A Brief Biography
My full name is Richard James Knowlton. I was born just outside Wellston, MI, and lived there all of my adolescent life. I went to Brethren High School; (the same school James Earl Jones, the original Darth Vader, attended!) There I played alto saxophone (I won the John Phillips Sousa Band award as a senior), and conducted the pep band when I wasn't playing basketball or working in art or drama club (I loved acting and performance). Eventually, thanks to a wonderful teacher named Mr. Rogers in 6th grade, I decided to become a teacher and after high school, I started college.
I enrolled at West Shore Community College in 1995 to get my teaching degree. While there I sang (and danced horribly) in a show choir named the Collegiates and we performed around the state. After two years, I moved to Kalamazoo to attend Western Michigan University. In 2001, I graduated magna cum laude from WMU with a major in English and a minor in history, although I also studied group social science, psychology, philosophy, and art history, as well. (Whew!) In 2013, I graduated summa cum laude (4.0, sweet!) from Western Michigan again with a master's degree in the Socio-Cultural Foundations of Education, and published my first book entitled, Missing the Mark.
I began my teaching career at Kalamazoo Central High School as an intern, and have worked at many of the high school and elementary schools in the Kalamazoo Public School District. While at KPS, I taught mostly English, but as a permanent guest teacher, I put on choir shows at both Millwood and Chime elementary schools. (I might sound corny, but I really love Christmas music.)
Until last year, I taught at Aspire Academy and I still teach occasionally at Western Michigan University. At Aspire, I have taught a miscellany of different classes, including: English Composition, Creative Writing, World Literature, American Literature, Drama, Web Design, Traditional and Graphic Arts, Choir, Guitar, Student Publications/ Journalism, and Cooking. At WMU, I have been a professor of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Studies, and most recently I taught a class on school and society.
Last year, I took a job as the Student Success Coordinator at Three Rivers High School. Here at TRHS, I do counseling, both academic and socio-emotional, and I work on events like Honor Palooza, and am involved in Peer-to-Peer, and other student organizations and clubs.
My hobbies are as diverse as my class list. I love my wife, Gretchen, and my two children, Aurora and Wesley. I also love reading, music (copious amounts of music gets me through my day), Star Wars, Detroit Lions football, Dungeons and Dragons, board games, and retro video gaming. For the latter, I built my own arcade machine for my basement. My favorite authors are John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sherman Alexie, Tim O'Brien, J. K. Rowling, and especially William Shakespeare. My favorite movies are Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Braveheart, the Star Wars Saga, Gladiator, Looking for Richard, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Disney’s Hercules (my favorite Disney movie ever). One might also find me watching any of the Marvel movies or reading some of the latest comics.
If you have any questions, or if you just want to engage in a lively Shakespeare debate, Feel free to contact me at [email protected]
Rich
I enrolled at West Shore Community College in 1995 to get my teaching degree. While there I sang (and danced horribly) in a show choir named the Collegiates and we performed around the state. After two years, I moved to Kalamazoo to attend Western Michigan University. In 2001, I graduated magna cum laude from WMU with a major in English and a minor in history, although I also studied group social science, psychology, philosophy, and art history, as well. (Whew!) In 2013, I graduated summa cum laude (4.0, sweet!) from Western Michigan again with a master's degree in the Socio-Cultural Foundations of Education, and published my first book entitled, Missing the Mark.
I began my teaching career at Kalamazoo Central High School as an intern, and have worked at many of the high school and elementary schools in the Kalamazoo Public School District. While at KPS, I taught mostly English, but as a permanent guest teacher, I put on choir shows at both Millwood and Chime elementary schools. (I might sound corny, but I really love Christmas music.)
Until last year, I taught at Aspire Academy and I still teach occasionally at Western Michigan University. At Aspire, I have taught a miscellany of different classes, including: English Composition, Creative Writing, World Literature, American Literature, Drama, Web Design, Traditional and Graphic Arts, Choir, Guitar, Student Publications/ Journalism, and Cooking. At WMU, I have been a professor of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Studies, and most recently I taught a class on school and society.
Last year, I took a job as the Student Success Coordinator at Three Rivers High School. Here at TRHS, I do counseling, both academic and socio-emotional, and I work on events like Honor Palooza, and am involved in Peer-to-Peer, and other student organizations and clubs.
My hobbies are as diverse as my class list. I love my wife, Gretchen, and my two children, Aurora and Wesley. I also love reading, music (copious amounts of music gets me through my day), Star Wars, Detroit Lions football, Dungeons and Dragons, board games, and retro video gaming. For the latter, I built my own arcade machine for my basement. My favorite authors are John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sherman Alexie, Tim O'Brien, J. K. Rowling, and especially William Shakespeare. My favorite movies are Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Braveheart, the Star Wars Saga, Gladiator, Looking for Richard, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Disney’s Hercules (my favorite Disney movie ever). One might also find me watching any of the Marvel movies or reading some of the latest comics.
If you have any questions, or if you just want to engage in a lively Shakespeare debate, Feel free to contact me at [email protected]
Rich