MSUM alum mentors future Dragon educator

When Sara Kubicek walks into her sixth-grade classroom at Moorhead's Horizon Middle School, she welcomes 27 rambunctious students for a day of learning. The veteran educator and Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) dual alumna (BS elementary inclusive education and MS curriculum and instruction) also frequently welcomes practicum students and student teachers.

"Sometimes I don't feel worthy, but they keep sending me students to host," Sara said. "My goal is for the college students to feel like they are a part of our classroom."

Moorhead High School graduate Fatima Alshahmani is an MSUM elementary inclusive education major assigned to student teach with Sara this spring. Her sister had Sara as a teacher, and she observed her classroom last fall. As an education major, Fatima will graduate with more than 200 hours of ongoing field experience in classrooms throughout the community, which began during her first semester at MSUM.

"I've been in a wide variety of classrooms and experienced many different teachers," Fatima said.
"Once I taught fifth graders, I realized that middle school is where I belong."

Sara enthusiastically mentors student teachers and especially enjoys working with Dragons because MSUM students are ready to jump in. They don't sit on the sidelines. By her third day of student teaching, Fatima was already leading lessons and building meaningful relationships with students - a testament to MSUM's rigorous teacher education program and Sara's spirited mentorship, which is crucial to preparing the next generation of teachers.

"I've been in many classrooms, but I've learned everything from Sara. By the third day, I was ready - something I hadn't truly felt before. She made me feel comfortable and part of the culture right away. I even introduced her to my family because I talk about her so much. She's an incredible mentor, and anyone who gets to teach in her class is lucky," Fatima said.

"Watching and learning have their place, but engaging with kids one-on-one and building relationships is key. Fatima established solid relationships with the kids right away, which is essential for effective teaching and learning," Sara said.

Solid career preparation

Before students begin their student teaching experience, they receive extensive preparation - content and pedagogy knowledge, mentorship and coaching, classroom experience and management, relationship building and reflection. MSUM teacher candidates graduate with the confidence and skills ready to lead their own classrooms on day one. "Fatima is teaching lessons every single day because she is ready. I attribute that to her extensive classroom experiences, supportive professors, and self-confidence," Sara said.

Potential employers can be sure of MSUM's education graduates' readiness for the classroom. The university's roots are as a teacher's normal school, and it is renowned as a teaching-first institution. MSUM has continuously built and refined its education curriculum over the years to respond to the evolving needs of students.

"What Fatima is learning differs from what I learned just 10 years ago. The content is constantly changing, evolving and improving, which is the sign of an excellent program," Sara said. "MSUM's priority has always been to help teachers become great teachers."

Fatima's next step is the educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), "the test everybody is scared of," she half-heartedly jokes. "My MSUM professors help us get ready for the edTPA as much as they can, but most of our practice is preparing us for our own classrooms."

She is ready to graduate in May and feels confident about the edTPA exam. She'll start applying for teaching jobs in the area and soon lead her classroom of excitable middle schoolers. And someday, in the not-too-distant future, Fatima will be mentoring aspiring educators, continuing MSUM's strong teaching legacy.