Random Sharings

• I haven't been adding as many posts to this blog. I couldn't understand why it's been harder for me this year. Then this morning as I was washing my car, I suddenly realized why I was having challenges. This year, I started a blog for our weekly staff bulletin, and it takes a good part of my weekend to make it something our staff looks forward to reading. Previous staff bulletins were pretty routine, and I wanted to change that. I'm having so much fun writing this blog because I get to share some of the great things happening in the classrooms through samples of student work, photos of students and activities, sharing news about our school or our Department as well as resources - blogs, articles, videos, etc. My only regret is I wish I had started this blog earlier. 
• Last week, I attended two events that honored principals. As I listened to all the great things happening at their schools, I thought again that it is such a shame that we rarely have the opportunity to sit and share ideas with other principals. So I am really excited about being accepted to participate in the Hawaii Innovative Leaders Network with the Buck Institute for Education. We are embarking on our journey to embed project-based learning at our school, so learning with and from other school leaders is something I am looking forward to. Additionally, a group of principals who went on the traveling tour last school year to learn more about school empowerment will be getting together regularly to share ideas. I love the idea and hope we can eventually expand the membership.
• Recently, we were fortunate to receive additional weighted student formula funds from the Department. As I contemplated how we should distribute the funds to best support teaching and learning, I had an idea. Oftentimes, our teachers want to try something new but the start-up cost may be a barrier to implementation. So we are asking teachers to submit a grant request. They need to be willing to share their project; good ideas become great when we can share, discuss challenges, and collaborate to make the project even better. I hope our teachers see this as a great opportunity!

Some of our students are working on a PBL with their teachers and our librarian to design a playground and recess activities for our school. One of the students' questions was "Are we able to buy some things for the recess field?" Students can apply for a grant, too! Wouldn't that be a great learning opportunity for them?

A New Name for Our School

It happened so quickly that we haven't really realized the full impact yet.  Back in June 2015, the Daniel K. Inouye Institute asked if we would consider changing the name of our school. They were looking for an opportunity to honor this statesman for his work with the military as well as his support for education. After gaining the support of our school community as well as the military leadership of the 25th Infantry Division and US Army Garrison Hawaii, we moved forward with the proposal. On Tuesday, April 19, 2016, the Board of Education unanimously approved the request to change the name of our school from Hale Kula Elementary School to Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School. Pasted below is part of the letter I wrote to the Board of Education in support of the change.

Hale Kula Elementary School first opened in 1959, the same year that Hawaii became the 50th state. When Hawaii achieved statehood, Daniel K. Inouye was elected as its first member of the United States House of Representatives. In 1962, he was elected to the United States Senate where he served until his death in 2012. At that time, he was the President pro tempore of the Senate.

Senator Inouye was a veteran of World War II, a decorated member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and throughout his political career, he fiercely advocated for the military and education, and more specifically, for military children. He was instrumental in the creation of the Joint Venture Education Forum, a coalition of public school educators, military commands, government, community, and business leaders. He secured millions of dollars in funding to address concerns of military families, and Hale Kula was the beneficiary of thousands of dollars in JVEF funding for technology, textbooks, playground equipment, 3R’s projects, and other school-wide initiatives. Today, JVEF continues to work collaboratively to support our military-impacted schools.

In 2011, the Office of Economic Adjustment performed a facilities assessment of 157 schools located on military bases across the United States. When assessment results were released, Hale Kula Elementary School on Schofield Barracks ranked #9 on the list based on our capacity and condition of the school. Through a collaborative effort between the Department of Education and the US Army Garrison Hawaii, the school submitted a proposal and received $26.6 million in Congressional funding to address the deficiencies in the assessment. The State of Hawaii Legislature allocated the 20% match or $6.6 million for the project to proceed. Senator Inouye who chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee at the time, was instrumental in ensuring that Congress would allocate the funds. The school is presently in the third phase of a 3-year project, and the transformation of Hale Kula Elementary School has been remarkable. Students now and in the future will have a 21^st century learning environment that makes exploration, discovery, collaboration, creation, and sharing possible, not just within the school but globally as well.

The Daniel K. Inouye Institute has approached the Department of Education and the leadership of Hale Kula Elementary School and requested that the school be renamed Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School to honor the late Senator. As a school on Schofield Barracks with an enrollment of 99% military-impacted students, we are supportive of this change. We are requesting that the Board of Education approve this request. We can think of no greater privilege than to rename our school after this American hero.

The change is effective immediately, but we have time to officially transition by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, Jennifer Sabas of the Daniel K. Inouye Institute, Army School Liaison Officer Wendy Nakasone, Major General Charles Flynn, and Colonel Richard Fromm for their support and assistance as we navigated the process, and mahalo to the Board of Education for approving this request. 

Senator Daniel K. Inouye

                  (1924-2012)

It's Been Awhile

My last post was on March 21. I've been having difficulty finishing up blog posts.  I've started several then hit a wall and ended up deleting them. How do people like +Peter DeWitt and +Eric Sheninger do it? They write several blogs a week.

So here I am on a Sunday afternoon, and this time, I will finish this blog post!

Today's post will be composed of several short thoughts or reflections; these are actually posts I started but didn't finish.

• Randy and I took a short vacation to Maui during our Spring Break. It was a great time to get away and not even think about school. (I didn't bring my computer.) Randy was there for a hearing so I joined him the next morning, my golf clubs in tow. I truly enjoyed playing at two new courses I had not had the privilege to play at previously, but it was certainly a challenge. I felt like a beginner because it was so unfamiliar. It's sort of like our kids and learning. We give them worksheets that are familiar then test them. They do okay, but when we give them something new and different, they struggle. If I wanted to become a better golfer, I would learn how to play at different courses rather than going to the same course each week. Likewise, if we want students to be better readers or mathematicians, we should present them with problem-solving activities or project-based learning. They may struggle, but applying what they've learned to a relevant, real-world situation leads to a higher level of thinking. Isn't that what education should be?

• Our school has been implementing interdisciplinary units for over a decade. We are moving toward project-based learning, and it's been a struggle. So we decided to use a real-life problem that would give teachers and students an opportunity to experience PBL first-hand . Now that our school construction project will be completed later this year, we should be getting new playground equipment.  We're asking students for ideas so we can come up with a proposal to our Department. Students have been asking questions, doing research, and sharing their ideas of what they would like to see in the playground. I am impressed with their ideas and their questions and especially with their enthusiasm! Some classes have even asked whether we can extend the time for recess and whether they can suggest changes to the whole field. We never think to ask students for their ideas; it is evident that even kindergarteners have creative ideas! Since this is PBL and sharing is part of the process, we plan to share our students' ideas with the Department and have conversations about recess, schedules, and the best way to utilize the fields. Check out #hkesplay on Twitter. We just started this hashtag and hope that teachers and students will add to the discussion!

• Earlier this school year, we held a Super STEM Saturday for Girls Only. This past Saturday, we hosted our Super STEM Saturday for Boys. The observation we had made that girls and boys approach problems differently was clearly evident. It reminded me of a book I read a few years ago, Play Like a Man; Win Like a Woman by Gail Evans.  There is a difference between girls and boys when they are confronted with a problem. Girls are more methodical; they think of their idea then share with someone else. They agree on a plan and then implement that idea. Boys, on the other hand, just do . . . without really thinking of the consequences. I watched a group of boys collaborating on building a bridge with planks, bricks, boxes, and other available materials. Teams would have to drive a remote control over it without falling into the hot lava.  The boys were supposed to work as a team, draw up their design and then discuss and come to a consensus. The volunteer tried to get them to do that, but I notice that the boys preferred to just start building! When the volunteer asked, "Do you think you can get the remote control car to go up that hill?" the boys replied, "Let's try it! We can always change it if it doesn't work!" I also noticed that some of the boys were so absorbed in building their bridge with popsicle sticks; some stayed at that activity for over an hour and they kept making revisions until it worked. And competition is what drove the boys. Even if there was no prize, they wanted to have the longest bridge or float the most pennies or design a spaghetti/marshmallow bridge that held the most weight before breaking. We didn't see that with the girls. Super STEM Saturday was a success for both the girls and the boys! This is an activity we plan to continue in the coming years. 

This team collaborated to build a bridge that would go over hot lava. Collaborating is a crucial element of STEM. 

These are some of the boys who showed up for the STEM Saturday for Boys.
We were competing with sports, Scouting, and family events so boys and parents were allowed to come for part of the day if they could not stay for the full 3 hours.

Whew! I feel better now that this blog post is done!

PBL - Finding Solutions to Problems

This is Spring Break for us, a time to reflect on the past three quarters and look forward to our final quarter of the school year. This year, our tech team is leading our faculty in discussions about project-based learning. We realize that PBL is a mindshift from teacher-directed interdisciplinary units to being more student-directed, based on questions that are generated from the students themselves, and it has not been an easy transition.

As I walked around the school today, I stopped to admire the vegetables and plants that the second graders and the fifth grade Garden Club are growing. Then I noticed that the vines from the gourd plant were entwined on the native hibiscus plant. Last year, some fourth graders planted seeds from the gourds that they cleaned out, sanded, and polished to make ipu, a Hawaiian rhythm instrument. With minimal care, the gourd vines continue to grow. As our SSC and I carefully disentangled the vines from the hibiscus bush, I made a lot of observations about how the vine was growing. I realized that this would be a perfect opportunity for students to ask questions about the plant and how it grows. This could lead to researching about the gourd plant and why it was so important to the ancient Hawaiians. Hopefully, when students make music with their ipu, they will have a better understanding and a better appreciation, for the gourd.

Due to the construction on our campus, we have limited space for our students to play at recess. It's not too late to have our students be part of the solution. Let them have a discussion about what could be allowed at recess, what rules or restrictions we might have, and what new activities we might allow students to participate in during this free time. Why haven't we thought to ask them for their ideas?  Students might be more invested in finding solutions to problems if we give them the opportunity to share in the discussion. After all, as this article points out, recess is essential for children. 

Recently, a question was raised about a homework policy at our school. We've had this discussion before, but there was no consensus so we decided that each grade level would determine their own policy. This time, our discussion was fueled by a blog about an elementary school that abolished homework.   Since we are looking for opportunities to learn more about project-based learning, I think this is a perfect time to use a real-life problem and have all our role groups - teachers, students, and parents -  contribute to the solution. We will come up with questions then allow time for exploration, examining other schools' homework policies, sharing research about the benefits of homework, and discussing our findings. Hopefully, every role group's voices will be heard, and we will come up with some shared beliefs about homework that will help us create a policy for our school.

These kinds of discussions will help our teachers to gain a better understanding about the positive benefits of project-based learning. We can then empower our students to be problem-finders and problem-solvers, to seek solutions to everyday problems they may encounter in their lives.

Can you spot the new gourds that are growing? There are at least 4; look carefully. 

I hope to learn about the best time to pick the gourds so they can be transformed into ipu or water carriers. Perhaps the students will be able to teach me about what they learn. If you look closely, these gourds have little spots on them; some insects got to them before they could be picked. 

Poor Role Models for Our Children

As a life-long educator. I believe that we have a responsibility to help our students to become empathetic and contributing citizens in this ever-changing world. If we believe that every child can reach his/her potential to do something meaningful with their lives, then everything we do as adults should send that positive message to the child. Parents, relatives, neighbors, teachers, coaches, community leaders - we all help to mold our children into the adults they will become. That is an awesome responsibility and one I take seriously as a school leader.

We teach our students about mutual respect, no put-downs or name-calling, and taking care of ourselves and others. We want them to be able to solve their problems by talking with the other person and resolving their disagreements respectfully. We want them to show tolerance for differences of opinion or ideas. 

As adults, we need to model the behaviors we want our students to internalize. To me, that is one of the most important responsibilities we have as educators and leaders in our classrooms or school or community. 

And that is why it bothers me when I see what is happening in our election for President. This isn't leadership. It's bullying, name-calling, disrespect, and mob mentality.What do our children think when they see adults behaving as they do? How do we justify this kind of behavior from adults who claim they are qualified to be the leader of our country? We can't.

But if our children see that behavior and ask about it, we can use this as a learning opportunity. Turn the question back on the child. "What do you think?" Have them reflect on what they're seeing and hearing.  Have an honest discussion with them - not a lecture - but a two-way discussion. 

With the preponderance of coverage via news and social media, we can no longer shield our children from the kinds of disturbing scenes and speeches that are shared every day. But we can teach them about respect, tolerance, and kindness, and hopefully, the lessons they learn at school or at home or in the community when they are young can help them make the right decisions when they become adults. 

A respected leader doesn't pull oneself up by putting others down. Let's hope that the adults perpetuating these behaviors will realize the negative impact they are having on the youth of our country. 

15,000+ Views

Back in July 2012 when I first started blogging, I wasn't sure how long it would last. It was difficult to conceive of actually putting my thoughts and reflections out there for the public to read. In fact, in my third blog, I was already asking myself "What Was I Thinking?" At that time, I was struggling; I've written lots of different types of writing as a principal: memos, letters, emails, reports, and applications. But I never wrote my reflections or thoughts and then shared them publicly with others.

I'm glad I didn't give up. At first, I tried to write regularly, but that was stressful because I couldn't always think of a topic I wanted to write about. Then I decided to just write when I had something to share. That might not be what other bloggers do, but for me, it works.

It is now March 2016, and I continue to blog. In fact, I just surpassed 15,000 pageviews and to me, that is amazing! Some posts are more popular than others; the one that has had the most readers was one I wrote back in 2013 titled, "It's More than a Place to Borrow Books," and it has received over 630 views! In fact, that post needs to be updated because there are even more changes that have been implemented in our library despite the fact that we are in temporary classrooms while awaiting the completion of our new library media resource center. I must make it a point to update that blog when we move into our new building later this school year.

Some of my reflections have been personal; the one I wrote when my Dad passed away was therapeutic and helped me through the grieving process. Another of my favorite posts is about my youngest son and his decision to join the Air Force. Others have been about our school or our Department or about the state of education in our country.  I do my best to be positive and not to criticize without offering possible solutions.

The major challenge to blogging regularly is that it does take time and sometimes, the ideas and words don't flow easily. For me, though, it's been a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and to share my reflections, my experiences, and my personal thoughts about education.  It has been a wonderful learning experience for me, and I plan to continue adding to my blog. It has been empowering to know that what I write might have a positive impact on another educator.

Thanks for reading!

Wellness & Fitness Challenge!

One of the Wellness & Fitness goals for our Department is "Staff Wellness." This year, we decided to take it to a new level with a Wellness & Fitness Challenge. Staff members formed teams of four and each member committed to a goal for themselves. It could be anything from exercising more to eating healthier. It was their goal and members of their team agreed to support each other. We allowed friendly trash-talking, and it was fun to see the competitiveness that evolved!

In the middle of this friendly competition, we held an Eagles Shootout with teams from grade levels or departments. I watched our physical education teacher having a Shootout with a class of second graders and knew immediately that I wanted to do this with our staff.  We had this activity on a Wednesday when meetings are usually scheduled, and I was pleased to see so many staff members come out to participate, even some who had never shot a basketball in years! The beauty of this Shootout was that anyone could score points for their team, and everyone had so much fun as evidenced by the laughter, the encouragement, and the cheering. In the end, the fifth grade team took first place and the custodial team took second place, but the real winners were all of the staff who participated. As we were all leaving to go back to our rooms, I heard comments like, "That was so much fun!" or "That was the best Wednesday meeting we've had!" or "Let's do it again!"

As we talk about ways to build community within our classrooms, we cannot forget that we need to build community within our staff. Sometimes, in the urgency to "get things done," we forget to schedule "fun" activities that can showcase the talents of our students or our staff.

We already have our next activity planned . . . and we look forward to an even better turnout than we had for our Eagles Shootout!

Just some friendly trash-talking between teams

A photo before the Eagles Shootout
Those who didn't participate came out to cheer. 

Practicing before the competition started

Explaining the rules to the kindergarten team

We asked each team to post in our Google+ community under "Health and Wellness." This is an example of what one group shared.

The FLASH team even had their own shirts!
Fit Ladies Always Stay Healthy :-)

The Suicide Squad took turns preparing a healthy salad on Tuesday, and the team ate together.

The Team HELY (Heather, Ellen, Lora, Yuuko) posted inspiring messages each week.