Giving Thanks 2018

I considered not writing a blog for Thanksgiving. This year has been challenging with the unexpected passing of our second son, Jarand, in May. As I reflected on this past year, though, I realize that there is still much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my family who has helped me to be strong in this most difficult of times. My husband Randy and our sons, Justin and Jordan, have been a source of strength. Together, we help each other by recalling events and memories of Jarand, the son and brother we knew and loved. Jarand has also given us an opportunity to build awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease, and we hope that by sharing his story, we can help others. Jarand passed peacefully in his sleep; we had spoken with him the night before and ended our conversation with “I love you.” I am grateful for that last conversation with him.

I am thankful for Randy, my husband and soul mate for nearly 42 years. Like all married couples, we have had our ups and downs, but through it all, we have remained best friends and supported each other. This was especially true these past few months which were, undoubtedly, the most challenging experience in our marriage. I am proud of Randy for all he has accomplished for our State throughout his professional career, and I look forward to spending more time with him now that he will be retiring at the end of the year. 

I am thankful for Justin, our oldest son, who is a great Dad to our grandsons. When Jarand decided to move to the mainland to be closer to his nephews, Justin helped him get settled. I know that Jarand missed Hawaii but with his big brother’s help, he was able to acclimate and thrive in his new home. I am proud of the way Justin is raising his sons. They are respectful and so much fun to be with! I am a Proud Grandma.

I am thankful for Jordan, our youngest son, who is serving our country in the Air Force and recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan.  We are so proud of him! After working with military families for so many years as the principal of Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School, I know there can be many challenges. Yet Jordan is upbeat and independent, and I am confident that his military experience has helped him as he plans for his future.

I am thankful for my family and friends who have been there for me during these past few months. They share their own memories of Jarand, and their many stories and photos help us to heal. We realize what a special son we had, and although we will always miss him, I am proud to know that Jarand had such a positive impact on so many people.

I am thankful for everyone at Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School. After serving as their principal for so many years, they were my second family. It was not easy to retire, especially when I was still enjoying my job and the people I worked with, but I know that it was the right decision. Retirement has allowed me to relax and enjoy the simple things in life that I didn't even realize I was missing.

Despite the curve ball that life threw at us this past year, I realize that there is still much to be thankful for. May you all count your blessings and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This was the last selfie of our family, taken on New Year's Day 2018.

Resilience

I’ve been doing quite a bit of yard work since I retired. I find that it’s no longer a chore like it used to be when I was working. In fact, it’s relaxing and when I see the fruits of my labor, well, there is a sense of satisfaction. The yard is definitely not perfect, but it’s neater than it just was a few months ago! 

I’ve been watching this weed grow out of a rock. My first inclination was to pull it out, but I decided to observe its growth to see what would happen. I see it as a sign of resilience and individuality. While other weeds grow where the conditions are more amenable to their growth, this weed has chosen another growth path. It’s as if he is telling me, “Who said you need dirt to grow?” 

Isn’t this how some of our children are? There are some who need to be different, as if to prove that they CAN do it. They are individuals who have chosen to be different from others. We sometimes discourage them and try to steer them to the path we think they should take. . 

Let's remember that weeds and people can flourish in the most unusual places!

Where is the Respect?

I was watching a candidate forum and the question came up about whether a candidate agreed with the policies of the President. The candidate went on to dodge the question by saying that she respects the office of the President.

I have tried not to make this blog political, but I have decided that if I keep quiet, it might be assumed that I don't have an opinion. I do. I, too, respect the office of the President, but when that person is so disrespectful to others, it is very difficult to justify that behavior.

As a school principal, our staff didn't always agree with our decisions, but the rational way to deal with that was to have open, collaborative discussions to try to resolve our differences of opinion.We may not have come to a win-win, but treating others' ideas with respect is essential to move forward on our vision for the school. Imagine if I ridiculed or put-down our staff for sharing their ideas. There would be a negative ripple effect with staff and students. If the principal treats the staff with disrespect, we would soon see the staff treating the students with disrespect. Then students would be disrespectful to the staff and to their fellow students.

Improving the culture of the workplace is a goal that schools constantly work on. When the adults like each other, they will more likely work together as a team to support the students. A negative school climate is toxic, and teaching and learning will be negatively impacted.

At a school, it starts at the top with the principal and trickles down to the staff and students and the school community. As a principal, if I ever resorted to name-calling or ridiculing someone, there would have been a complaint then an investigation, and I would likely be removed from my position.

As adults, it is up to us to teach our students right from wrong. Studies show that social-emotional learning is essential to developing positive behaviors in students, and that is why schools make time during the day to teach students to advocate for themselves, to treat others respectfully, and to work cooperatively with their peers. And yes, we need to have discussions with students when they question the disrespectful behaviors of their leaders. We need to teach them how to disagree respectfully without resorting to name-calling or ridiculing those with different opinions. It is important for us to honor our students' opinions and to let them know that they can speak up when they disagree with someone's behavior or name-calling, even if that person is the leader of our country.

Are You Bored Yet?

It's been a little over three months since I officially retired after working for 45 years as an educator -- 27 years as a classroom teacher and 18 years as an administrator. A common question I'm asked these days is "Are you bored yet?" to which I respond, "No." "Well, what do you do all day?" is the next question. Hmm . . . let's see, I go to the gym, I take our dog out for walks, I work around the house or I work in the yard. I read or I write. I have appointments. I plan for upcoming events. People look at me a bit strangely as if they're thinking to themselves, "That sounds so boring!"

Today marks the end of the first quarter for public schools in Hawaii. If I were sitting around the house with nothing to do, I would definitely be feeling it now. I loved my job right up until the day I retired. I loved the people I worked with; I loved the students; I loved the challenges; and I really loved making a difference in people's lives. But once I retired and turned the responsibility of leading the school to the new principal, I chose not to look back with regret. 

I made a resolution of sorts that every weekday, I would do at least one chore so that on the weekend, I can relax. So every day, I do something like vacuuming, weeding, doing laundry, going through cabinets or drawers and purging or organizing, washing the car, cleaning windows, or working in the yard. I figure that after a few months, I should be caught up and after that, it should be easier to maintain.

After completing my task-of-the-day, I am free to do whatever I want until Randy comes home from work. Sometimes I binge-read. I've read so many great books since I retired! Other times I go shopping although I don't really need much of anything now that I'm not working. I might pick up my Mom and take her somewhere; she is almost 91 years old and lives by herself so I know she enjoys the company. I realize that for once in my life, what I do is my choice and not dictated by by schedule as a student or a wife or a parent or a teacher or a principal.

There may be educational opportunities for me in the future. I will think carefully before making a decision. As a lifelong educator in Hawaii, I believe I still have something to offer. For now, though, this retirement has been exactly what I needed.

Back to Blogging

Since my retirement, I was having a difficult time blogging. I promised myself I would continue to write. I’ve had some ideas for topics and I actually got started, but I was not inspired to continue and deleted them. Today, I read George Couros’ blog, “3 Ways Blogging Has Helped Me Grow as a Learner,”and I knew that I needed to get going again because blogging has been a way for me to reflect and to continue my learning.

Like George, I started blogging to experience what it would be like for our students. ("What Was I Thinking?") At the time, our students were being asked to do more persuasive types of writing as part of the Common Core State Standards. It was hard to keep going. I tried to blog regularly, but a set schedule didn't work out for me. Since I started six years ago, I've averaged about two per month. Some are better than others, and I am hopeful that readers were able to think about what I had written and apply it to themselves.

Now that I've retired after 45 years as an educator, I find myself continuing to read about teaching, leading, and learning, but I realize that as time passes, I may find new interests and new ideas to advocate for. After all, isn't that what retirement should be - the ending of one journey and the beginning of another?

During the last few months as a retiree, I've been able to binge-read books that I somehow didn't have the chance to read when I was working. I go to the gym and walk my dog regularly, something that is good for both of us since he is also getting older. I continue to purge (this will take a long time; we've lived in this house for 36+ years) and I've been able to get my hands dirty as I work on weeding and trying to be a gardener (this is definitely a work-in-progress as I have not been successful yet). It has been so relaxing!

Retirement came at the right time for me. I had prepared for it mentally and emotionally. I loved being the principal of Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School, and I still miss the people and the challenges, but it was time. I don't regret my decision at all, and I know the school continues to move forward in a positive direction under their new leadership team.

Those who read this blog know that we lost our second son recently ("Aloha, Jarand"). His passing made me realize that life is fleeting; we never know when it is our time. In the beginning, it was difficult for me to talk with people about how Jarand passed, but now, I see if as a responsibility to let others know how Chronic Kidney Disease can be prevented through early screening. This was not something I planned on doing in my retirement, but as a life-long learner and an educator, I believe this is something I need to do.

So as I write this blog post, my first in over a month, I realize that I do have something to write about. It may no longer be exclusively about education, but hopefully, writing will provide me with the venue to reflect and to continue to learn in the process. Thank you, George Couros, for getting me back to blogging!

"Why?" Questions for Education

As I reflected on discussions about education at the national and state level and my experiences as an educator for 45 years, I want to pose these why? questions for education. I don't have the answers, but I believe that these are questions we might explore if we want to make the kinds of changes that are necessary to prepare our children to inherit a world where they can make a difference. Here are some of my why? questions:

• Why are schools so "traditional" and why is it so hard to change?
• Why aren't we looking at different ways to fund the building and/or upgrading our schools to the 21st century?
• Why can't developers be responsible to build schools for the areas they are developing?
• Why do we need standardized report cards to tell us how a student is doing in school? What do grades really tell us about a student? 
• Why do we need standardized tests? What do these tests really tell us that we didn't already know about a student?
• Why do we have grade level standards? What would be a better way of collecting evidences of student progress - where they started and where they are now - as opposed to where we say they need to be by the end of a grade level?
• If we value innovation and diversity, why are we so intent on standardizing education?
• Why do we keep talking about school reform? When will we stop talking and do something amazing that will keep our teachers excited about teaching and our kids excited about learning?
• Why aren't educators valued in the United States as they are in other countries?

And my most important why? question is:  If we say that the 'children are our future,' why aren't we willing to invest in that future?

What questions would you add to the discussion? 

Hooray for Twitter!

As a recently retired principal, I have time on my hands. It’s wonderful to be able to relax and not be beholden to schedules and the responsibilities of the position.

Teaching staff returned to work in Hawaii this past week. It was great to see the enthusiasm as evidenced by the Twitter posts. Around ten years ago, I started a Twitter account for school, primarily to keep parents informed about upcoming events or activities. Then I read a blog somewhere that Twitter can be an effective professional development tool. Hmm . . . I decided that there was more to this social media site than I previously thought. I started paying more attention to who I followed and what they were sharing. I also did my best to share how Twitter was helping me as a principal, but getting others on-board was a challenge.

Last year, I wrote a blog, "Connecting with Our School Communities," encouraging principals to use social media to communicate about happenings at their school. I suggested using Twitter as a starting point. Twitter is not only a way to share the great things happening at our schools; it's also a wonderful way to learn about the latest educational research, to read about other schools, not just in our state but nationally and internationally, and to make connections that can enhance how we teach and learn.

As the year progressed, I noticed more and more educators and school leaders in Hawaii being active contributors on Twitter. When the school year started this past week, there were so many photos and tweets about how the first days of school were structured to engage and empower teachers so they, in turn, can use these strategies with their students. I saw schools using problem-solving processes, going on field trips to sites in their community, learning about SEL programs,and sharing information through collaborative group work. I saw tweets about partnerships with the community and engaging parents through different types of activities. The beauty of Twitter is that it then allows schools to contact each other especially if they are experiencing the same kinds of challenges, and through the many and diverse edchats,, an educator can participate and learn from other like-minded participants. Twitter provides an opportunity for individualized professional development.

It is my hope that all educators will begin to see the value in Twitter, not just as a tool for communication, but also as an opportunity to share and learn from each other. I would also encourage these schools to explore how their students can use Twitter to enhance their educational experiences. If you haven't tried Twitter yet, create an account and see how it might work for you.