Aloha in education with Dr. Kū

“Love, compassion, respect and kindness, known as aloha in Hawaiian, are the most important ingredients in 21st century education, just like they were in ancient times.”

Dr. Kū Kahakalau is a Native Hawaiian educator, researcher, cultural practitioner and expert in Hawaiian language and culture, known for developing the Pedagogy of Aloha, or Education with Aloha.

In her presentation “Ua Ola Loko I Ke Aloha: The Imperative of Aloha in Education” with Compassionate Ko‘olaupoko, she begins by introducing who she is by the places and natural elements that shaped her, from island to ahupua’a, from wind to rain.

She describes traditional Hawaiian education is hands-on, culture-based, informal, personalized, relevant, place-based, project-based, values-based, rigorous.

Education is about ho’ole’ale’a – about having fun while learning and working.

Looking back on my school years, what I remember most are the teachers who challenged me and the projects that filled me with confidence and achievement – the stories and poetry that let me express myself; the wood table I made in shop class that I was proud to show my parents; a 10k run and all the training that led up to it, up and down a mountain; a video commercial I recorded for a media class that pushed my comfort level with public speaking.

Nothing really stands out about the worksheets, text books, and standardized tests I took.

My son is getting ready to graduate from high school. Thinking his school years, the same things stand out to me – the speeches he presented at speech festivals; the project he chose to research and that presented for to other students and parents, that showed how much he was capable of; the 3D printer design and laser-engraved project he created; the food booth he volunteered for and put a lot of hard work into.

Years from now, I won’t remember his homework scores, test scores, or grades.

These were things that are hard, and we weren’t sure we could do them, and we did them anyway.

As Dr. Kū says, education is about Relations + Relevance + Responsibility.  A supportive relationship with a parent, teacher, or coach + a “multisensory demonstration of knowledge” that has relevance and meaning + the freedom and choice to put learning into action.

It’s about students as creators of knowledge, not just receivers of knowledge. Youth have a lot to teach us, if we give them the opportunity to be heard. And they have a lot to teach each other, if we give them the opportunity to be teachers to younger children.

As I listened to Dr. Kū, I felt curious, excited, hopeful, appreciative, humbled, inspired by her wisdom and passion.

What were your favorite classes and projects in school? How did your teachers make learning fun?

Step inside this house: a new year’s exercise

Imagine you’re inviting someone into your house. It could be your present house or a house you’ve lived in before or your dream house. There are three rooms in this house: a Room of People, a Room of Traditions, and a Room of Things. The rooms are filled with the people, stories, traditions, and things that are meaningful to you.

Now open the door and invite others in.

This is the start of an exercise called “Step Inside This House” from an online class I started a few weeks ago called “Bridging Differences” from the Greater Good Science Center. It’s extremely relevant and timely, though starting a class during the holidays is challenging.

“Step Inside This House” is meant to help us explore the cultural influences and traditions that have shaped our lives – who we are, what we value, and what we believe. Then we can share them with others to be heard, to be understood, and to explore a common humanity.

It’s also a great way to help us write our own stories and reflect on who we are – and who we want to be.

As we celebrate the new year, I invite you to peek into my house and what matters to me.

My Room of People: this is a dining room with a round wooden table and comfortable chairs, a side table for food and drinks, a pet bed near the wall, and screened windows showing a view of the ocean. In this room are my grandparents who put me first, my aunt who raised me, my parents, my 12th grade English teacher who challenged me, my first boss at my first full-time job who supported me, my husband who shows me what you can accomplish with focus, my son who shows me what I can do for someone I love, my best friend whose friendship fills my heart no matter how many years go by…

My Room of Traditions: this is a cozy family room with an attached kitchen, with comfortable furniture, wood cabinets, art on the walls, and hardwood floors, and a door leading to a screened front porch and a mango tree growing on the front lawn. This room has memories of making mondu at new year’s, pouring tea for my parents, giving lei at special occasions, my morning mantra that starts off the day, my morning ritual of word games to wake up my mind, reminders to myself that “it’s okay to say ‘no’” and “say ‘thank you’ instead of ‘I’m sorry’ or pointing out mistakes” and “you can do hard things,” reading before bedtime …

My Room of Things: this is a brightly-lit library with wooden bookshelves, a comfortable couch and side table with a reading lamp, a dragon statue guarding the door, and a window looking out into a forest and waterfall. In this room are books that immerse me in other worlds and perspectives, ceramics and making things with my hands, a thumbprint pendant made by my son that reminds me that he is uniquely himself, contacts so that I can see and eyeglasses for when I’m at home, a dish of individually wrapped chocolates, a shelf of plush stuffed animals to remember my childhood, elongated coins that recall the places I’ve traveled and my experiences there…

Looking at these choices, I realize that my rooms are filled with family and are inward-facing.

For a deeper dive, choose one item from each room. What do those choices mean to you? What do they say about you?

Who would you invite into your house? What would you share from your three rooms and what does it reflect about you?

Lessons from summer jobs

My 16-year old son started his first summer job last week. He applied as a part-time shift worker at a fast-food chain restaurant, working up to 20 hours per week. I was proud to help him put on his nametag for the first time and watch him walk to work in his new uniform.

My first summer job was also working at a fast-food chain restaurant. I remember walking about a mile to work in the morning (I miss that youthful energy).

In general, working conditions seem more efficient. His job application and employment paperwork were completed online and he finds out his schedule by email.

I’m dating myself, but when I first started working, everything was still done with paper and telephone calls, and probably a spreadsheet on paper to assign shifts.

He works in an open-air, well-lit, newly-renovated environment with a lot of people. The restaurant uses tablets for ordering and everything is separated into specialized stations – from ordering on tablets (iPOS) and food preparation to food packing and food serving.

My restaurant was open-air too, hot during the summer and noisy from street traffic. I think there were two main stations: food preparation and the cashiers, who took orders, bagged food, and made drinks.

Arriving early to pick him up, I sat at a table in the food court and alternated between looking at my phone and watching him at work. I noticed that everyone keeps busy and moves quickly, even during a lull in orders. I noticed that the food servers make eye contact and smile when they give people their food and drinks.

I was nervous and inexperienced, but everyone was really friendly. I started to understand how important it is to show up – and on time – because if someone didn’t come for their shift, there was more work for everyone. I learned to be patient when people were ordering, because they sometimes didn’t know what they wanted or asked for a custom order.

I hope I’m not spilling a secret, but my son told me that if the swirls on a cone are not quite right, and the restaurant is not busy, they can give it away to a customer, usually to a child. I think that level of trust and courtesy is empowering – and makes the restaurant look good!

Though we were a fast-food restaurant and not a coffee shop, a hostess refilled coffee for kupuna in the mornings. She cheerfully walked through the dining area, talking with people and making people feel welcome. This act of hospitality made us feel like a community and reminded me to be more courteous when I was talking with customers.

My son hasn’t received his first paycheck yet, but he’ll have earned it! And as a parent, it’s one more step to trusting that everything will be okay after graduation.

What was your first part-time job? What lessons did you learn?

Looking back on eleventh grade

Another school year has passed by so quickly, and my son finished eleventh grade. In this third year of high school, when the COVID-19 “emergency order” has ended, he seems comfortable with high school and even more challenged by his classes.

More than ever, eleventh grade marks “young adulthood” – when teens are taking on more responsibility and starting to think about their future.

Here are some reflections about our eleventh grade experience:

Realizing the importance of sleep (and that you can’t “catch up” on sleep later). It seemed that he needed more sleep than he did in middle school, staying up later and taking more naps. Teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep, according to the CDC. It was challenging to find a balance between getting enough sleep and doing homework and studying. When he takes naps, he’s trying to set timers so that his sleep is intentional, rather than accidental.

Considering how to make thoughtful choices (or, what seemed like a good idea at the time, may not be as useful in the long-run). At the time, his class selections were interesting and challenging. In hindsight, he could have chosen classesthat would strengthen his interests and be helpful to his future career. For example, unless you’re interested in biology or the healthcare field, Advanced Placement Biology might not be practical. Perhaps he could have taken a less challenging biology course, and a more challenging class in another subject.

Taking responsibility (and learning that people work differently). Eleventh grade students were required to help with the school carnival, learning lessons about responsibility, hard work, and customer service. He learned that people have different levels of job engagement and initiative. He followed-through on his commitments and stepped up to take shifts when they were understaffed.

Considering an undergraduate future (and thinking about his strengths and interests). Each high school junior got a jump-start in college counseling. He researched colleges and universities that he might be interested in attended. We attended a college fair (in stormy weather!) to talk to admissions representatives. And we met with his college counselor to talk about the recommended next steps during the summer and fall.

Gaining work experience (and considering possible careers). In addition to an online portfolio of work, he created his first resume. By the end of the school year, he applied for, interviewed for, and accepting a part-time job. We advised him to take a job with good training and a good work environment. He learned about Hawaii’s prepaid health care law and why some businesses hire more part-time workers.

What do you remember most about eleventh grade? Do you think it’s easier or harder to be a high school student today?

Journaling with kids

When my son was 4 years old, he started a “Field Trip Journal.” I told him that whenever we go to the museum, the aquarium, the zoo, and other special events, he would draw something interesting or memorable about the trip, and write a short description of it.

I thought it would be a good way to let him express himself with art, practice writing, help him remember special moments – and teach a little discipline too.

His first drawing was a picture of himself with his name and age. He drew a circle head, eyes, ears, and mouth; hair that extended around the entire face; and lines representing his legs starting from his head, and lines representing his arms extending from his legs.

Our first field trip was to the Bishop Museum. We were both tired, so I suggested that we sit near the tree house and he could draw the volcano. He drew a small volcano and lay down on a bean bag chair, and his exhaustion dropped away when another boy plopped down beside him. They had a lot of fun falling onto the bean bag chair.

At the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit, he drew a dinosaur, its tail and teeth, and a tree so it could have some shade. He wanted to draw one of the flying dinosaurs too, but after looking at his picture, he added two wheels and said it was a car.

After another field trip, “Book Time with Ronald McDonald” at the library, he drew a “McDonald girl” in his field trip journal. When I pointed out that Ronald McDonald is a boy, he said that there was a girl “in my imagination.”

After a few months, we practiced writing sentences. A year later, and I could see the change in his drawings: people had bodies, and there was more detail and background details.

When he was 5 years old, we went to Iolani Palace for an Easter Egg Hunt. When we got home, I showed him a picture of himself standing in front of the Coronation Pavilion (I called it the bandstand). He drew a picture, and then exclaimed, “It looks like real life!” 

The journals ended when he started First Grade. He had a wonderful teacher, Ms. Denny, who challenged the students with vocabulary and writing.

Do you keep a journal or diary? How do you feel when you look back at things you wrote when you were younger?