Teen Leadership: Foundational, Responsible & Visionary

Welcome to Teen Leadership!

My name is Mrs. Kojah, and I am so excited for us to embark on this journey towards becoming positive leaders in our school and local communities.  On this journey, you will discover who you are, who you desire to be, the path it takes to get there, and the people in your life that will help propel you there. I am excited to be one of those people to support you along the way.  I will be on your team to assist you in reaching that destination by providing the tools you need to navigate life more effectively. You will be the driver of your bus, I will just be helping you learn to drive the bus!

 I want our classroom community to be one that welcomes everyone without judgment and one that extends grace. My hope is that you will choose to take part in this experience and utilize what you have learned out in the real world setting.

Who is Mrs. Kojah?

First and foremost, I am a wife and a mother. I have three sons in 6th, 8th and 10th grades.

Prior to moving to South Carolina, I have lived in 7 different states and 3 different countries. My teaching journey began in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where I taught English as a second language to Kindergarten kiddos.  I loved every minute of my time with the kiddos so when I moved back to Phoenix, AZ I completed my teaching studies at Arizona State University.  My master’s in education was obtained from Northern Arizona University with a specialization in reading. Currently I am a Gamecock at University of South Carolina working on my doctorate in education with a focus in instruction and curriculum.  I have a passion for mindsets and will be working on research around growth mindset and fixed mindset in student leaders.  This will be my first year at Riverside Middle, prior I worked for 13+ years for a national online school as a leadership trainer working alongside new leaders to our virtual charter schools across the nation preparing them to support their staff, students and stakeholders.  I was also a national instructional coach for all grades and content for 5 years as well as a math remediation teacher for our national program supporting schools across the nation.

I am extremely passionate about education and believe to my core that student centered instruction will allow ownership and accountability for all learners.  My goal for this year is to make our classroom a community that will be empowered with decision making skills, choice, ownership and accountability and launch into the world as a leader.