Pictured is Emily Hohman with students during the after-school Homework Club at Lincoln Elementary School in Jamestown.
Inspirational quotes and colorful art from Emily Hohman’s students fill the walls of her fourth- grade classroom at Lincoln Elementary School in Jamestown.
Hohman, a Frewsburg High School graduate, earned her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia.
After graduating from SUNY Fredonia, she accepted a fifth- grade teaching position at Jefferson Middle School in Jamestown.
“I student taught with Mr. (Tom) Langworthy at Jefferson, and exactly one year later I had my very own classroom, in the exact same building, teaching the exact same grade, directly across the hall from him,” Hohman said.
While attending graduate school at Canisius College, Hohman was working full-time teaching and then commuting to Buffalo for her classes.
“On my last day of grad school in December (2014) my students told me how proud they were of me. They were just as excited as I was for this big day,” Hohman said. “It was one of those moments that remind you that this journey had been so worth it, because (my students) are so worth it.”
After completing her graduate work, she accepted a position as a fourth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School.
For students considering a career in education, Hohman advised that choosing a college that allows students to receive classroom experience right away, is key.
“I was in a classroom doing field work my very first semester at Fredonia,” she said. “The hands-on experience will prove to be invaluable and will set you apart during the interview process (later on in your education.)”
For Hohman, though, teaching is not just a career, it is her passion.
“Teaching provides a pathway to inspire and motivate,” she said. “And if you are lucky enough, be someone’s hero and reason for believing they are capable of achieving greatness.”
This feature is part of a series focusing on residents who have received scholarships from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and have moved back to or remained in, the area to live and work. If you, or someone you know, received a scholarship from the Community Foundation and would like to be featured, contact Sarah Shelters at 661-3390 or sshelters@crcfonline.org.
The Community Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2016-2017 school year. To qualify, students must have graduated from a Chautauqua County high school. Scholarships are offered to undergraduate and graduate students studying a variety of subjects and vocations at two-year or four-year colleges or universities.
