By Elianna Novitch

Guess what day it is…? It’s “Where Do You Work?” Wednesday! This week meet alumna Mariah Hahn (BA’16 Elementary Education with an endorsement in Reading).

Hahn is in her first year of teaching at Prairie Heights Elementary in the College Community School District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a first-grade teacher. Prior to teaching at Prairie Heights, Hahn taught second grade at Mary Welsh Elementary School in the Williamsburg Community School District in Williamsburg, Iowa.

Hahn says her favorite part about her job is her students and how they teach her just as much as she teaches them.

“I love watching their learning develop and take off as they become more confident in themselves and their ability to learn and grow,” Hahn says. “I also love the ‘light bulb’ moments where you can see something you have been working on click for a student.”

Beyond academics, Hahn strives to teach her students lifelong skills they can take with them into the world.

“I strive to teach my students lifelong skills and the importance of things like kindness, empathy, perseverance, communication, and integrity,” Hahn says. “I hope each one of my students, current and former, feels more confident, prepared, and most importantly, loved when they leave my classroom.”

Hahn says the University of Iowa College of Education helped get her to where she is today by preparing her for a multitude of diverse experiences.

“Through immediate immersion into classrooms, I was able to experience many different environments and build many great relationships with other professionals,” Hahn says. “The College of Education also gave me a great space to build upon my leadership skills and grow into the teacher I wanted to be.”

Hahn is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching, Leadership, and Cultural Competency through the University of Iowa College of Education’s completely online program and will graduate in May 2020.

Hahn hopes that this degree will help her gain new ideas and perspectives that she can use in her classroom so that she can better meet the needs of her students.

“My plans with this new degree is to feel more confident when teaching diverse learners, as well as gain new ideas and perspectives I can utilize in my classroom,” Hahn says.

Want to be the next “Where Do You Work Wednesday” or nominate someone? Message us on Facebook, tag us with #HawkeyeTeachers, or email us at educationatiowa@uiowa.edu.