Hashem Abuqawod and Samantha Ney: Future teachers prepare to strengthen Maine’s K-12 workforce

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. 

“I wanted someplace quiet, so I was looking at a few schools. I’ll be honest, it was kind of a last-minute decision to come to the University of Maine. I remember, I clicked accept and the next thing I knew I was looking for apartments, loading up the car and driving to Maine,” he said.

Abuqawod, who goes by “Ash,” is now a junior at UMaine majoring in secondary education with a concentration in English. After graduation, he hopes to become a middle school English/language arts teacher.

“Middle school students are at a really critical point in their lives, where they’re 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’s why I want to be an English teacher,” Abuqawod said.

Samantha Ney from Saco, Maine took a different path to UMaine, where she’s also a junior studying elementary education with a concentration in science. 

“Being born and raised here, I love Maine. My family is here, it’s beautiful here, and I wanted to stay close to home. I chose UMaine 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,” Ney said.

As an elementary education major, Ney says she’s open to teaching anywhere at the kindergarten, first or second grade level.

“I’ve worked with kids of all ages, but I definitely enjoy working with younger kids the most,” Ney said. “They rely on you in ways that are different from older kids.”

Abuqawod and Ney are among more than 80 teacher education students invited to the UMaine College of Education and Human Development’s second annual Pinning and Recognition Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24. The ceremony is designed to celebrate the college’s new teacher candidates — 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. Maine, like many states, faces challenges with recruiting and retaining people to work in K-12 schools, which has contributed to a shortage of qualified educators.

The University of Maine System graduates the most classroom-ready teachers in the state, with the flagship campus in Orono having the largest and most comprehensive educator preparation program serving Maine’s K-12 schools.

“We 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’ve made a commitment to educating Maine’s youth and helping them grow,” said Zeke Kimball, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development.

To earn teacher candidacy, UMaine 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’s one of several opportunities that UMaine education majors have to work directly with K-12 teachers and students during their program of study. 

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

“It really opened some doors for me in terms of connections with teachers and teaching resources that I didn’t know about previously,” said Ney, who did a previous field placement at Old Town Elementary School and frequently works as a substitute teacher when she’s back in Saco.

UMaine’s teacher prep programs are approved and accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the Maine Department of Education. Students who graduate meet the highest professional standards in the field of education and are eligible for teaching certification in Maine and several other states upon completing their degrees.

Ney plans to move back to southern Maine and teach after graduation. Although he’s only been in the state a short time, Abuqawod also hopes to stay here.

“I’m not sure where right now, I just want to teach here in Maine and see where that takes me,” Abuqawod said. “When you’re working with a student and see the light come on in their eyes when something clicks and they get what you’re talking about, there’s nothing better than that as far as I’m concerned.” 

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu