Times and Priorities Have Changed

 A little more than a year ago, I submitted a presentation proposal for a local Read to Me conference. I titled it, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors: Using Picture Books to Celebrate Diversity and Build Empathy in Young Children,” and I wrote a blog post titled “Mirrors and Windows” That conference was cancelled due to the pandemic, and since that time, I realize that we are now in a different world; so much has changed. My presentation would not be as relevant today as it could have been a scant year ago. We are dealing with a pandemic that has turned our comfortable world upside-down. Schools are just now getting back to having students back, but that doesn’t mean things have returned to normal with all the new rules and regulations in place for health and safety reasons. We learned a lot during this year of virtual or distance learning, and schools need to reexamine their priorities. Do schools realize the opportunities they have right now to change what they were doing pre-pandemic? How can we make school more meaningful for our students during these challenging times? Our world is changing rapidly and we cannot keep teaching students the way we were taught when we were in school. Memorization and regurgitation of information doesn’t work in this day and age when information is so readily available at the click of a button. Last summer when we were still unsure about the future, I wrote a blog post titled What Should Schools Be Teaching in these Turbulent Times? about how project-based learning can empower students to be engaged in the challenges facing their community. 

Today, I read a blog by A.J. Juliani titled, “Curriculum as Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Doors.” As he states, we need to do more than just expose and share multicultural literature with students. The whole curriculum needs to reflect the diversity, the history, the challenges, and the successes of the many different people who make up our communities, our states, our countries, our world. In his blog, Mr. Juliani shares that it starts with those in the community to create a curriculum with a purpose. “Every school should have a different curriculum because every school community is different,” he states. This process will take time; creating a curriculum is a work-in-progress with teachers making adjustments depending on their students, their understandings, their questions, and their evidences of learning. 

As I reflect on the project-based units our teachers created when I was a principal, I realize that due to the events of the past years, there needs to be a discussion with the school community about how we can ensure that the curriculum reflects the diversity of our world. Times have changed, and with them, priorities for schools have also changed. This past year has brought many issues to the forefront, issues which are threatening our hopes for a peaceful world. I am optimistic, though, that if schools can focus on “curriculum as windows, mirrors, and sliding doors,” our students may be better prepared to make a difference in their world. 

An Activity for All Ages

When I was growing up, my siblings and I often worked on jigsaw puzzles. I remember sitting on the floor and working together, sometimes challenging each other to find the piece that fit into a certain spot. It was such an exhilarating feeling to finally put in the last piece of a 1,000-piece puzzle! 

Sometime early in my career when I was teaching preschoolers, I remember reading about the value of jigsaw puzzles and how they helped students become better at math. So I made sure we had puzzles on our shelf for students to work on either individually or with their classmates. I saw that it helped my students with many skills such as spatial awareness, classifying, noticing details and observing differences in shapes or colors, working together, and persevering. There was such a sense of accomplishment when students completed a puzzle. 

When I became a mom, working together with my sons on jigsaw puzzles was one of my favorite activities. We often talked story, listened to music, or sang songs while we worked.  Sometimes it took several days to complete; this was a great way for my sons to learn about persistence and stamina. My favorite puzzle story is when Justin and Jarand were little. We gave them money to buy Christmas presents for each other, and Justin asked Jarand to get him a teddy bear. When it came time to exchange gifts, Justin was disappointed when he looked at his gift because it was clearly not a teddy bear. When he opened his present, Jarand told him, “I didn’t get you a teddy bear. I got you lots of teddy bears!” We put that teddy bear puzzle together numerous times when the boys were little. A few years ago, I shared the story with our grandsons, and we worked together to complete it while they were visiting Hawaii. 

When the pandemic closed down many activities, I was looking for things to do at home. I had books to read, a book to write (soon to be published!), and other things to do around the house, but I still had free time. We received a Beatles puzzle in December (my husband is a huge fan), and I worked on it for a few days. I realized how much I had missed working on jigsaw puzzles, although I couldn’t work for extended periods of time because my back and my legs would begin to hurt; we didn’t have a separate table that would fit the puzzle pieces, so working on the floor (which was fine when I was younger) was a challenge. 

Fortunately, I found an app for my iPad called Jigsaw Puzzles. I didn’t have to buy anything, and there are lots of different puzzles to choose from. I don’t need to store boxes of puzzles, and I don’t need extra space to work on them. It offers options - number of pieces as well as the ability to rotate the pieces - so youngsters or oldsters can choose puzzles to work on. In the past few months, I’ve completed about one puzzle per day. Some are more challenging than others, but I find myself focused and calm when I am working on one. Yes, it can get frustrating and sometimes I have to stop for a bit and do something else, but I always go back and complete the puzzle. That is one app that I am glad I found! 

I hope that everyone can see the value of jigsaw puzzles, an activity for all ages!

This was an Awesome Opportunity!

 This morning’s local newspaper had an article about a sea urchin project (“Taking back the Bay”) that is making a difference in Kaneohe Bay and Waikiki. I was excited when I read this article because back in 2012, some of our students had an opportunity to  be a part of this project (Sea Urchins Project-Based Learning) and we even made a video of the experience. (The Time We Became Citizen Scientists) 

I remember visiting the sea urchin facility at Sand Island - they were still in the infancy stages - and I am thrilled that they have been successfully producing so many urchins over the years. They have definitely made a difference in the health of the reefs by eating the invasive algae. Seeing our students’ excitement and listening to their conversations about this project was so worthwhile, but although we learned so much  from this experience, it was quite a challenge for our teachers and students. Sadly, we had to discontinue our participation after two years. We realized that sustaining an environment where the urchins could thrive was difficult in a school, especially when we were not near the ocean or the Sand Island facility. 

This kind of project might be a challenge for younger students, but what about high school students? We need to stop thinking that school is the only place for students to learn. The community can provide learning opportunities that students cannot get in a school setting such as application of skills in the real-world, time management, asking questions and researching to find answers, communicating effectively with others, and being an effective worker in a real-world environment. Many of these skills are related to our Department’s General Learner Outcomes (GLOs)

I think the six GLOs are an important part of the learning process, and they are: Self-Directed Learner (The ability to be responsible for one's own learning); Community Contributor (The understanding that it is essential for human beings to work together); Complex Thinker (The ability to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving); Quality Producer (The ability to recognize and produce quality performance and quality products); Effective Communicator (The ability to communicate effectively); and Effective and Ethical User of Technology (The ability to use a variety of technologies effectively and ethically).

The GLOs were developed through a collaborative process involving Department of Education staff as well as representatives from higher education, businesses, and the community. These are the desired outcomes we want for all students who graduate from our Hawaii schools. All students are expected to demonstrate these GLOs.. The problem is that we observe students demonstrating these outcomes only in the school setting. How can we expand their experiences so students can realize the importance of these learner outcomes in the real world?

I suggest that students should have an option to do an internship in an area they may want to pursue, post-high school. Let’s take the sea urchin project as an example. A student might be interested in environmental studies or oceanography, and working in the hatchery might be an opportunity to explore and learn more. The student, the hatchery manager or another designated person at the facility, and the teacher would determine expectations for the internship (number of hours per week, what the expectations are, what the responsibilities will be, etc.). The student and teacher/advisor will agree on requirements which would include accountability as well as demonstrating the General Learner Outcomes. One of the requirements could be a reflection of the learning process via a blog, a video portfolio, or an app such as Unrulr. This could also be a way for the student to communicate with the teacher. At the end of the internship, students would participate in a ‘showcase’ where they share with an authentic audience which would include their work mentor about their experiences and what they learned.

Today, many teens do not have work experiences because school and other activities take up much of their time. . Community internships could be a way to provide students with experiences that will help them when they are applying for a job especially if they have never held a summer or part-time job prior to graduating with their college degree.

We need to start looking at our community for opportunities to prepare our students to be successful after they graduate. Education is not confined to a school building; students need to demonstrate the General Learner Outcomes in the world outside, not just in school, All of us bear responsibility to ensure that our students are prepared when they enter the workforce. Internships can be a win-win for both our students and the community. Investing in our students can pay dividends in the long-run.