{"id":25302,"date":"2025-01-21T15:43:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T20:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/?p=25302"},"modified":"2025-01-21T15:43:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T20:43:10","slug":"hashem-abuqawod-and-samantha-ney-future-teachers-prepare-to-strengthen-maines-k-12-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/2025\/01\/21\/hashem-abuqawod-and-samantha-ney-future-teachers-prepare-to-strengthen-maines-k-12-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"Hashem Abuqawod and Samantha Ney: Future teachers prepare to strengthen 海角社区\u2019s K-12 workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hashem Abuqawod was born in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and lived there until he was four when his family moved to Kuwait. They came back to the United States when he was 12 and moved around during his teenage years. After graduating from high school, Abuqawod joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and was deployed to South Korea and Japan. When his military service was complete, Abuqawod returned to Florida and took classes at Palm Beach State College before deciding that he wanted to go somewhere completely different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted someplace quiet, so I was looking at a few schools. I\u2019ll be honest, it was kind of a last-minute decision to come to the University of 海角社区. I remember, I clicked accept and the next thing I knew I was looking for apartments, loading up the car and driving to 海角社区,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abuqawod, who goes by \u201cAsh,\u201d is now a junior at U海角社区 majoring in secondary education with a concentration in English. After graduation, he hopes to become a middle school English\/language arts teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMiddle school students are at a really critical point in their lives, where they\u2019re figuring out how to assess the world for themselves and formulate their own opinions. One of the ways they do that is by reading works of literature. So, that\u2019s why I want to be an English teacher,\u201d Abuqawod said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samantha Ney from Saco, 海角社区 took a different path to U海角社区, where she\u2019s also a junior studying elementary education with a concentration in science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing born and raised here, I love 海角社区. My family is here, it\u2019s beautiful here, and I wanted to stay close to home. I chose U海角社区 because of the atmosphere. Everyone on campus, the professors and staff, are all very helpful and you can tell they care about their work and that they want you to succeed,\u201d Ney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an elementary education major, Ney says she\u2019s open to teaching anywhere at the kindergarten, first or second grade level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked with kids of all ages, but I definitely enjoy working with younger kids the most,\u201d Ney said. \u201cThey rely on you in ways that are different from older kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abuqawod and Ney are among more than 80 teacher education students invited to the U海角社区 College of Education and Human Development\u2019s second annual Pinning and Recognition Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24. The ceremony is designed to celebrate the college\u2019s new teacher candidates \u2014 students who have reached the point in their academic career when they are able to start taking upper-level courses and have shown a commitment to becoming a teacher. 海角社区, like many states, faces challenges<\/a> with recruiting and retaining people to work in K-12 schools, which has contributed to a shortage of qualified educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of 海角社区 System graduates the most classroom-ready teachers<\/a> in the state, with the flagship campus in Orono having the largest and most comprehensive educator preparation program serving 海角社区\u2019s K-12 schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe began holding an annual pinning ceremony not only as a way to honor our students who made the decision to become teachers, but as a way to celebrate the teaching profession and those who\u2019ve made a commitment to educating 海角社区\u2019s youth and helping them grow,\u201d said Zeke Kimball, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To earn teacher candidacy, U海角社区 education students must maintain a B or higher grade point average in their core lower-level courses. They also produce a portfolio that includes a field experience report reflecting on at least five full days, or about 30 hours, that they spend observing a K-12 classroom or another educational setting related to their major. It\u2019s one of several opportunities that U海角社区 education majors have to work directly with K-12 teachers and students during their program of study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abuqawod achieved teacher candidacy during the fall 2024 semester after completing his 30-hour field placement at Old Town\u2019s J.A. Leonard Middle School. Ney did her placement at Governor John Fairfield School in Saco, earning teacher candidacy in the spring 2024 semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really opened some doors for me in terms of connections with teachers and teaching resources that I didn\u2019t know about previously,\u201d said Ney, who did a previous field placement at Old Town Elementary School and frequently works as a substitute teacher when she\u2019s back in Saco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U海角社区\u2019s teacher prep programs are approved and accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation<\/a> (CAEP), and the 海角社区 Department of Education<\/a>. Students who graduate meet the highest professional standards in the field of education and are eligible for teaching certification in 海角社区 and several other states upon completing their degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ney plans to move back to southern 海角社区 and teach after graduation. Although he\u2019s only been in the state a short time, Abuqawod also hopes to stay here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure where right now, I just want to teach here in 海角社区 and see where that takes me,\u201d Abuqawod said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re working with a student and see the light come on in their eyes when something clicks and they get what you\u2019re talking about, there\u2019s nothing better than that as far as I\u2019m concerned.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abuqawod and Ney are among more than 80 teacher education students invited to the U海角社区 College of Education and Human Development\u2019s second annual Pinning and Recognition Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24. The ceremony is designed to celebrate the college\u2019s new teacher candidates \u2014 students who have reached the point in their academic career when they are able to start taking upper-level courses and have shown a commitment to becoming a teacher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":25305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"%%post_title%%","_seopress_titles_desc":"Abuqawod and Ney are among more than 80 teacher education students invited to the U海角社区 College of Education and Human Development\u2019s second annual Pinning and Recognition Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24. 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