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Ms. Atika Saeed is a new, first-year teacher teaching Geometry and Algebra 1 this school year. Already, she has loved teaching in Prince George’s County as “the students are funnier [and] more personable” than other communities she has been a part of. Ms. Saeed mentions how teaching in such a diverse population is very important for her as she hopes to positively impact those who need it.
Prior to her teaching career, Ms. Saeed attended Howard Community College and decided to “randomly click Elementary Education” as her major which she “actually hated.” As a result, she transferred to the University of Maryland (UMD) in 2021 and changed her major to middle school education with an emphasis on Math and Science.
Out of all her years at UMD, Ms. Saeed’s most difficult year was her last. She tells how “taking college classes and student teaching everyday (without any pay) was very difficult.” One thing that did keep her motivated and willing to do all of this was teaching kids every day. Ms. Saeed also adds that she feels lucky to “understand and know my passion at a young age because my job literally does not feel like I am doing anything boring or unfulfilling.”
Anyone new to their profession is bound to face early challenges. An issue Ms. Saeed has noticed is that she struggles “managing time” for planning and grading. Often she is “up until 1-2 in the morning trying to plan the best lessons.” “Hopefully,” she concludes with a positive light, “I will get the hang of all these responsibilities soon [for this school year] and I can start to balance my life a bit.”
