Deema Kahwash ’21, a current GWTeach Apprentice Teacher, is currently teaching 9th Grade Algebra I at George Washington High School, her alma mater.
Ms. Kahwash, a senior majoring in Pure Math, is one of many GWTeach Apprentice Teachers teaching from January to April this semester. It has certainly not been an easy task as she faced the challenges of virtual teaching that many teachers across the country are currently experiencing. Specifically, she has found it difficult to reach out to students who are struggling to participate. Ms. Kahwash also noted that it was a hard transition in the beginning of her teaching experience when her in-person class was blended. Half of the students came in on Monday and Tuesday, while the others stayed online. On Thursday and Friday, the students switched places. After adjusting to this scheduling arrangement as well as familiarizing herself with teaching on a virtual platform, Ms. Kahwash has seen a great improvement in her classroom!
For students who are present and participating within the classroom, she has seen an immense growth. Over time, she has seen students come out of their shell and get comfortable with her. Ms. Kahwash enjoys learning more about her students and knowing that they are eager to share their personalities. Now, she feels that they are able to make more great connections and discoveries in math as the students are excited to participate. One specific instance that has stood out during her Apprentice Teaching was during independent work. While some students were testing, others were working through individual problems. Initially, Ms. Kahwash was worried that it would be boring for the students who were not testing, but she discovered that the independent work time was helpful for the students. They were able to productively struggle and grapple with problems on their own for a while, instead of just the normal few minutes they would have in between discussions in class. Ms. Kahwash went around to each student and addressed any misconceptions they might have had!
As she reflects on her time Apprentice Teaching from the past couple of months, Ms. Kahwash has been touched by her students. She believes that the most inspiring thing about teaching full time is seeing her students get excited about math, especially those who thought that they weren't "math people." After her Apprentice Teaching ends this semester, Ms. Kahwash plans to teach high school math as a Noyce scholar! She would love to stay in West Virginia, where she is Apprentice Teaching, but has not decided yet. She acknowledged that she has grown so much as a teacher with the GWTeach program and plans to take all of what she has learned from her past experiences to her future endeavors.
We wish Ms. Kahwash the best of luck for the rest of her time Apprentice Teaching and with her final semester at GW!