HawkStrong: Summer Mohamed realizes her dream of becoming a teacher
When she was a little girl, HFC student Summer Mohamed decided she wanted to be a teacher. She has stayed true to that dream.
“I have always enjoyed working with kids and wanted to pursue a job in this field,” said Mohamed, of Detroit. “I want to become a teacher who students can look up to, and someone who leaves a positive impact on their lives.”
A native of Yemen, Mohamed – the eldest of four – immigrated to the United States in 2004 with her family. After she graduated from Riverside Academy West in Dearborn, Mohamed pursued her education at HFC.
Everything that is needed for success
“I decided to pursue my education at HFC because it offers many great programs. The classes are affordable, and there are many services provided that can help you succeed,” she said. “I really like how easily you can get your questions answered at HFC. I like how we are offered financial aid, advising, counseling, tutoring, etc. I love how easy it is to schedule meetings with your advisor and choose the best classes to take. I also love how small the class size is. All of the professors I have met were extremely intelligent and cared about our education. They have been kind and understanding.”
Mohamed is a pre-elementary education major at HFC. She will graduate in late 2022. During her time at HFC, she has been a member of the Future Teachers Association. She is currently the secretary of the FTA. She considers HFC Pre-Education Program Director Dr. Carolyn Casale and HFC math instructor Dr. Deborah Zopf her mentors.
“I am extremely grateful to have teachers who support me and my education, such as Dr. Casale and Dr. Zopf,” said Mohamed. “Dr. Casale has shown me countless times how to be an assertive teacher. I have learned lots of valuable information from her. She offers many resources to help you improve your teaching techniques, understand different learning styles, and build strong bonds with your students.”
When she was taking the Introduction to Education Practicum class, Mohamed completed her fieldwork at William Ford Elementary School in Dearborn, working under fifth-grade teacher Kim Cojei.
The Girl with the Dragon Heart
Through the FTA, Mohamed did a dramatic virtual reading of The Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis to Cojei’s class during Reading Month in March. The book is about a young girl who defends a chocolate city.
“Summer went beyond engaging virtually and made in-person trips to the school,” said Casale. “To motivate and focus the fifth-graders, she brought them chocolate and sticky notes. The students demonstrated the impact by extolling their love for reading.”
“It was such a blast!” said Mohamed. “I had such a fun time getting to meet the students and discussing the book. We all shared our thoughts and opinions on the book, which was very interesting because many of the students and I perceived some parts of the story differently. The book I chose had chocolate play a large role in it, so as encouragement for my group of students, I gave them chocolate as a reward. I would love to do something like this again.”
Cojei told Casale that she had never seen her students so excited about reading.
“I was able to meet Mrs. Cojei and talk with her when I went to pick up my copy of the book,” said Mohamed. “She was so sweet and nice and shared her excitement with her students about the event. We talked about the book and how her students felt about it. I was very happy to know that she also enjoyed how the event turned out.”
Added Zopf: “Summer's strong interpersonal skills and caring nature were an important asset to this project.”
Knowledge, interactional skills, and caring nature
Upon graduation, Mohamed plans to continue her education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She believes HFC has prepared her well for the next step in her education and life.
“I feel like I’ve been provided with the best skill set to be successful in school and in my career,” she said.
Mohamed would like to teach kindergarten through third grade in the Dearborn Public Schools.
“Summer is an exceptional student,” said Zopf. “As a student in the Math for Elementary Teachers courses, she took great care to develop very detailed understandings about the mathematics she will teach. Her journal work included excellent pictures along with explanations attending to minute aspects of mathematics important for children to understand. Summer will be an excellent teacher because of her knowledge, her interactional skills, and caring nature.”