Fathia Balgahoom has worked as an educator at multiple New Jersey schools and institutions, which includes teaching social studies and special education classes for three years. During her career in education, Fathia Balgahoom has managed several additional responsibilities, such as volunteering with the Bridgemen Believe Mentor Program.
The Bridgemen Believe Mentor Program was established in 2023 as a mentoring program that provides students with both short and long-term academic support in one-on-one settings, which allow mentors to provide targeted services. Students who join the program meet with mentors several times per week for a total of one hour. Mentors like Fathia Balgahoom assist students in areas such as time management, goal setting, and college and career readiness, paving a pathway to academic success.
The comprehensive mentoring program extends beyond the academic realm, allowing volunteers such as Fathia Balgahoom to connect with students and provide insights into the importance of positive family and peer relationships, in addition to promoting effective self-care practices. Fathia Balgahoom was not only a Believe Mentor Program supporter, but one of the first volunteers to join the program upon its launch.
The benefits of a comprehensive mentorship program for students cannot be overstated. According to the American Psychological Association, mentees typically outperform their peers and continue to excel academically and professionally thanks to their relationships with mentors like Fathia Balgahoom. Mentorship continues to pay dividends later in life: graduate students with mentors are generally more engaged at both school and work and, according to United States Naval Academy psychology professor W. Brad Johnson, PhD, develop a stronger sense of identity.
Fathia Balgahoom has always prioritized the importance of one-on-one sessions with students, ensuring that she has time to meet with students who need to discuss their academic objectives, as well as their emotional or social needs. One-on-one sessions have become increasingly rare in US classrooms over the last several years, as teachers have become overburdened by growing class sizes. Most researchers agree that class sizes should not exceed 18 students, yet some instructors must contend with classes of up to 40 pupils.
By providing one-on-one student sessions, Fathia Balgahoom can personalize academic discussions to each student’s strengths and needs. She can provide immediate feedback in a low-stress environment, which enhances the educator-student relationship.
One-on-one meetings also allow educators like Fathia Balgahoom to tune in to students’ emotional and social needs. Ample research has revealed that students’ self-esteem is closely linked to their academic performance. Students with low self-esteem form a negative self-opinion and struggle with feelings of inadequacy. This can impact their academic performance in several ways, including a lack of motivation.
Beyond her one-on-one student sessions, Fathia Balgahoom has long championed the importance of positive learning environments. Students in positive learning environments benefit from a sense of belonging and feelings of comfort and safety, which can help them to build self-confidence, foster a love of learning, and lead to improved academic performance.
Fathia Balgahoom believes that educators should always be on the lookout for tips and tricks to create and maintain a positive learning environment. A few basic concepts include setting clear classroom rules and academic goals for students, encouraging student collaboration, and developing positive relationships with both students and parents. Educators like Fathia Balgahoom, who holds a Teacher of Students with Disabilities Certificate from Rowan University Global, can further support a positive classroom environment by supporting students with learning disabilities.