Eric J. Collins

Foreign language enthusiast Eric J. Collins attended Southern Connecticut State University for his undergraduate studies. Drawn to romance languages, Collins majored in French and Spanish, receiving a Bachelor of Arts and the Professional Educator’s Certification to teach both languages to students in grades 7 to 12. In his first job after graduation, Eric J. Collins taught French and Spanish at King Phillip Middle School, part of West Hartford Public Schools. In addition, Eric J. Collins leveraged his knowledge of Spanish language and culture to serve as the Assistant Director of Summer Study in Spain, a collaborative program between Southern Connecticut State University and the Colegio de España in Salamanca, Spain. Operating in the position from 1995 to 1999, Mr. Collins helped coordinate trips, tutor students, and instruct courses. He also utilized the opportunity to further his own understanding of Spanish language and literature. He earned a Master of Arts in Spanish from the American institution two years later. In 2000, Eric J. Collins joined the staff of William H. Hall High School. Since that time, Mr. Collins maintained his involvement with Spain by traveling to Madrid each summer to teach English immersion classes at the Colegio Santa María del Pilar. He leveraged his ties with the Spanish institution to commence a cultural exchange program with West Hartford Public Schools, affording students opportunities to gain better understandings of a another language and culture. Aside from these expeditions, Eric J. Collins also organized trips to Argentina for students at Hall High School. Integrating state-of-the-art technologies, Mr. Collins augmented the school’s curriculum to better meet the needs of advanced placement and struggling students alike. As a talented instructor of romance languages, Eric J. Collins earned nomination for Teacher of the Year in the West Hartford Public Schools on four occasions. Mr. Collins has spoken at meetings of the Northeast Conference on Teaching of Foreign Languages and received accolades from the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers (CT COLT), including nomination for the Robert G. Mead Jr. Award.