Beyond letter grades or scores, Seema Qoronfleh’s work with students boils down to confidence.
As a resource room teacher, or special education teacher, she helps primarily lower elementary students write their IEPs and meet academic goals. But her main objective is to have them feel proud of their work, which goes a long way in closing the gap.
“I want them to leave being confident because I think a lot of times they aren’t because kids are very aware especially with their peers,” she said. “I don't want them to make it feel like it's a barrier for them and I want them to feel confident in the fact that they are making progress and that they are reaching their potential.”
Qoronfleh is in her fifth year at East Arbor Charter Academy and was a winner this year as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA) Excellence Awards. She was expecting to show up for a training session but was greeted with the announcement complete with her family and a virtual visit from her husband, who lives in London.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be in the building that day, but it was definitely a big surprise,” she said.
Being able to teach close to where she grew up was appealing to Qoronfleh. Even in her virtual interview in 2020, she sensed the warmth and camaraderie at the school. That has been confirmed over the years at East Arbor, which has outperformed the district for 12 years.
“My team has really helped me kind of grow to where I am from starting as a first-year teacher and teaching me the ropes and helping me along the way to where I am now five years later being able to win this award,” she said. “I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of my admin and my team – they keep me sane and they keep me focused, which I really appreciate.”
Qoronfleh was the only resource room teacher at the beginning of last school year but persevered amid the additional responsibilities. Now with more team members, the need for their services has increased, but having a greater impact has been even more gratifying.
“It was really stressful, but with the onset of the new team members, it paved the way for a really amazing school year,” she said. “Like I said, I have amazing teammates and they've been really just on it and it's just been amazing to work with them and see them grow as well.
Keep up the excellent work, Ms. Qoronfleh!
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About East Arbor Charter Academy
East Arbor Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Ypsilanti, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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