“Ho`oha`aheo” Public School Proud

I was honored to be asked to write an article for the September 2019 issue of Ho`oha`aheo, the newsletter for the Hawaii Department of Education. I thought I’d share the article here.

I wasn’t quite 5 years old when I stepped foot into my kindergarten classroom at brand-new Helemano Elementary School in Whitmore Village, north of Wahiawa, Oahu. I was in awe - new friends, new books, new activities, and a teacher - Miss Okihara, whom I adored. It was sometime during my first year in school that I decided that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I never lost sight of my goal, and after graduating from Leilehua High School, I obtained my teaching degree from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

There were no jobs at the time for those of us who majored in elementary education, so I was fortunate to be hired by the Head Start program. I was thrilled to have my own classroom in a former Japanese language school that I attended when I was in elementary school. It was old and had been vacant for a long time, but we brightened it and turned it into a classroom where our students would gain the skills they needed to be successful when they entered elementary school.

After 15 years with Head Start, I was finally hired at the Department of Education, teaching first at Wheeler Elementary School and then opening a new high tech school, Mililani Mauka Elementary. I loved being a teacher! Every student was different; every one was special, and building relationships and helping them to grow socially, academically, and emotionally was so rewarding. I felt so lucky to be doing something I really loved.

At the suggestion of my principal, I decided to pursue educational administration, and for the last 15 years of my career, I was the principal of Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School (aka Hale Kula Elementary). It was a truly wonderful experience working in a school community where 98% of our students were from military families. These families faced unique challenges such as transitions and deployments, and our school became their `ohana. I believe that our military students and their families are the perfect ambassadors for our Hawai`i schools, sharing the aloha spirit wherever their paths may lead them in the future.

When I retired in July 2018, I decided to write a book, and in July 2019, my book was published. Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office  shares how my humble roots growing up in a pineapple plantation village strengthened the core values and beliefs that helped me to lead our school with aloha - love, compassion, empathy, and respect. The process of writing and publishing a book was more difficult than I thought, but the opportunity to share my story motivated me to persevere.

I encourage all educators to reflect and to write about their own personal and professional experiences - the successes and the challenges - because we can learn from each other. I cannot think of a more rewarding profession than being an educator; we should be proud to share our stories!