Salma Shareef begins her journey of becoming an educator at Thomas Jefferson High School. photo by Mikey Cooper
Spartan Salma Shareef participated in an internship that allowed her to learn the skills of an educator.
Over the summer, one of Thomas Jefferson’s talented students was passionate enough to participate in a teaching internship. Senior Salma Shareef taught younger students and experienced what a classroom environment felt like as a teacher. By attending the program and continuing on the path to become a teacher, Shareef hopes that she will be able to make a positive impact on the future of education.
Shareef enjoys writing, hanging out with friends, and much more. Although Shareef is visually impaired, she does not let this stop her from enjoying teenage activities. In her free time, she participates at the Center for the Blind, attending the organized Saturday events and field trips. These events range anywhere from a science class to learning how to rock climb or kayak. The purpose of these events is to help teach important life skills to visually impaired individuals they may not be able to learn in school. Shareef is so thankful and happy to be a part of this community because she feels less alone knowing there are others she can talk to about her disability.
Shareef was originally born in Iraq, but she was raised in Denver, Colorado. Due to complications Shareef’s parents were not able to gain a formal education and have the same opportunities as her. Despite her recent teaching opportunities, Shareef did not always know she wanted to be a teacher. Two years ago when her younger sister was eight years old, Shareef began to tutor her. The fulfilling moments of helping her sister had a major influence on Shareef’s desire to become a teacher because “it was amazing to see her learn and grow.” After deciding that teaching was the right path for her, Shareef got in contact with one of her own teachers and asked if there were any programs available to further her goal. After learning about Shareef’s plans, assistant principal Paula Hammel reached out to the same teacher, letting them know about the summer internship program.
The Generation Teach internship and program have partnered with district and charter schools since 2014 to help students who want to be educators develop their teaching skills. This is accomplished throughout their seven-week AmeriCorps teaching fellowship. During this internship, Shareef taught a group of middle school students. In the program there were different departments, and each of them had a teacher instructor. By asking the instructor questions, Shareef was able to not only teach the kids, but learn for herself how a teacher handles different situations by asking the instructor questions such as how to respond when a student is misbehaving.
Shareef has expressed her dissatisfaction about others with disabilities being treated poorly. Through teaching, she wants people with disabilities to know that they do not have to listen to others’ cruel words. “I’m trying to educate others on how to be persistent and not give up,” she stated. By becoming a teacher, Shareef hopes to encourage and inspire others to not give up on their dreams or goals no matter what challenges stand in their way. To begin this journey, she wants to start off by lending some advice to freshmen. Shareef wants ninth grade students to know that they have to stay persistent with their grades because, no matter how hard the assignment may be, it is easier for grades to drop than it is to improve them.
As a whole, Shareef took on the challenges of the education internship in hopes of inspiring others to chase their dreams. Regardless of her visual impairment, Shareef has not let any conflicts stand in her way of accomplishing her goal. From her brilliance to her kind heart, Shareef is sure to make an outstanding teacher in the future and have a major impact in the teaching world.
