Mrs. Jennifer Collard
Hello and Welcome! My name is Mrs. Collard and I’m delighted to teach English Language Arts (ELA) at Melvindale High School. This is my third year at MHS and my 10th year teaching at the secondary level. I’ve also served as an instructor for a National Communication Association award-winning course at Virginia’s most diverse public university.
I teach because I have a passion to help students grow into vibrant people – able to respond to life’s challenges with critical and creative thinking skillsets, empathetic hearts, and the power to craft and wield stories and language to positively impact their families, communities, and society for good.
I have a passion for learning – both inside and outside the classroom. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English from Grand Valley State University, a Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution from Wayne State, and a Master of Arts in Communication from George Mason University. Traveling with family has given me a different kind of education, instilling a love for different cultures, traditions, art, and music that I carry with me long after a trip is over.
Right now, I’m learning as I watch my young daughter grow and change every day. Her innate curiosity, her bright smile, and her beautiful sweetness continually amaze me: she is constantly growing into herself.
As a general rule, when I’m not teaching or spending time with my spouse and daughter, you can find me reading a memoire, listening to everything from Bach’s Cello Suites to The Killers, strolling through Eastern Market, or trying to find a handful of minutes to do a little writing.