpretations. We will learn to cite textual evidence to support our ideas. We will go through the writer's process on a monthly basis spanning many different text types. We will work to produce clear and coherent writing through the process of planning, revising, editing, and rewriting. In language we will further develop our vocabulary through word relationships, context clues, and Greek or Latin affixes and roots. We will continue to master proper grammar. Speaking and listening will be through formal presentations, daily discussions, and debate.
In 8th grade Social Studies we will span American History from the Civil War Era to the Civil Rights Movement. I am a big fan of hands-on projects that bring history to life.