Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native Shania Muhammad, 16, has earned three degrees from prestigious universities and is now the youngest full-time paid teacher in the United States. She has a job teaching third grade at a local school.
Some people feel she’s too young, but Shania has already demonstrated she’s more than capable of doing the job. She attended Oklahoma City Community College and Langston University at the tender age of 14 and now possesses a bachelor’s degree in Early Child Development and two associate degrees. In addition, she has spent two years in the Thurgood Marshall Foundation’s National Teachers Professional Development Program.
Despite her extensive experience and accomplishments, she has always wanted to be a teacher.
Elijah, her father, says, “I’m very proud of my daughter for having the courage to follow her beliefs and live out her mission in the world. She doesn’t let others’ judgments of her stand in the way of pursuing her goals.
People will always have criticism and nasty things to say, but we are accustomed to it,” he said on Facebook recently. And no one’s naysaying has stopped our family from creating history.
“It is a privilege and honor to be this young lady’s mentor, helping and guiding her teaching journey,” said Charitta Smith, director of Young Achievers Christian Academy, where Shania works. It’s almost the end of the first week, and I already have to praise her excellent work with the third graders.
