“Multiple Choice”

What do you think about when you see the photo above?  Maybe you did well on those standardized multipe choice tests which was also reflected in a positive grade point average and acceptance to a college of your choice.  Or maybe those tests were stressful and didn’t really reflect what you actually knew about the content. And maybe you just didn’t care because you didn't like school and knew that you weren't planning to go to college anyway.

I am not a proponent of high-stakes multiple choice tests. As expressed by Tony Wagner in the film, Multiple Choice, "Students are graduating with the primary skill being how to pass tests so curiosity withers. It's a muscle. It has to be exercised. We have no way of developing our advantages, our human capabilities unless we transform education." What gets tested gets taught, and that is why teachers often focus on reading, math, and science But more often than not, the lessons don't stick. That is why teachers need to spend valuable time reviewing previous lessons before the "important" test. 

Back in January 2015 when the Smarter Balanced Assessments were being rolled out, when students, teachers, and schools would be "rated" based on the results, our staff took part in a practice test for sixth grade math. The adults struggled. Here are some of their comments:

• There were so many factors that affected my performance on this test like reading comprehension, familiarity with the computer, keyboarding skills, etc. that I fail to see how this gives a true measure of a child's content knowledge in math.
• I can see why students are guessing.  It was difficult.
• Moving from one section of the test to the next is not intuitive; the test is text-heavy.  It seems never-ending - too bad they don't show a progress bar in the window.
• I have concerns over a computer-graded test as multiple solutions may not be counted due to the lack of thought on the computer's part.  Students may also lack the perseverance to follow through on some of these questions even if they have the skills necessary to solve.
• I think students may be thrown by the format of the test and all of the buttons.  Students may possibly fixate on the technical aspects rather than the academic purpose.
• Students will be limited in writing quality responses due to their lack of confidence in keyboarding skills.  
• The test needs to be scrutinized further because we want to set student up for moderate success, not doomed failure.

We realized that the test was not a true measure of what we knew. Fortunately, our teachers came to the conclusion that testing was required for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, but we would be careful to not put additional stress on the students. And these tests just measured reading and math. There are no high-stakes tests for students who may be gifted other areas such as art or music.  What about a student who has great interpersonal skills, who has advanced physical motor skills, or who may have creative out-of-the-box ideas but struggles with reading or math or science? A test score does not define a student, and our responsibility as educators is to guide and support all students, not just those  who plan to continue their education, post high-school. We should be exposing them to many different activities so they can discover what they might be interested in or passionate about. School shouldn’t be focused on high stakes tests. 

My husband Randy and I recently attended the Hawai`i premier of the film “Multiple Choice” which was produced by Ted Dintersmith. It is an amazing film with so many thoughts about what education could and should be. Hint: It's not about being good at taking multiple choice tests. The film showcases the Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center located in Winchester County, Virginia. It's a small regional workforce city with students attending from the surrounding rural areas. The school emphasizes real-world skills in their Innovation Academy which includes a Health Sciences Academy, an Advanced Technology Academy, and a Workforce Academy in addition to college readiness classes, All students are encouraged to take a course in the Innovation Center where they gain skills and possible certification that can lead to jobs right out of high school. The film shared the stories and voices of several young students including a young lady who has aspirations of becoming an attorney. She shared that her experience taking welding and carpentry courses at the Innovation Center were valuable skills that she can use throughout her life. I think all high school students should have opportunities to take non-college prep courses that could help them in adult life. 

Our world is changing rapidly. In December 2013, my op-ed was published in the local newspaper where I shared that schools needed to introduce their students to coding. The prediction was that we would face a severe shortage of coders by the year 2020. Well, it's now 2026, and recent college graduates who studied coding are having difficulty finding jobs and there is a high probability that other professions could be replaced by AI. (Article here.) And those who attend a four-year college often graduate with a huge student loan debt which impacts their personal lives.

But do you know what kinds of jobs are in demand? Carpenters, welders, electricians, and other trade jobs. There is a huge demand for these jobs in our country. Workers are aging, infrastructure needs to be upgraded, new housing projects are being developed. This is a great time for students to explore options in the trade industry. Often, there are on-the-job training or apprenticeship programs available so those who opt to enter the trades could begin earning a salary right away. 

My husband and I reflected about “Multiple Choice” as we were driving home. “That was good,” Randy said. “I’m glad we came.” And then he added, “How can we get more people to see the film?” Randy is not an educator. He is an attorney and former legislator so his positive comments were validation that the film has the potential to make a difference in our educational systems.

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum, the District Superintendent responsible for the Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center says it best, “The purpose for school is not to be good in school. The purpose for school is to prepare students for life.” Let’s stop focusing on multiple choice test scores and instead focus on engaging our students so they can be the passionate leaders we need to address the challenges we are facing now and in the future.

Will you join us?

Note: I’m sharing this blog by Dr. Mark Hines; he clearly articulates his thoughts and wonderings after viewing the film. I think these 10 points are worth discussing. Mahalo, Mark!

Teaching Math Differently

 A recent article in our local paper stated “Math at center of Hawaii’s education priorities for 2026 session.” While I agree that math education needs to change, I don't agree that the way to do it is to hire math coaches for every complex area. If math were a priority, schools and complex areas would have already created those positions with their present funding.. I also don't agree that we should be using test scores as a way to measure student performance in math when the tests themselves - using multiple choice questions - are, in my opinion, flawed. 

I do, however, agree that math education needs to be improved in our state and in our country. Check this ChatGPT comparison of how math is taught in the United States as opposed to high-performing PISA countries like Finland, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. ChatGPT  further details math instruction and testing in our country which validates my own experiences as a teacher, a school administrator, and a university student teacher evaluator. 

As an educator and a blogger, I wrote several blogs about math. There is no overnight fix; it will take years to change perceptions about math and math instruction from educators and the general public. Adding a math coach to every complex area is not the answer. Instead, we should be having discussions about what it means to be literate in math and how we measure student competency. 

I am sharing a blog which I wrote in January 2024 because I believe it is applicable to this discussion. I would love to hear your thoughts. 

"I'm Not a Math Person"

I hear it from adults. "I'm not a math person" or "I don't like math" or more likely, "I hated math when I was in school." That concerns me, especially when these adults say it in front of  children. What message are they sending when they say that? 

When I was in school, math was a subject I enjoyed. Memorizing procedures came easily to me, and I got good grades as a result. But I realized years later that I remembered very little of what I had learned in high school, and today, I would struggle to do even the most basic algebra, geometry, or trigonometry problems without assistance. So did I really "learn" that math? I don't think so.

As an early childhood teacher, our students learned math through hands-on exploration activities - counting objects, matching pictures, making patterns, and learning about number concepts like more and less, one-to-one correspondence, and ordering objects by size. At that age, math was fun.

When I began teaching second graders, I admit that I followed the grade level curriculum and students completed assigned work in their workbooks. Those who were finished early were able to "play" in the math center which had a variety of games and activities, and I provided extra assistance to the struggling students. My teaching changed dramatically after I had the opportunity to attend a series of sessions throughout the year on math problem-solving. We met with same-grade teachers from other schools, created a common assessment task, examined student work, and had deep discussions about what we observed about student understanding. We learned with and from each other, and I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with teachers from other schools. More importantly, I no longer viewed math as a series of problems to be answered in a workbook; I saw it as an opportunity to talk about numbers and to have discussions with students to understand their thinking. 

I transferred to another school, and the expectation from administration was that teachers would collaborate, create common assessments and rubrics, and share our student work. Math was integrated into our interdisciplinary units, and I found many opportunities to extend and expand students' mathematical thinking. It was an exciting time for me, as a teacher, to have a principal and colleagues who understood the value of going beyond the surface level, and math was an important part of our school day. 

When I became a principal, I observed that students were primarily using grade level math textbooks and workbooks.  One of my goals was to help our teachers to transition to a different way of teaching math. We had two wonderful instructional coaches who worked with grade level teams to make their lessons more relevant and engaging and to listen to students to check for understanding. It was evident through our observations and conversations that many of our teachers were challenged with using concrete objects to solve math problems so we learned about the Concrete Representational Abstract Approach  Teachers had the opportunity to explore different manipulatives to discover and discuss how to use them with their students for deeper understanding. We had other professional learning opportunities focused on math such as  Lesson Study, Math Misconceptions, and Math Problem-Solving. It was challenging; teachers struggled to have conversations about math with their students. They were so used to following the textbook and looking for correct answers, but to their credit, they realized the importance of changing how they had always taught math. In fact, many teachers chose to have me observe a math lesson for their required educator evaluation, and we had rich discussions during our post-observation discussion. That, to me, was validation that we were on the right track. Schools are often so focused on "covering" the curriculum and raising test scores; our teachers were having conversations about math. I knew this was not the norm, and even in my retirement, I continued to explore how we could change math instruction in our schools, which is like a staircase, going in one direction, one step at a time. Learn a concept, do some practice worksheets, take an assessment, move on to the next chapter. Math instruction needs to change.

I recently listened to a podcast "Why a New Teaching Approach is Going Viral on Social Media." The introduction states, "When a professor's research showed that standard methods of teaching problem-solving weren't working, he set out to figure out what led to more student thinking." What was this new teaching approach? I was intrigued and listened to the podcast, and it was an 'aha!' moment for me. How do we get students to do the thinking where math is concerned? The word that shouted to me in the podcast was "mimic.". Instead of having students work in teams to grapple with a problem, we adults teach them how to solve it, and students follow the example to work on similar problems. They aren't thinking; they are mimicking the process. 

That is a problem. No wonder we don't see the beauty in mathematics. No wonder kids hate the monotony of math class. Rather than thinking and being challenged, our students are just mimicking. Often, teachers spend valuable time reviewing math concepts after a break or before high-stakes tests. If students forget what they learned, have they really learned it? 

Students need to be exposed to real-world math experiences with opportunities to struggle, to think, to ask questions, to research, and to problem-solve. This article, Understanding the World through Math shares how important it is for students to explore math in a real-world context. Our high school grandsons take advanced math, but our math conversations focus on NFTs, baseball cards, and more recently, Fantasy Football. They patiently and confidently explain about their investments and are learning about buying and selling. They make mistakes, but they are thinking and learning in the process. They are learning to look at statistics to determine if they should switch out a member of their team. As this year is an election year, we will have discussions about the presidential race, looking at polls in different parts of the country and discussing how candidates decide where to focus their campaigns to get the 270 Electoral College votes to be elected. Politics is an important topic of conversation in our family, and there is so much math involved. 

So back to my opening statement about adults who say, "I'm not a math person" or "I don't like math" or "I hated math when I was in school." I am positive that math plays an important role in their everyday lives. It might not be analytical geometry or calculus or trigonometry, but they are adjusting recipes for their families, looking for the best deals at the supermarket, determining how many buckets they'll need to paint the exterior of their home, tracking their daily exercise, deciding where to go for a loan to pay their child's college tuition; the list is endless! 

I've posted this poster before in my previous blogs, but I am reposting it because I think it most accurately depicts what math education looks like in many schools and districts and what it can and should look like. 

I am hopeful that maybe enough teachers will change the way students learn math to be less mimicking and more thinking.. Our students deserve it. 

The following are a few of the blogs I wrote about math education:

Textbooks or Professional Development?

Opportunity to Model Math Problem-Solving

Math Literacy

Thoughts about Math Fluency and Homework

I Wish I'd Learned Math This Way

Playing with Math

Playing with Math - Part II

A New Generation of Learners

Christmas Memories

 It's Christmas morning. I remember growing up in our modest home with my siblings, excited and anxious for the day to arrive when we could open our presents. The evergreen scent was strong, and our tree was trimmed with colored light bulbs (they really were bulbs), silver icicles which we painstakingly separated and hung with care on the branches, and fragile round ornaments which shattered in our hand if we didn't handle them carefully. I honestly don't remember asking Santa for any special gifts, and we were happy with what we received. As an adult looking back on my childhood, I know that my parents must have saved frugally throughout the year in order to provide us five kids with gifts. Back then, Christmas was a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and a time for our family to enjoy the special holiday together. 

When I became a wife and a mom, Christmas took on a new meaning. Now we were setting new traditions as a family. Like many young middle-class families, we were struggling a bit but wanted to make this day special for our sons. So we made our home festive, sang Christmas carols, read stories about the meaning of this special day, and had them select gifts for each other. (Read about this special gift from Jarand to Justin here.)  Of our three sons, Jordan was the only one who believed in Santa. He rarely cried as a youngster, but the day when he realized that Santa wasn’t a real person, he was inconsolable. 

I’m glad we took these photos of our first Christmases:

Our first Christmas as husband and wife in 1977. Randy and I were renting a 2-bedroom condo in Pearlridge and had a small tree that fit in our small living room. I handcrafted several of the ornaments; I still have them today.

I was pregnant with Justin; he was supposed to be born in early January but surprised us on December 28.

Justin’s first Christmas in 1978. We were still living in the condo. 

Jarand’s second Christmas in 1980. By then, we were living in our first home in Mililani.

Jordan’s 2nd Christmas; he was 18 months old. This is our present home. Notice that the tree is much more festive. 

When the boys were growing up and Randy was in politics, we started a tradition of having one of our sons design our annual Christmas card. In those days, we sent out hundreds of cards so it was a family affair with everyone chipping in to put the cards into envelopes, putting on a stamp (no self-stick back then) and mailing label, and getting them mailed out in time. (Read about our card designs here.) Today, that is probably my favorite family Christmas memory.

The boys grew up, and before we knew it, Randy and I were empty-nesters. Justin has a family of his own, and eventually moved to the mainland. When our grandsons were little, we mailed them gifts, but as they grew older, we realized that taking them to get something they wanted was a better idea. When we visit them during Thanksgiving weekend, we go to the mall and they pick out what they want. The practical side of me appreciates that I don’t have to make the decision of what to buy for these young men. 

Today, we don’t get a tree. We usually get a wreath for its pine scent and I take out my Christmas music boxes and put out a few other decorations. I’ve given away some of the ornaments - I kept the personalized ones -  and the Christmas tree lights. And yesterday, as I was filled with nostalgia,  I realized that there was another activity that used to mark the start of the holiday season in our family - baking cookies. Selecting the recipes, buying the ingredients, preparing everything, assigning different tasks to each son, singing along to Christmas music, the wonderful smell that filled the air - what a wonderful memory! So yesterday, I baked cookies for the first time in many years, 

We will be celebrating today with family and friends at my sister’s home. We are now the older generation, keeping up traditions that our parents started, gathering together and enjoying each other’s company at this special time of the year. We'll probably play some trivia games, maybe sing some carols, and probably watch some football games since this is the last week of Fantasy Football. Mostly, though, we'll just enjoy each other's company. 

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday!

We are a Nation of Immigrants

“Give me your tired, your poor;

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

(from Emma Lazarus’ sonnet “The New Colossus” inscribed on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty)

Last year, I saw the Statue of Liberty for the very first time. We were on a trip to New York City with our son and teenage grandsons and took a tour to see Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. It was a humbling and inspirational experience. 

A few years ago when I was a principal, I visited a fourth grade classroom where they were in a discussion about immigration as part of their social studies unit, studying the wave of immigration to Hawai’i. At the time, the news was focused on the plight of the Syrian refugees, and the teacher saw this as an opportunity to expand the unit beyond a period of time in Hawaii’s history to what was happening in the world. Students learned about push and pull factors that impacted immigration and agreed on a question that would drive their research and discussions: Will immigration last forever? Why or why not? Those fourth graders learned how immigration to Hawai`i transformed our islands, making us the most multicultural state in our country. They made that connection to the world, agreeing that immigration would indeed last forever due to push and pull factors as well as events that impact people’s lives.

Unless someone is Native American or Native Hawaiian, their ancestors came to our country from somewhere else. Most of us are immigrants or descendents of immigrants. The Pilgrims themselves were immigrants, fleeing religious persecution in England and eventually crossing the Atlantic Ocean to settle in America. There are many other examples. A potato famine in Ireland led to over 1 million Irish immigrants entering our country.  Chinese laborers were recruited to build the transcontinental railroad system. Jews from Eastern Europe and Russia came to America to escape discrimination and violence. Cubans fled to our country after the Cuban Revolution. Recent refugees from Central America and countries like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan sought asylum due to war and instability in their countries. And others came to our country for educational or economic opportunities. 

My ancestors emigrated to Hawai`i from Japan in the 1890's. At the time, Hawai`i was a nation, and Japan was transitioning from feudalism to Westernization. This led to economic instability especially in rural areas. So when King Kalakaua offered contracts to work on the sugar or pineapple plantations in Hawai`i, many men took the offer. It was very challenging with long hours, backbreaking work, poor pay, and terrible working conditions, but our ancestors persevered, believing that Hawai`i would offer more opportunities for their children. Their work ethic was drilled into our generation from a young age. We were constantly reminded that if we studied and worked hard, we would have many more opportunities than what our ancestors had. I owe much to our immigrant ancestors.

My family’s story is not unique. American has been called “The Land of Opportunity” because it offered possibility. From the first immigrants to those who come today, people hope for a brighter future in our country. If we remember why people emigrated to our country - to escape hunger or persecution or a feeling of hopelessness - it is difficult to dismiss those who come to our country today for the same reasons. The question we must address is “Do we meet the challenges of immigration with compassion or with fear?” 

I’ve been reflecting on that fourth grade class and the honest discussions that took place between students and the teacher. And I wonder how many classrooms today are having discussions about important topics like immigration. Our students need to be informed citizens, able to see a challenging topic as an opportunity to engage in research, discussions, and the realization that there can be a difference of opinion, and that our personal experiences can impact one’s viewpoint. Those fourth grade students are now in high school and will be of voting age in a few years. I am hoping that they continue to be informed citizens, to look at issues with a wider lens, and can empathize with those who may be experiencing challenges or who have different viewpoints.

This was at the entry to the ferry tour to the Statue of Liberty. I asked our grandsons “Why would immigrants come to our country and what has been the impact of immigration? 

This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to New York City. 

Our country is unique because of our diversity. We are a nation of immigrants; that is who we are, that is our history. I hope we can agree that the issue of immigration should be met with compassion and not with fear. 

Teaching Students to Think Critically

It's been a challenge for me to blog recently; everything I attempted to write ended up in the trash. I was becoming too negative, and as my husband reminds me, my writing should be more hopeful and related to education. At the same time, my husband and I have had many discussions and agree that our schools have done a poor job to help students understand the complex history of our country.   Teaching American history and civics education does not appear to be a priority at most schools. This then leads to apathy or ignorance which are evident in what we see every day on the news or on social media. Our country's future as a respected world leader is at stake. 

When I wrote "How Do We Teach History to Today's Kids?" I admitted that I never delved deeply into history. I learned from textbooks and  tests that measured my recall of facts. I don't remember ever engaging in discussions where we encouraged to ask questions, study two sides of an issue, and delve deeper to take a position. We just accepted what we read in our textbooks: names, dates, and events.

Recently, I read a reflection by Josh Reppun,  host of the "What School Could Be" podcast. It was titled, "My Most Intense Learning Experience" and Josh shared, " I completely lost track of time, of space, of the wider world and anything in it. Why? Because Edmund S. Morgan took me deep, deep into the heart and soul of America and spared me no niceties or positive outcomes." For Josh, it was a book that opened his eyes to what had happened in our country and the realization "that our American democracy, our system of economics, our culture and our society was built on the backs of slaves who were first brought to America in the early 1600s". For me, it was the mini-series "Roots" which showed me a shockingly frank depiction of slavery that I was unaware of and ignorant about.  In fact, in all of my years as a student, I never learned about our country's cruel mistreatment of Native Americans, or Chinese laborers, or Japanese-American citizens. The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy was never part of our curriculum either. History was whitewashed throughout my educational journey,. Today's students deserve better.

So what's the problem? Why aren't schools engaging students in civil discourse, defined as "deliberating about matters of public concern with others in a way that seeks to expand knowledge and promote understanding." Civil discourse isn't about debate or "winning" an argument. It's about listening to other viewpoints, about accepting that we can agree to disagree, and being respectful in our conversations. Our individual experiences influence our opinions, and hearing from someone with different experiences may help us to see an isue more clearly. As a lifelong educator, I believe our schools need to change. Social studies is often overlooked or taught separately, especially in elementary schools which focus on reading, math, and science, the subjects that are tested and can influence the public's perception of individual schools and school systems. 

But education can make small changes. Instead of learning history through textbooks alone, there are ways to integrate language arts and social studies standards in our curriculum through project-based learning, Socratic dialogue, and classroom discussions. For example, we can integrate literature by reading fiction about specific events or periods to discover insights and provide new perspectives about how history impacted ordinary people's lives. This can lead our students to ask questions that go deeper into that event or time in history. Additionally, there are resources and sites like New American History with a plethora of resources, including primary sources, on almost any social studies topic for any grade level. Because today is Thanksgiving, I checked out some of their articles E-and resources, and there's so much there to digest and ponder.

Next year, 2026, is the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Our country has been admired around the world for its ideas that people have rights and that government exists to serve the people. Our country is a representative democracy with leaders who are elected, not inherited. We are bound by the Rule of Law which means that no one is above the law and that we have rights. We pride ourselves on opportunities, that if one works hard, they can achieve the American Dream. But right now, our country's future as a respected world leader is shaky. 

Our young people will be the ones to change that perception. I am optimistic that with support and guidance, they will make a difference in our country and in the world. Let's give them our support. 

Should We Be Banning Books?

October 5-11, 2025 is Banned Books Week, the one week in a year to bring attention to our right to choose what we want to read and to make the public aware of the kinds of books and the reasons why they have been banned in some schools and libraries around the country.  Presently, our country is in turmoil, so the issue of banning books has perhaps taken a back seat to other more “important” issues that are dividing our country. But I believe that the issue of banned books is not something we can just ignore. 

I have shared my concerns that students are no longer viewing reading as an enjoyable activity (Why Aren't Kids Reading for Pleasure?) It doesn't help that the book bans or censorship could impact the kinds of books that are available especially for marginalized students. I also know our world today is very different from when I grew up with technology available, 24/7,  and many more options in life than we had back then. Our schools could be the place where a love for books and reading could be nurtured, especially in elementary schools. And banning or censoring books is not the answer.

Kids need to see themselves in the books they read. When I started out as a teacher, there were very few books with multicultural characters who may have been dealing with problems that our young people could relate to. But by the time I retired, there were lots of choices -  diverse characters, themes that helped students to navigate challenges in their lives, and  plots that encouraged sensitive discussions and helped students to be more empathetic and thoughtful of other people's challenges. As stated in this article, Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors, "When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part. Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors." 

The sad thing is that many of those books are the ones being challenged or banned today. Watch this video with George Takei, Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week. He is an actor and an author who speaks from experience about being banned and having his stories silenced. 

I remember some of the books that I shared with my sons and my students, wonderful books such as Charlotte's Web, Bridge to Terabithia, Baseball Saved Us, The Giving Tree, Where the Wild Things Are, Ramona, the Pest, The Lorax, Crow Boy, Strega Nona and others. We had meaningful discussions about these books, about the main characters, what made them memorable, the problems they had to overcome, and how they made us feel.  All of these books have one thing in common. All are or have been banned in the past. And there are many, many more titles - too many - of picture books as well as novels, poetry books, graphic novels, and others that have been banned for various reasons. 

I was disappointed yesterday when I read this article in Civil Beat: Hawai`i State Library Bans Displays for Banned Books Week. Hawai`i is a state with a diverse population and where aloha and tolerance for others is expected and practiced daily. Why would our libraries choose not to publicize the one week in the year which calls attention to books which have been banned or censored? I decided to visit the public library to borrow some books. I looked around to see if there was any mention of Banned Books Week; there were a few small signs that said "Freedom to Read" and one bulletin board with 4 small stickers with titles of books library patrons were reading.  I thought I'd look for and read some of the newer picture books on the most current list of banned books. Unfortunately, none of them were on the shelves. There could be reasonable explanations. Perhaps they were checked out or perhaps they were never part of the library's collection or perhaps they were shelved in the wrong place. I don’t know the reason, but I was disappointed. I wanted to see for myself why those books were banned.

These are the covers of some of the books that have been banned in schools and/or libraries. I looked on the shelves at our local public library for some of those books but didn’t find any of them.

In these challenging times in our country, we need to advocate for our students and educators. Banning books because we don’t agree with what is written does not help our children to think critically, to engage in sometimes-difficult discussions, to ask questions and to share their ideas. Our children deserve better.

Let’s stop banning books!

** Here is a link to a comprehensive article that explains the state of book banning: “The Normalization of Book Banning”

“Education is the Foundation of Freedom . . .”

If anyone were to ask me who I think was the most influential President of our country, I would automatically name Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt for leading our country through great challenges and Teddy Roosevelt for his conservation and foreign policy efforts. Then I'd add John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama for inspiring a new generation in our country. 

Lastly, I would name Lyndon B. Johnson for his "Great Society" legislation. 

LBJ, who ascended to the Presidency in 1963 after JFK's assassination, was elected in 1964, but chose not to run for re-election in 1968 after the escalation of American troops in Vietnam, a highly unpopular decision. But his "Great Society" domestic policy legislation that passed with bipartisan support during his Presidency has since positively impacted the lives of so many in this country. These programs sought to eliminate racial injustice and poverty through wide-sweepng legislation that protected civil rights, established Medicare, Medicaid, and food assistance, provided federal funding for schools and higher education,  banned housing discrimination, and strengthened environmental protections. 

When I graduated with a BEd in Early Childhood Education in 1973, there were no elementary teacher positions in our Department of Education. Fortunately, I was able to secure a job with Head Start, a program that was created in 1965 as part of President Johnson's War on Poverty. The next fifteen years with Head Start gave me experiences that impacted me for my whole career as a teacher and a principal. (Read my blog about my Head Start experience here.) If not for President Johnson, I might have pivoted to another profession. 

President Johnson was so committed to helping those who were struggling; I wondered why and did some research. I discovered that Lyndon Johnson had an impoverished upbringing in rural Texas, living with his family on a farm with no electricity or running water. Growing up, he experienced the struggles of rural poverty, but he had parents who believed in him and allowed him to find his way in this world after he graduated from high school. (Lyndon B. Johnson biography)  I also learned that he spent a year as a teacher in an impoverished area of Texas, working with mostly Mexican immigrant children. (Lyndon B. Johnson The Teacher) Working with these students gave LBJ the realization that ALL students deserve an opportunity to succeed. At the signing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on April 11, 1965, President Johnson stated, "Poverty must not be a bar to learning, and learning must offer an escape from poverty." 

I am grateful that we had leaders  back in President Johnson's time who understood the importance of education for all students and the role of the federal government in supporting states with funding. I know how much our school relied on federal funding to provide services for students who needed extra support as special education or disadvantaged students or English Language Learners. Teachers also benefited from funding that provided professional development opportunities to improve teaching and learning at our school.

The present administration in Washington, D.C. has pledged to dismantle the federal Department of Education. They have also pledged to eliminate Head Start, a program which is near and dear to my heart. Not every family can afford to pay for preschool, but every child deserves that opportunity. That is the purpose of Head Start and why this program was established as part of the Great Society. (Impact of eliminating Head Start)

For over 60 years, public schools in our country have benefited from federal funding to supplement state funds. In Hawaii, roughly 11% of our operations are federally-funded. (See graph) Our HIDOE will have tough decisions to make if they intend to provide the level of services which our communities expect from our schools with the loss of millions of dollars in federal funding.  If we believe, as President L. Johnson did, that every child deserves an opportunity for a quality education that will prepare them for their future, we must advocate for the continued support from the federal government to level the playing field in every state. Our future depends on it. 

“Our aim must be to give every child the best education he is capable of absorbing. For education is the foundation of freedom and the first step away from poverty.”   

President Lyndon B. Johnson