About Me

Talking about myself is not one of my favorite things to do, but I will do my best. Why don't we start at the beginning.

I was born in August 1972 at Greenville General Hospital. My parents, Kenneth Charles and Janette Collins, raised me and my sister on Eastview Circle in Simpsonville. I attended Simpsonville Elementary, Bryson Middle, and Hillcrest High School. It was while I was at Bryson that I first developed a love for history. I was fortunate to have an excellent social studies teacher, Mrs. Ferrell, who made history come alive. It wasn't just about old homes and dead people. History became so much more. It became my story. As I went on to Hillcrest, my ninth grade World History teacher, Ms. Howie, continued to introduce me to a whole new world through history. History is a journey. My teachers were my guides, and they did an incredible job. 

After graduation, I attended Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina. You are probably thinking, "Where in the world is Due West?" Well, Due West is a small rural town in Abbeville County. I knew when looking at colleges that I wasn't cut out for a big school like Clemson or Carolina. I preferred to be a big fish in a small pond. Erskine provided me with this opportunity. I became involved in a number of extracurricular activities. I majored in history and minored in secondary education. During my senior year, I student taught at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson. What an awesome experience that was for me. I taught two classes of government, two classes of World History, and one law class. I felt that I had found my nitch. When I graduated in May 1994, I was ready to go out into the real world and be the best teacher ever.

I was given the opportunity to do just that in October 1994 when Mrs. Judy James offered me a job teaching eighth grade South Carolina History at Bryson Middle School. I was hired on a Friday and was told I would start on Monday. Wow! I was scared to death, but I couldn't let the students know that. It didn't take long for my first group of eighth graders to break me in. Eighth graders are a unique group of people. They are trying so hard to find out who they are while they go through all these changes. They are a mess. I enjoy watching them walk through my door in August so sure of themselves, almost arrogant, because they are eighth graders. Then by the end of the year, reality sets in and they realize that soon they will be at the bottom of the hill once again. They are somewhat humbled. When I first started teaching eighth grade, I thought of it as a stepping stone to a high school position, but now I don't see myself teaching any other grade. I have taught South Carolina History at Bryson Middle School for the past twenty years. In November 2010, I received a Masters in Education from Southern Wesleyan University.

In December 1998, I took another big step in my life. I married my husband, Eric. We will celebrate our 24th  anniversary in December. He is my best friend. We enjoy spending our free time together with our nineteen-year-old daughter, Emily, our fourteen-year-old son, Jacob, and our dog, Cooper.  I also enjoy shopping, running, singing,  reading, and watching football, especially Alabama...Roll Tide Roll!