Believe: A Vision of Hawaii

 A bit of background first. Back in 2006, my husband Randy ran for Governor of our state against a popular Governor with a huge political war chest. No one wanted to risk their political careers as a decided underdog. Randy had been retired but believed voters needed an alternative. It was a difficult campaign and Randy lost, badly. I recently found a document in my files, “Believe: A Vision of Hawaii” that was part of his campaign. I remember Randy asking me to write down my thoughts about education that would become part of this vision.

Here is the introduction to the first section, “Investing in Our Future.” 

 I believe that a first-rate educational system is essential if we are to attract high tech industries to Hawaii. We must support our public schools and encourage innovation in education to provide Hawaii with a quality workforce. Our graduates must be able to read, write, compute, think critically and creatively, work well with others, and use technology effectively in order to compete in this global economy.

I believe that public education is the backbone of our society. We must work together - all of us - because the education of our youth, the future leaders of our state and of our country, is one of our most important responsibilities. We must commit to improving our educational system from preschool to tertiary so our students can compete with students from around our nation and around the world.

To accomplish this, Randy came up with a plan that included a) providing the resources to fix our schools and to review how to speed up the process so schools can focus on teaching and learning; b) committing the resources to ensure that quality child care centers or programs exist in all communities throughout the state so all students can enter kindergarten with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful; c) supporting our teachers with a decent salary, professional development, training, and incentives to keep up with the challenges of a rapidly-changing world; d) ensuring that in this global economy, our students have access to technology as a tool for learning; e) preparing our students for their futures means that the community needs to be more actively involved in schools; and finally f) collaborating with institutes of higher learning is essential to provide Hawaii with a quality work force needed for our innovation industries.   

Well, they say change takes time. It’s been 20 years. Back in 2006, I was in my third year as a principal. Those ideas that became part of Randy’s vision for Hawaii continued to drive me as an educator and a principal.  I shared my thoughts more widely when I began blogging back in 2012. And when I look at the state of our education today, I see glimmers of hope. We finally made early education a priority, and the Executive Office of Early Learning and Ready Keiki Initiative have opened doors for hundreds of preschoolers and their families. Students are able to take college courses through dual-credit agreements between their school and local institutes of higher learning, and they gain valuable professional experience through programs such as culinary or medical academies. Students have more options via new charter schools with an emphasis on technology, innovation, or a focus on Hawaiian values, history, culture, and language. 

But we still struggle in other areas. Repair and maintenance issues continue to plague our schools and our Department of Education.  Low compensation coupled with the high cost of living in Hawaii makes it difficult for teachers, especially those recruited from out-of-state. (Link) And legislative priorities sometimes don’t focus on improving what matters most to impact teaching and learning. (Link)

Randy’s “Believe: A Vision of Hawaii” was written 20 years ago. Two decades. The years have passed,  but visions don't have expiration dates. The vision is still relevant. Let's continue to fight for our schools, our students, our teachers, and our communities.

“Am I a Builder or a Wrecker?”

 

I recently read this poem by Edgar Guest. It resonated with me, and I asked myself this question: Am I a builder or a wrecker?

I have often shared this Native American proverb in my writings: “We do not inherit this world from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.” The proverb asks, “What kind of world am I leaving for those who come after me?” Edgar Guest asks, “Am I building or tearing down?”  

Despite being retired for 8 years now, I still consider myself an educator. As educators, are we builders or wreckers? A builder teaches students how to think rather than what to think, encourages creativity, provides opportunities to try new ideas and activities. encourages students to ask and answer questions about the world around them, and values and develops citizenship as well as academics. A wrecker: discourages questioning and encourages compliance, tests for “right answers,” ranks students based on test scores; focuses on “covering the curriculum” rather than encouraging students to delve deeper into their own questions about the subject. 

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Edgar’s poem also applies to our lives as members of our communities. A builder volunteers, mentors, or coaches children and models positive values, welcomes new neighbors, works to protect the local community and its members, supports local businesses, and gets involved in issues that positively impact their community. Wreckers, on the other hand, may be unwelcoming to new neighbors, may spread gossip or rumors, may complain without contributing and try to rile up other community members,  can contribute to a breakdown in their community where trust is lacking.

Look at our country and our world today. Are our leaders working to improve long-standing institutions and policies or are they tearing them down without honest discussions and compromise? Are social media posts, videos, and news articles building or tearing down? Are the words we read giving us hope or demolishing reputations? It is much easier to tear down an organization, an institution, or a building than to work together to fix it. 

When we reflect on that Native American proverb, we should ask ourselves this question: Are we builders or wreckers? A builder conserves water and our precious natural resources. A builder plants trees today so they can provide shade in the future. A builder protects our public parks and lands for future generations to enjoy. A builder  understands the need to keep our oceans, rivers, and lakes clear of trash to protect the plants and animals that live there. A builder does what they can to leave this world a better place today for our children and future generations. A wrecker does not care about the consequences of their actions.

Destroying something is much quicker and can undo years of planning and building. A careless statement can undo years of building a person’s trust or confidence. A policy created in haste with no thought about its impact can destroy an organization or community.  Undoing or deregulating longstanding environmental protections and laws can exacerbate natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires, causing severe damage and can impact our world now and in the future. 

Our world desperately needs builders today. We need those who build things like infrastructure or our economy. We need those who build up our young people so they can contribute to the world they are inheriting, people like educators, coaches, and mentors. And we desperately need people who can rebuild the trust we have lost, people who value working together to build a better city, state, country, or world. 

It takes years to build something meaningful, and only moments to destroy it. Destruction is easy. Building takes patience, perseverance, and skill. We need to honestly ask ourselves this question: Am I a builder or a wrecker? I believe there are many more of us who are builders. Let’s work together to build a better tomorrow for our children and future generations. 

“Come to the Edge”

Today was my last day as a Board member of the University of Hawai`i Manoa College of Education Alumni Association. I’ve officially served my maximum six years as a Board member. Two of those years were as the President. 

When I was approached to become a member of the Board. I’ll admit that I didn’t even know such an organization existed. One of my goals as President was to increase the number of our College of Education alumni who engage with our organization. Another goal was to share the many achievements of our alumni who have positively impacted the community, not just in Hawai`i, but throughout the world. 

Outgoing President Kevin Agtarap started today’s program with a heartfelt message about the positive impact of educators and the important role of the College of Education as he continues in his career. (Read his message here.) I appreciate how Kevin lifts up the College of Education as having a major impact on  his life, in forging his pathway as a young educator who is making a difference for his students, his school, and his community. And I appreciate how he lifts up the profession at a time when teachers often feel under-appreciated despite the positive impact they have on our students and their families. 

Today, we honored Dr. Joseph Ciotti, a UHM COE alumnus and an amazing educator who has inspired so many students and members of the community. (Read his interview here.)  I love this quote: “Teachers, like parents, face the demanding task of leading their students to the edge of their comfort zone and encouraging them to take a leap of faith.” Dr. Ciotti then shared this short poem:

 

For most of my life, I played it safe, choosing not to step off the edge. But as a parent and a teacher, I encouraged my sons and my students to step out of their comfort zone, and I saw their confidence grow. They showed me that I needed to do the same even if it felt uncomfortable. It’s never too late to step off the edge.

I am grateful to have had the experience of being a part of the UHM COEAA, and I am committed to continue to share about educators and education via this blog. 

Learning to Trust in a Time of Mistrust

Turn on the news, scroll through a feed on social media, or listen to a public conversation and a common thread emerges. Doubt. Doubt about what we are reading or watching or listening to. Doubt about what leaders are saying. Doubt about how the same event or speech can be communicated in such a contrasting manner. 

Meanwhile, our young people come to school with questions about what is going on in the world. What is the truth? Who should I believe? Should I be scared? Who do I trust?

Teaching has always required trust. Trust in the teacher. Trust in the school. Trust in the content that is being taught. The classroom should be a place where trust matters, where fairness matters, where student voices matter, and where questions matter. Making sense of the world is a part of learning, and school is a natural place for students to engage in sometimes-difficult discussions. 

In many ways, what is happening throughout our country and our world today stands in contrast to what is possible in a classroom or in a school where trust is a critical component. Our schools could and should be places where students learn to be critical and empathetic thinkers, able to listen to the concerns of others who have different lived experiences. Students should be able to civilly discuss issues and respond to questions which impact them today and in their future. 

It doesn’t start in high school. It starts with our youngest students and builds from there.

Teachers can embed trust through discussions about literature or current events using intentional questions. Students feel trusted when their questions, opinions and viewpoints are validated during discussions. Even our youngest students can explore difficult ideas with no “right” answer, looking at an issue from a different perspective, one that students might not have previously considered. Classrooms can be places where students listen to understand, where initial opinions can change through honest discussion, and where trust is built when being exposed to different viewpoints. These moments are not accidental. They are purposefully created by educators who understand the importance of questions, discussions, and reflective conversations with no “right” answer.

But this can be difficult for some educators who worry that a complaint could result in disciplinary action. In such an environment, teachers may choose caution. But when teachers ignore difficult conversations something else is lost. Students lose opportunities to practice active listening, to grapple with new ideas or opinions, and to realize that ‘we can agree to disagree.’

When our classrooms are safe places for students to discuss important issues that impact their lives, we are  giving them something meaningful to take with them: trust. In a world that feels divided and chaotic and where conversations become loud and confrontational, classrooms can model something different: a place where people listen to understand, where disagreement can be civil, and where trust is built by listening to others. 

It is what our world needs today. Let’s equip our youth with the skills they need to successfully navigate their world. 

“How We Thrive”

 I never shared with anyone that I had a secret dream of becoming a writer of children’s books. When I was little, I loved going to the library to borrow books and thought it would be wonderful to write one. But as I got older, I realized that writing a book would be a major undertaking so I never followed through on that idea.

When I became an early educator, doing research on literature for our youngest students, I realized that there were very few picture books with multicultural characters. Maybe, I thought, I could write books for our youngest students with characters that reflected our communities, much like the Peter books by Ezra Jack Keats. 

Well, life happened, and I forgot about writing books for children. Besides, I have never been good at art so I abandoned the idea. I have not written children’s books, but I became a blogger and wrote two books about my experiences as an educator and school leader. 

I’ve been reading a book “How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World” written by Stephanie Malia Krauss.  I was hooked from the first sentences of the Foreword written by Stephanie’s 12-year-old son, Harrison Drew Koali`i Krauss. “Some adults think kids have it easy, and we are lucky to not deal with the responsibilities and demands of everyday life. But kids get stressed out. I know I do.” 

This book flows well. Stephanie divided her book into 3 parts: Prepare for Rough Weather, Protect Our Human Essentials (Body, Mind, Heart, and Spirit), and Rehuman Our Lives. The charts, tables, and illustrations by Manuel S. Herrera made it easy for me to visualize in my mind what Stephanie is sharing. I find myself wishing this book was available when I was still raising our sons and working as an educator because there were so many reminders about how we need to take care of ourselves so we can take care of others. Stephanie shares studies as well as real-life examples of people doing amazing things so we can live purposeful lives. She weaves in her roots in Hawai`i and how aloha has special meaning that others can learn from.

As a retiree, I am reading the book through a different lens, and what I realize is that it’s not too late to make time to try something new. I don’t intend to run a marathon or learn a musical instrument or take pottery classes. But recently, I have been doing dance exercises to YouTube videos and I am really enjoying it. At my age, I know that I need to keep physically active, and I can do this daily, even when I am on vacation. It feels good to move and to perspire! 

And then the thought came to me. Since I once had aspirations of being an author of children’s books, why not try writing one?  It was easier than I thought with guidance from ChatGPT. AI is amazing! I shared my ideas, and ChatGPT gave me feedback and helped me to organize my thoughts.

This story was based on an experience our son had when he was a young boy. He doesn’t remember it, but I do because for the first time as a parent, I realized that I could not interfere. This “failure” would define how he approached new challenges in the future. Here’s a “copy” of the book. At my age, using AI to create something is pretty awesome 😊

As I wrote in my book, “Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office,” “In our busy world, we often put our children or our family or our job first and take care of ourselves only if there is time. Too often, we schedule our kids with multiple activities such as sports or dance or tutoring, leaving us exhausted and running from one activity to the next. This may mean rushing to get dinner started or picking up fast food if it’s getting late. The kids are grouchy because they still have homework to do, and parents are annoyed with the kids for grumbling. Let’s take a deep breath and really reflect on how we’re spending our time.”

“How We Thrive” has made me re-examine my life up till now and I realize that as long as I am healthy, I can still live life to the fullest while also finding time to relax. That means new and renewed experiences, friendships, learnings, and opportunities to make a positive impact in our community. 

Thank you, Stephanie, for reminding me that we can thrive while caring for our kids and ourselves in this ever changing world.  

Let’s Bring the JOY Back to Learning

"Joyful Experience" Photo created by ChatGPT

I smile every time I watch Alysa Liu's skating performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics. In 2022, Alysa retired from elite figure skating competition where every move and jump is judged, where mistakes mean lower scores, and the pressure to perform is intense. When Alysa returned to the ice after a two-year hiatus, she made it clear that she was no longer performing to satisfy a scoring system. She was skating because she loved skating. And guess what? That did not make her worse; it made her freer, And freedom made room for excellence and her pure joy while performing. 

School once worked the same way. Children entered kindergarten as curious explorers, full of joy, trying new ideas, learning to work together with others, discovering a whole new world, not afraid to fail and try again. We encouraged them to ask questions and guided them to find answers. We taught them that failure was an opportunity to not give up and to maybe make a minor adjustment. We encouraged them to keep going and celebrated when they were successful. We exposed children to exciting new experiences through books, music, art, science, and play - blocks, house corner, math games, puzzles, nature walks, and so much more. Learning was joyful!

Unfortunately, we've replaced children’s natural curiosity with a culture that emphasizes grade level standards, high-stakes testing, Advanced Placement classes, and grade point averages. By standardizing education and focusing on improving test scores, we have ignored what makes students special: their strengths and challenges, their interests, their individuality and the experiences that make them unique. As educators, we should be building on the strengths of our students so they feel like essential members of their classroom community. Assessment was originally meant to measure learning, but that is no longer the case. In many schools and classrooms today, assessment directs and drives learning. The saying is that "what gets tested gets taught." 

Ask any adult this question: What do you remember from your school days? Their memories might include a field trip they took, or a special teacher, or a musical performance, or the friendships that lasted a lifetime. I doubt that anyone would mention a standardized test or a worksheet or their grade point average. And yet, we treat the most memorable things - the joy for many students - as "enrichment" and spend most of our time in school on "essentials." We have it backwards. We would have more engaged students if we focused less attention on the test-taking culture that dominates many schools.

Joy in learning is social before it is intellectual. Students engage when they feel known, when teachers notice them, when peers depend on them, when communities need them. Students have many opportunities to make a difference. They can tutor younger students; they can help out at school events or volunteer in their community; they can even influence public policy by testifying at their City Council or State Legislature. The purpose of school was never to produce high test scores. Rather, it is to help our young people to find their purpose in life. A community does not thrive because their students had high scores on tests. It thrives because students found a passion and give back to their community. 

There is a ray of hope: many schools are choosing to focus on engaging students through strategies such as project-based learning, Socratic seminars, children-as-authors, choice boards, math talks and a focus on problem-solving, creating murals that share aspects of their school history, and community internships. Rather than focusing on standardized test-taking skills, these students are learning real-world skills by creating, collaborating, thinking critically, and communicating with others to address real-world problems that will impact them now and in the future. 

School should be a joyful place; don't we want students (and teachers) to look forward to coming to school? We can all learn from Alysa Liu's Olympics experience where she valued the process of improving. School should be more like the practice rink, a place to fall safely and to get up and try again. When students are judged every time they get an assignment, they will learn to not take chances. If we want students to be confident adults and thoughtful citizens, we need them to find joy in the learning process. This means they will sometimes fall and fail, but they can pick themselves up and try again. Schools should be a safe place in a child’s life to try something challenging and difficult. And when learning is practice instead of performance, achievement and joy follow. And don't we believe that school should be a joyful place? 

“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 in 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 majored in 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, plumbers, 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 learners and 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!