Two years ago, I shared about writing my first book in a blog “I Did It 😊” At the time, I shared about how much I had learned, not just about the process but about myself.
I was often asked when I would write a second book. I had not given it any thought, but when COVID-19 forced us to stay at home, I found myself worrying about what would happen within our educational system. How would schools provide teachers with the tools and the support to ensure that students would be engaged and empowered via distance learning? I realized that I wanted to write another book. I had a foundation - this blog - which I started back in 2012.
When I began writing this blog, I had no idea how long I could or would continue, but today, I am still writing and sharing my thoughts, my opinions, my hopes, and my experiences as someone who will always be an educator even if I am retired. It is not my intention to tell others how to lead or how to teach. Rather, I hope that my blog and my books will encourage conversations and reflections within our communities amongst those who are passionate about improving education to be more relevant in today’s society. These discussions should include educational leaders, teachers, students, parents, and community and business leaders.
Experienced principals have shared with me that school year 2020-2021 was their most challenging year ever, and they are proud of their school communities for persevering through all the changes and the challenges that were necessitated by COVID-19. I am hopeful that the lessons they learned will lead to changes in how schools view education.
My new book, Educating with Aloha: Reflections from the Heart on Teaching and Learning, is now at the printer and will hopefully be ready for purchase later this summer. I am grateful to those who read my earlier manuscripts and provided me with feedback because my book changed a lot from beginning to end. Writers benefit from feedback and questions. The sometimes-frank and honest comments and questions helped me to reflect and to make the necessary changes to address those concerns, and I am proud of the final copy. The book is divided into chapters:
- A Culture of Aloha
- Positive Relationships with Our Students
- Explore, Discover, Create, and Share
- Build Teacher Capacity
- Partnering with Families and the Community
- What Does the Future Hold for Education?
Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office was a reflection of my life and how my early life experiences impacted how I led our school. Educating with Aloha is about my experiences as an educator. I hope it can serve as a tool for discussions about how we can work together to make the changes in our schools to prepare our students for their futures.
W.B. Yeats once said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” We should not be filling students with information that they may forget soon after leaving school. Now is the time to reimagine education so that students and teachers are truly engaged and empowered to be innovative, lifelong learners.
