“Gifts without End”

 Yesterday, my husband Randy and I attended a National Kidney Foundation of Hawai`i volunteer event at the Downtown Art Center, a “hidden gem” which opened three years ago in a City-owned building in Chinatown. As I strolled through the gallery, I was intrigued by a particular display.

There were five quilts panels made up of unique 7 inch squares, art pieces which were a tribute to a loved one who was an organ donor. Next to the artwork was a short description of the donor. I thought of our son, Jarand, whose corneas were harvested to give sight to two people. He passed away five years ago in Nevada from Chronic Kidney Disease, and I wrote about an event we attended for families of organ donors.  (Please Consider Being a Organ Donor.) 

Yesterday, I learned that the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai`i was key in the formation and continued support of the Hawaii Donor Family Council and the Family Bereavement Support Group. NKFH doesn’t just focus on kidney health; they are involved in all aspects of helping us improve our quality of life through education and free health clinics. Please contact them at https://kidneyhi.org/ if you would like more information. 

We were gifted two books at last night’s event.

As I sit here reading the personal remembrances and gaze at the photos of those who contributed to these books, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for those who, in their time of great grief, nevertheless gifted life or the gift of a better quality of life for someone else. They truly give “gifts without end.”

Blog Studies - A New Model for Professional Learning

 Sometimes, things happen serendipitously; we don't necessarily plan for it, but we try something new, and we find out that it works! 

Last year, Josh Reppun (host of the What School Could Be podcast) and Mel Ching (Director of Community & Engagement at What School Could Be) invited me to be part of their playground at the Schools of the Future Conference. I would be hosting the Fantastical Imaginarium Goodnight Moon Book Study.  I had no idea what to expect, but I had fun during those two days, talking about books with conference attendees who came by to my station. We discussed favorite children’s books and talked about the book I had written, “Educating with Aloha.” Reading has always been something I enjoy, and it was nostalgic to talk about books we love to share with our students, our children, grandchildren, and friends.

Earlier this year, Josh and Mel had an idea. How about doing a blog study?  We hashed out the idea, and after some discussion, we had our format. Sessions were held over Zoom in the What School Could Be community. After we introduced ourselves, the writer read his/her blog aloud while the rest of us listened. After that, we had a conversation, asked questions, shared ideas, and in the process, we lifted each other up. The sessions went by quickly, and before we knew it, 45 minutes had passed.

This is professional learning for the writer as well as for all of us in the session, whether we were actively engaged or quietly reflecting. For the writers, it was an opportunity to receive feedback, to answer questions, and to hear from others about the impact of their writing.  As bloggers, we rarely receive comments or questions unless it is a controversial topic or it is published in a venue with a wider audience; so getting feedback was invaluable. For the listener, it was an opportunity to reflect on what they heard, to ask questions, to add to the conversation, and to come away with ideas they could implement in their own classrooms.

Every session was wonderful, and even though some writers may have felt a little nervous at the beginning, I think they all were  more confident at the end of their session. When we open ourselves up to new experiences, we grow, and that is essential for educators. How can we tell students to step out of their comfort zone if we don’t do it ourselves? 

The beauty of a blog study as a model for professional learning is its simplicity. There is no homework, and participants just need to come to the session with an open mind and an open heart, willing to listen and to share their thoughts or their questions. It is a win-win for everyone. 

Today’s session was our last for this academic year, but we hope to continue next year. Our tentative plan is to open it up to include writers from anywhere, not just Hawai`i. We will continue to use the What School Could Be community to host these sessions so if you’re not yet a member, please consider joining.

I am grateful to the following educator writers who opened themselves up to this new experience. I’ve included links to the blog or article they shared. Perhaps you can use their writings as a way for you to reflect and grow professionally.  I am sure they would love feedback from you 😊

Lory Peroff: Honest Reflection: A Necessary First Step in Doing No Harm

Jonathan Medeiros It’s Time to Think Beyond the Curriculum

Derek Minakami: Empty Spaces of Aloha: A Love Letter to Teachers

Eric Stinton: Kids are Struggling to Cope. We Need to Help Them

Erin Medeiros: COVID, Communities, and Connections

Whitney Aragaki: To Create Safer Spaces for Our Students, Teachers of Color Must Reckon with Our Settler Identity

Michael Ida: Supporting Students with Hidden Disabilities

Kevin Agtarap: Labels are for Jelly Jars: An SEL Reflection

 Corey Obungen: How do learners become more resilient, have enough grit or increase mental toughness?

Solutionaries

This morning, I watched an interview with Sterling Higa, Sterling is the Executive Director of Housing Hawai`i's Future, a movement started by young people who are and will continue to be impacted by the lack of housing options here in our state. We are seeing an exodus of young people from Hawai`i, people like our oldest son who moved with his family to Las Vegas 13 years ago because a home was affordable there.

“Young people have been at the forefront of the movement for social justice. They’ve been at the forefront of the environmental movement. And now, it’s their time to be in the lead of the movement for affordable housing and workforce housing.”  

Sterling Higa

I like the idea that young people who are most impacted are the ones who are leading this effort. Earlier in the week, I listened to a  What School Could Be podcast with Julia Fliss where I heard the word "solutionary" for the first time. I then watched a YouTube video with Zoe Weil, and I strongly believe that this is what schools should be doing - creating solutionaries. So what is a solutionary? According to the Institute for Humane Education, a solutionary is a person who identifies inhumane, unsustainable, and unjust systems and then develops solutions that are healthy and equitable for people, animals, and the environment. 

In many classrooms today, a student's day may include language arts, math, science, social studies, and other subjects all taught in isolation. Teachers have grade level or course standards which define what students are expected to learn, know, and be able to do. Students are given assignments, receive grades, and take high-stakes tests, and schools are judged by students' performance on that test.  It is a flawed system that doesn't include the potential for students to show that what they learned has importance in their lives. School is often about compliance, about following rules, listening to the teacher, doing the assignments, and getting good grades. That is not what drives many of our students, and they never reach their full potential in our "Industrial Age factory model" schools. 

Imagine a school system where students learn by working with others, by being introduced to big ideas, problems, and questions that impact them now and in the future, where they come up with solutions to the problems, and where students are learning about things that matter to them. This happens every day in some schools across our state, our nation, and our world, where students are excited to come to school because they are doing meaningful work. 

Project-Based Learning as a Model

When our elementary students participated in project-based learning, they were visibly invested in their learning. (Back in 2018, I wrote this blog post about our PBL journey.). Through PBL, students generated questions about a topic or a driving question. Their questions and what they learned led to more questions and deeper learning. For example, when first graders were learning about ocean animals and how they adapt to their environment, they learned that trash in the oceans impacted these animals. This was not part of their grade level standards but they were so concerned about the negative impact of trash on ocean animals. These first graders were serious about finding a solution; they decided to create machines to clean the ocean of all the trash. They worked in groups, drew pictures of their ideas, revised their drawings after discussions, then created prototypes using recycled materials of what an ocean trash-cleaning machine would include and how it would work. During our PBL Showcase, these first graders seriously explained how every part of their machines worked. In the process, students became stewards of our planet; They were solutionaries, thinking about how they could help to rid the ocean of trash which impacts not just sea animals but ultimately, all of us. 

A first grader at our PBL Showcase where he shared confidently with viisitors about his group's trash-cleaning machine. 

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This kind of learning was taking place in all the grade levels as students explored issues that impacted them, discovered new information, then created and shared products or projects with an authentic audience. The students and their questions were what was driving the curriculum. It was amazing to listen to these young people and to see their new-found passion when they shared their projects and ideas. And our parents? They loved it! So many of them wrote in their evaluation that all schools should be teaching this way. Our kids will remember this kind of learning. They won't solve our major problems at their age, but they will be building on this experience each year. They will learn to seek out experts who can guide them in their knowledge about the problem, and they will gain confidence to speak up and make a difference. 

The pandemic changed our world and it should have changed education. This was our opportunity to realize that the old way of doing school was flawed. We need to engage our students in meaningful work, and it may mean students from different grade levels working together on a problem they have identified, Our students should realize that they truly can make a difference in our world. We need them to have the skills to be change-agents whether it's a problem or challenge at home, at school, in their community or their state or the country or the world. When our young people start to look at issues through the lens as a change-maker or a problem-solver or a solutionary, they start to see the world around them differently. 

The problems in our communities and in our world did not happen overnight. They didn't pop up during the pandemic. They've been around for awhile, and we adults have had our chance to resolve these problems. Let's teach our students to be solutionaries from the time they are in elementary school. As Zoe Weil shares in her TED Talk, "We need a bigger vision for the purpose of schooling. And I believe it should be this: that we provide every student with the knowledge, the tools, and the motivation to be conscientious choice-makers and engaged change-makers for a restored and healthy and humane world for all." 

So let's get back to the housing crisis in Hawai`i. Maybe those at Housing Hawai`i's Future can work with students in our schools to bring awareness of the problem, to teach students to research questions they may have, to connect them to people in the industry, legislators, planners, and others, and  then see what ideas they come up with. The housing problem is real for young adults in Hawai`i today, but if we can resolve it now by involving students in our schools, then perhaps we can keep more of our young people from moving to other states where housing is more affordable.

I have always believed that as a society, we have a responsibility to leave this world a better place for future generations. If we want Hawai`i to be a place where our children and their children can continue to live, we need to do a better job than we have done in the past and the present. Let's teach them to be solutionaries, 

A Worthy Cause

Last March, I wrote a blog titled, "My New Purpose." which I'm reprinting and adding to this blog. This year marks five years since our son Jarand passed away from Chronic Kidney Disease. Just today when my husband Randy and I were taking a walk, a neighbor shared that he had seen me on Hawaii News Now in a promotional for the Kidney Walk. Randy's sister flew in from Los Angeles to join us for the event after listening to this Rick Hamada podcast with Randy and Glen Hayashida, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai`i. The Hawai`i Teacher Fellows were meeting that day and were unable to attend the Walk, but they took up a collection and made a donation to Team Jarand. I was touched. 

The Hawai`i State Teacher Fellows are teacher leaders who represent the different complex areas.

The Kidney Walk is an opportunity to support the NKFH and to learn more about our kidneys and Chronic Kidney Disease. All along the walk, there are signs that share information about our kidneys; I learned a lot of facts by reading these signs. Since Jarand was diagnosed with CKD in January 2018, I have learned much about kidneys and their importance, continuously filtering 45 gallons of blood each day.. I am grateful that Hawai`i was the first state to implement the GFR (Glomecular Filtration Rate) which is a test to measure your kidney function. If you regularly take a blood test - I take one every 4-6 months - your doctor can let you know if he/she has concerns with your kidney function. 

A few of the informational signs along the Kidney Walk

I am grateful for all the volunteers who helped to make this Kidney Walk a successful event. Organizations like the Kidney Foundation of Hawaii are constantly seeking funds to continue their work. I am grateful to all the volunteers, the sponsors, and the walkers who made this event a success.

Randy and his sister with Sidney the Kidney; she came from California to join us for the Walk.

My sister, nephew, and his daughter with Sidney the Kidney

So grateful for family and friends who came out to support Team Jarand! Come join us next year!

I wrote this blog post in March 2022 after the first Kidney Walk last year. 

When I was preparing to retire in the summer of 2018 after 45 years as an educator, I wasn't really sure  what I would do with the rest of my life. I knew that I would continue to follow education issues but I did not have any specific plans. Then our world turned upside-down. Our middle son, Jarand, was diagnosed with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease in January and a scant five months later in May 2018, he passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was 38 years old with the whole world ahead of him (Aloha, Jarand) I was devastated. 

It was Jarand's passing that that gave me my purpose, post-retirement. My husband Randy and I made it a point to learn what we could about CKD and to share our message with others, especially with young people like Jarand. When I wrote my first book (Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal's Office), I donated a portion of the proceeds to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai`i for education programs, and when Randy and I spoke with groups to promote my book, we always ended by sharing about Jarand and telling those in attendance that they needed to take care of themselves so they can take care of others. The message resonated, but I felt that it was just for that moment. Without more information, people don't necessarily make changes in their lifestyle that could lead to better health.

This is why Randy and I were honored to be asked to serve on the NKFH Kidney Walk 2022 committee to bring awareness to this disease. It was a first-time event, and the goal was to raise funds for programs to educate the public and to provide support for those who were struggling with kidney disease. We sent out letters to friends and family and invited them to contribute and to participate in the Kidney Walk. We were able share Jarand's story via a video produced by a good friend, Marvin Buenconsejo, and we continue to tell people about Chronic Kidney Disease. 

The NKFH Kidney Walk took place yesterday, and it was a great success. The number of participants as well as the amount collected for NKFH exceeded expectations. I was pleased to see so many people of all ages walking the 1.7 mile route and visiting the booths to learn more about taking care of their health. I saw several groups with shirts that were made for the Walk, and I talked to a young mom and asked her who she was walking for. She said she was the one with CKD Stage 5 and that she was undergoing dialysis. She recognized me from the video and thanked me for sharing the message about CKD. I wished her the best; she has two young children and my hope is that more people like her can live full lives despite their CKD.  

Randy and I with my cousins on the walk standing by Jarand's sign.

Whenever I see this photo, I get a little lump in my throat. This is how I will always remember our son with a big smile on his face.

I know that much more needs to be done, and Randy and I will continue to share the message about Jarand and Chronic Kidney Disease.  I feel that every time we share Jarand's story, we have the opportunity to make a difference for other families. That is why I continue to support the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai`i. I believe that Jarand lives on if others hear his story and decide to take better care of their health. That is my hope.

If you'd like more information, visit the National Kidney Foundation website at kidney.org or check out the articles below.

Chronic Kidney Disease Takes Heavy Toll in Hawaii

Kidney Disease: The Basics

Race, Ethnicity, and Kidney Disease

America's Health Rankings - Chronic Kidney Disease

Joyful Learning through Play

When we were growing up, we would go out and play. We didn’t always have a plan. Sometimes we’d go to the park or to a friend’s house. We would go hiking down the gulch to pick guava or lilikoi, and other times, we’d join with friends to play games like Sky Inning or jacks. My Dad made the best kites with bamboo and newspaper, and we’d go fly kites at the park near our home. What great memories!

Our three sons had opportunities to explore and play albeit in a less natural environment. They went out to play with friends and neighbors, coming home to get a drink or to eat lunch then going out again. I didn't realize at the time that they were doing things which would have made me anxious. "That's why we didn't tell you," my son told me recently. There were gulches to hike down, open areas to explore, and hills to ride down on their bikes or scooters. In fact, one day, they brought this rock home; they thought it might be valuable. We never did find out what it was, but we kept it, just in case it had historical or cultural value. 

As an early childhood education major in college, I learned about Frederich Froebel who is widely regarded as the creator of kindergarten, "the children's kindergarten," Jean Piaget and his Stages of Play and Maria Montessori who said, "Play is the work of the child." I believed in play as essential for student growth. I embraced that idea as a preschool teacher and as a mom of three boys. Play was an integral part of our day, and observing how students interacted with the materials provided valuable data about the strengths, interests, and challenges of each student. When I taught first and second graders, it wasn't as easy to integrate playtime into our schedule but we managed to do so. The students loved that they could explore different activities whenever they completed their work or when we had free time. Being able to "play" was a motivator, and it taught students valuable skills such as working together, finding joy in creating something, taking turns, and communicating with their classmates to resolve a problem.

Whenever I read about Finnish schools or view videos like this or hear Emma Reppun share her experiences as a teacher in this What School Could Be podcast, I wish we could reimagine education to be less standardized and less structured. I believe that once we determined educational standards for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level, and when states, districts, schools and teachers were rated based on student test scores, we took the joy out of school for many students. Physical education, art, music, story time, and even recess were eliminated at some schools to ensure that all the standards were covered even though for many students and teachers, these were what motivated them to come to school.

I was looking back at my old blog posts for the one I wrote when our staff and our students were researching about recess..We used project-based learning strategies and called it “Recess for Learning”  I smiled when I recalled how invested our students were in imagining what recess could look like. (Read the blog here.)  I wish I could say we made major changes to recess that made a difference for our students, but after a trial period, our teachers shared concerns that we needed to address. I realized that it is difficult to change one's mindset about recess, and teachers were mainly concerned about safety. That, after all, is what we always preached: safety first. 

After visiting other schools, I realize that we were fortunate. Our school had three large open areas for recess. Students could play games, climb on the playground equipment, jump rope, play with hula hoops,  draw with chalk on sidewalks, dig in the dirt to look for insects, play musical instruments, or just sit on the colorful benches and talk story. As a staff, we agreed that recess should not be a punishment; that was a major concession for our teachers. As the principal, I tried to be out on the playground at recess, and it was an opportunity to see students in a different setting from the classroom. Some of our most challenging students were physically gifted, and that information was valuable as we moved forward to address the concerns. 

Children today need more opportunities for joyful play. I remember watching our grandsons at a park playing on the equipment. Kids who didn’t even know each other played together and took turns. The educator in me was a little concerned about safety, but the kids were all having fun, several of the kids took turns pushing even though there were no adults around to tell them what to do. It brought a huge smile to my face!

At this time when schools are addressing “learning loss” due to the pandemic, it is my hope that joyful play will not be eliminated. Our kids need to play!

The Heart of a School

On Friday, February 17, 2023, I will be sharing this blog with the educational assistants on O`ahu. This is their first DOE EA Institute since the pandemic, and I was honored to be asked to share with them. As I prepared for this opportunity, I realized that the value of this presentation is in the discussion and conversations it would hopefully elicit from the EAs.

The heart of a school is its students, and if we focus on what’s best for them, we are doing our job as educators and preparing our young people for their future. 

Just as “it takes a village to raise a child,” it takes a team to ensure that our students are  successful in school, not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. Educational assistants are part of that team and are essential in our schools. DOE works because you do.

Educational assistants positively impact, not just students, but  teachers, parents, administrators, other staff, and the school community. There are so many things that EAs do that we sometimes take for granted. I think back on my experiences as a teacher and a principal, and EAs were important in  my own growth as an educator and a leader.  

As a brand new teacher with the Head Start program in 1973, I quickly realized that having another person in the classroom made sense. My EA and I had a relationship built on trust; we bounced ideas off of each other, shared observations about our students, reflected at the end of the day, and planned together for the following day or week. Our students’ success was a reflection of our teamwork. Those EAs I worked with were paraprofessionals; they didn’t have college degrees, but they had life experiences which I appreciated, and we learned from each other. To this day, I realize how fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to partner with these EAs.

Educational assistants are essential in their support for their school. Our EAs arrived at 7:00 and were out in the halls or the cafeteria, greeting students and making sure they could start the day on a positive note. They greeted the buses and escorted students to their waiting areas. They opened car doors in the drive-through lane; they knew which students might need a positive affirmation before sending them off to their classrooms when the bell rang. After school, our EAs escorted students to the buses, were out in the hallways to monitor students, and assisted teachers and office staff. Their assistance was indispensable.

Even the most efficient teacher can’t see everything or work with every single student who may be struggling in a classroom. An EA can be that extra pair of eyes and ears, and they can redirect a student or provide an intervention or answer a question without disrupting the lesson for the rest of the class  Teachers have so many things to do to prepare, and educational assistants can be a great help in getting materials ready for the day’s lessons or to pitch in when the teacher needs something done in a hurry or when an unexpected crisis occurs. EAs can be very useful in taking data used to create goals and objectives for students with Individualized Education Programs. That data is important in determining how a student is progressing on their IEP. 

Additionally, students or parents may feel more comfortable sharing personal information with EAs. When there is a crisis in the family, the EA may be the first one at the school to be notified especially if they live in the community where they work, and services or supports can then be provided to the student and his/her family. 

Schools and districts across the country suffered during the pandemic as educators struggled with new responsibilities to ensure that learning continued in a safe environment. I was retired by then, but I spoke with several principals including Ernest Muh, Principal at Helemano Elementary School. When he heard that I would be addressing you today, he asked me to recognize you EAs  for what you did during the pandemic, You took on many additional responsibilities at the school including passing out lunches to families, cleaning and sanitizing classroom supplies and furniture, and doing other unexpected tasks that arose, all while continuing to focus on students and their academic, social, and emotional needs.  

Your Union has provided a wonderful opportunity today for you to learn with other EAs. I thank you all for participating, and I hope you agree that this EA Institute is something that should be held yearly. As EAs, your professional learning is important because the expectations of your job will continue to change in a world that is constantly changing. I was appreciative when the EAs at our school asked if they could receive professional learning and if they could have time to discuss issues that impacted them. They chose the topics and we arranged for someone from our staff or the District to provide that learning opportunity for them. If you don’t already have similar opportunities to learn and grow at your school, perhaps you can engage your fellow EAs to request something similar from your administration.

Finally, have you thought about going to college to get a teaching degree? What’s holding you back? You already know how much you enjoy working with kids in a school. Teachers continue to leave the profession, and we need people to replace them, people who have the heart for working with kids. It won’t be easy, but if you aspire to be a teacher, then go for it! Check out the community colleges or other teacher education programs and look for financial aid or scholarships.

One thing I am very proud of is that several of the EAs I worked with at Head Start decided to enroll at Honolulu Community College. They attended classes while working as EAs, passed an exam, completed a portfolio to show their competencies in all the areas of early childhood education, and passed their verification visit. They attained a Child Development Associate credential which made them eligible to be hired as Head Start teachers. They started as parent volunteers, were hired as EAs, and then became teachers. I realize that requirements have changed since then, and  it won’t be easy. But as Roy T. Bennett said, “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” 

I started my presentation by sharing that the heart of a school is its students and that educational assistants are essential in providing the support that students need now and in the future. I’d like to end by sharing a poem with you. It was written in 1995 and was shared by the United Nations Children’s Fund. When I first heard this poem read aloud, I was very much impacted because these are the children we work with in our schools.

 “We Pray for Children” by Ina J. Hughs  

Will It Finally Happen?

 

Back on February 27, 1989, I wrote a letter to then-Lieutenant Governor Cayetano sharing my thoughts about early childhood education. At that time, the Berman Report had recommended universal preschool for all 4 and 5-year-olds in Hawaii along with other proposals to improve our public school system. (Article in EdWeek January 18, 1989) Since then, I have been waiting patiently through several Governors who have tried but failed to come up with a plan and funding.

But today, there is hope. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser published a headline story today titled, State to unveil ambitious preschool plan  Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke is quoted as saying that the proposal is for “universal access to preschool.” There are still many hurdles to overcome - funding, staffing, classroom space, etc. With the initial funding support from the Legislature for the School Facilities Authority to build more preschool classrooms and an Executive Office of Early Learning that is committed to identify areas with the greatest need, I hope that this year, we will finally make progress on our commitment to narrow the opportunity gap and to make universal access to preschool possible for those who have been left out and left behind. I am hopeful. 

I’ve written several blogs about this issue:

Universal Preschool (written January 19, 2013)

My Hopes for Education 2015 (December 26, 2014)

Everyone’s a Critic, But What’s the Real Problem? (February 15, 2015) The link to the op-ed piece “My Two Kids”

Let’s Get Moving on Universal Preschool in Hawaii (March 31, 2019)