What Schools Could and Should Be

 This has been an uplifting week for me. When I retired in 2018, I never thought that I’d continue to be so invested in education and the many issues that impact our schools. But there is hope for change. If anything, this pandemic has shown us that we need to do things differently if we want to create the kind of schools so students will have the skills and the mindsets to lead in the future in a world that is rapidly changing. 

• It started on Saturday with George Couros’ weekly email which are always uplifting and inspirational. He included a poem, “The Choice is Yours” by Sarah Schwartz. It was a perfect poem that shared what school should be for our students. I shared it with the What School Could Be community.. 
• Then I read that our Hawai`i 2022 Teacher of the Year, Whitney Aragaki, was named one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year! What an honor for my Twitter friend! 
• I participated in a Twitter chat to kick off the "Most Likely to Succeed" 7th anniversary virtual screenings which will happen in the coming week. Frankly, I am not good at Twitter-chatting, but I enjoyed reading the questions about being "future ready" or what it takes to be "likely to succeed." Responses came from participants, not just in Hawaii, but in other places as well. 
• I was part of the What School Could Be community who had the privilege of listening in on a virtual conversation with Ian Kitajima. I have known Ian for a number of years and when we speak of quality partnerships with businesses and the community, Ian is the gold standard. Listen to the conversation here.
• I  am leading a book study on the What School Could Be community about Educating with Aloha. The conversations and discussions with educators leave me feeling so hopeful that we can make changes, one person at a time. The participants are honest and caring and truly know what schools should be. They are educators with aloha.

The story that had me most hopeful, though, was this one titled, "Here's How These Ka`u Kids are Learning Outside of the Classroom."  I remember visiting Ka`u back in 2006. It is at the southernmost tip of Hawai`i island, and we drove for miles and miles to get there to attend a community festival. At the time, we were told that when the sugar plantation closed operations in 1996, many workers struggled to find work, and those were tough times for the community with a high unemployment rate.  Today, through partnerships with many different organizations (read about it here), Ka`u is on the road to becoming a strong self-sustaining community, one which values and honors their history and cultural identity. The exciting part is that the school is at the hub of these changes. Students are learning important life as well as academic skills and are successful contributors to their community. They are the ones driving the changes with their self-sustaining gardens, their entrepreneurship, and their global connections.  Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School  students are learning new skills and in the process, they are revitalizing their community. This is what schools could and should be.

Schools are a microcosm of society, and every student is different. Therefore, their strengths, interests, and needs are different. We should not be viewing the success of students or schools based on test scores or grade point averages or the number who take Advanced Placement courses. Many of our most successful people were admittedly poor students in school. Let's change that and engage and empower ALL students to find their passions and to be successful in finding their joy in life. 

Reflections

 I am in a happy place. Our son, Justin, and grandsons, Jace and Jayden, are visiting and we are having a great time. They are growing up quickly and before we know it, they'll be graduating from high school so I cherish this time when they still enjoy doing things with us. 

It's been two years since they came back to Hawaii, and I realize just how much I've missed the little things. Playing games like Yahtzee, Blokus, Golf (with cards), and Blackjack. Hearing them talk about their school, their teachers, and their friends. Laughing together. Going to the market. Going for walks with Iwak. Reading a book or poem and having a discussion. Playing golf or tennis. Our lives would have been different if they lived here, so in the short ten days while they are visiting, we cram our days with laughter, stories, jokes, food, and fun. 

I realize how out-of-touch I am with what our grandsons are interested in. They talk about NFTs, cryptocurrencies, creating a new NFT community, and discuss analytics. They saw an old PC tower in the room and opened it to see the different parts. They went out into the rain to take photos with their phones. Their perspectives are interesting and as someone who primarily takes photos of people and events, I am impressed. I am trying to convince them to document their photos and their growth as photographers via a blog. I have a few more days to help them get started. 

Jace took a photo of our bougainvillea plant from two different views.

Jayden captured the reflection of our frog sculpture and our orchid plant.

Jayden took this picture of the splashing water on the rocks in the front of our house.

I worry about them though.  What will their future look like? How will their school experiences help them to be more successful in the future? How will their out-of-school experiences fuel their long-term goals and aspirations? We are living in an unpredictable world that is constantly changing. COVID has disrupted our lives, but at the same time, it has brought opportunities for new ideas and new perspectives for solving new problems. It is my hope that our young people will be ready to tackle the challenges we will be facing in the future. 

The past two years have been difficult, but I believe that 2022 will be better for everyone. As we say goodbye to 2021, let us hope that 2022 will bring health and happiness to all. Happy  New Year, everyone!