Mr. Craig Aham, a new sixth grade teacher at Newbury Elementary school has returned to Massachusetts after teaching in Maine for thirteen years.

Even though Aham taught third and fourth grade in Maine, he is excited to work with his sixth grade students.

Aham talked about already feeling comfortable in his own workspace. He also talked about his plans before he decided to become a teacher, his past teaching experiences, and his advice for students who want to become teachers one day.

“I was fortunate enough to be in the building last year so I wasn’t too nervous,” said Aham.  “Every year, though, is full of unknowns.” He is hoping to give his students a positive and productive classroom where they can learn, but still have fun. Since Aham had worked at NES before, he was more comfortable for his first day, making it easier for him. But, as Aham said, he never knows what to expect with a new class. Students have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning different subjects.

Luckily for Aham, he has already had thirteen years of experience in an elementary school in Maine, so he has an idea of what it is like to be a teacher.

“I was a teacher in Maine for thirteen years before moving back to Massachusetts. I taught third and fourth grade. It was a great school and the students were amazing,” he said.

The Triton Voice was able to talk to Mrs. Kristen Mollineaux, Aham’s mentor, about him and helping him prepare for his first classroom at NES.

“Mr. Aham has been a teacher for many years, so he didn’t need a lot of help with planning his first day. We did meet on one of the days just before school started just to set up email, get acquainted with Aspen, set up printing and also to familiarize him more with Google Drive and Docs,” said Mollineaux.

But, before deciding to become a teacher, Aham had other dreams he was hoping to achieve.

“I wanted so badly to design airplanes or work in an aquarium…” said Aham. It wasn’t until he was already in college and worked at a youth center when he realized teaching was what he wanted to do, and teaching is what he finished college with a degree in. This seems like the right choice for him, according to his mentor Mollineaux.

“…I realized early on that he has a great sense of humor and connects beautifully with kids, both little and big,” said Mollineaux. She continued by saying how she had heard about Aham from one of his students.

“He says that he is nice, funny and smart. He also says that he makes learning fun.” she said.

Have others had the same positive experience with their own sixth grade teacher? Triton Voice asked sophomore Abbie Magee what she thought about hers.

“Ms. Kitanov was a great teacher. She taught me to love math and also made it fun,” said Magee.

For those who are planning on furthering their education after high school, and want to become a teacher, Aham had a few words of advice.

“My advice would be get into as many classrooms as possible. Visit classrooms and schools. Volunteer in classrooms and schools. Be around students in the school environment as much as possible. Talk with students and staff. I learned just as much from my classes as I did working with students and teachers,” he said.