When Tahira Naeem was debating whether or not to go back to school, inspiration came from close to home. After having spent a number of years working as an early childhood educator (ECE), Tahira found herself thinking about continuing her education, but she needed a nudge to make it happen. When she began talking to her son and daughter, both of whom are studying at the University of Guelph-Humber, she got the push she needed to enroll in Early Childhood Studies’ Degree Completion program.
“My son (Rizwan Syed, 3rd-year Justice Studies) started here out of high school because he knew he wanted smaller class sizes, and my daughter (Faiza Naeem, 4th-year FCSS) switched over from another university. She really liked the attention that the instructors are able to show their students,” Tahira says. “I got inspired by that, and I really liked the Degree Completion program, so I enrolled.”
Since receiving a diploma in early childhood care from another institution in 2007, Tahira had been working with children at a few different jobs. She had done some work in daycares and a resource centre, but when Ontario’s provincial government began rolling out its full-day kindergarten program in 2010, it changed how Tahira worked. The new program brought new opportunities and Tahira was soon working as an ECE in a kindergarten class in the Peel District School Board.
“The new kindergarten program is designed so that a teacher and an ECE work together,” she says. “While the children are with us, we’re responsible for helping them develop all theirs skills: social, behavioral, reading and writing — we do it all.”
Taking care of a class full of energetic 4- and 5-year-olds as they work, learn, and play is no easy task, and Tahira says keeping up with them is tough, even when it’s a two-person job. As she spent more time in the classroom, Tahira started to think about her education. She realized she wanted to learn more about child development and how best to support the young students she worked with every day.
After considering her options, she decided to enroll at UofGH and began her first courses in September of 2015. Though she’d been in the workforce for 8 years, Tahira quickly fell back into the rhythms of being a student. Many of her classes are completed online, so she spends some of her evenings and weekends taking part in group discussions, typing up assignments and analyzing her classmates’ work.
“I was a little scared of it being online, because I’d never done anything like that before, but so far it’s going well,” she says.
When it’s time to hand in assignments, Tahira looks to the other students in the family for support.
“Of course, the only way I’ll learn is if I do my own work, but my kids have better English and writing skills than I do. English is my second language, so I ask them to proofread my work before I submit it,” Tahira says. “But, when they have their own work due, they’ll tell me, ‘Mom, you’re on your own!’” she adds with a laugh.
With a semester under her belt, Tahira is happy she’s gone back to school. It’s a juggle to work, do her readings and schoolwork, and take care of her family, but she’s making it happen.
“It’s a challenge and you really have to do your time management, but I’m doing this for my own satisfaction. I want to learn more and enhance my education,” she says. “I felt like I’d been out of school for a while and wanted to learn more — I hope it will lead to more opportunities in the future, but right now, I did this for me.”
Learn more about the Early Childhood Degree Completion Program
This is the third in a series of articles about our students and alumni. For further information, to volunteer or to donate, please visit to our alumni webpage.