Part 3 of 3: Pedagogy in the Hawai'ian Islands feat. Hanahau‘oli School

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Aloha, and welcome to episode 3 in a three-part series on pedagogy in the Hawaiian Islands.

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My name is Noah Ransland, and I am a student from the University of Massachusetts Amherst,

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working as a content strategist here at the Human Restoration Project.

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Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that this is brought to you by our supporters,

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three of whom are Brian Oram, Julia Rosemary Villenti, and Matthew Thomas Fahey.

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Mahalo Nui for your ongoing support.

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You can learn more about the Human Restoration Project on our website, or find us on X slash

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Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube.

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Over this summer, Chris had put me in contact with Dr. Amber Strong Makaiao, a specialist

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at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education Institute for Teacher Education

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Secondary Program, and the head of professional development at the Hana Haoli School in Honolulu.

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She invited me to come visit the school, and that experience guided my research and focus

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during the summer project.

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I visited the school multiple times over the course of the summer, spending time digging

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through their archives and exploring various different aspects of life at Hana Haoli.

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After having been given the opportunity to see what progressive education in Hawaii

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really looks like, I wanted to share with you all my experience and the plethora of

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other experiences of the students and faculty at the school.

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The series has been building up to this episode, where we will look into the work being done

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at Hana Haoli and what progressive pedagogy in Hawaii looks like in practice.

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First, here's Amber to tell you a little bit about the history of the school.

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So there was a couple living in Hawaii, Sophie Judd Cook and George Cook, and this is around

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the turn of the century, around the early 1900s, and they were living on the island

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of Molokai, and they had a number of children.

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And Sophie was not a formal educator, but had learned a lot about ratio Amelia approaches

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to teaching and learning and was homeschooling her own children using those approaches.

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And her husband George became very interested in government, and he got elected to the Hawaii

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State Legislature to be a representative from Maui County, and the family had to move to

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the island of Oahu.

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And when they got to Oahu, they decided, well, we should send our kids to a formal school.

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And we're looking around, and a lot of the schooling options at the time were very traditional,

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they were reflective of the industrialization that was happening at that era.

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And serendipitously, there was a woman who was traveling across the country.

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She was a fourth grade teacher at the Francis Parker School in Chicago, and she was giving

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public lectures about how children could learn how to read from being in storytelling-rich

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environments, rather than memorizing words and letters from basal readers.

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And Sophie went and attended her public lecture in Honolulu at Washington Place, and she was

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enthralled with it.

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There was probably lots of parallels between what she was listening to this woman.

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Her name was Goodwin Thorne Thompson, what she was talking about and what Sophie believed

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in terms of the ratio Amelia approach.

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And went up to the woman after the lecture and said, I just adore this, I'd love for

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my children to learn in this way.

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And she said, well, why don't you start a school of your own?

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And that launched the beginning of Hana Haoli School.

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Hana Haoli in Hawaiian means joyous work.

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It was named by Sophie's brother.

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And from the very beginning, the creation of Hana Haoli in Honolulu in 1918 was a collaboration

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between the Cooks as well as many folks from the Francis Parker School and John Dewey and

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George Meade and the superintendent of the state of Hawaii, of public schools, the fledgling

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University of Hawaii.

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And so from the very start, Hana Haoli was really modeled after John Dewey's experimental

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school at the University of Chicago, but most primarily after the Francis Parker School

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in Chicago.

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And so it has lots of elements of the early East Coast progressive schools overlapping

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and integrating with Hawaii's unique cultural context.

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And so that includes just the physical layout of the school, having lots of outdoor learning

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spaces and open courtyards, the integration of multicultural education and multiple language

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Hawaiian language, Japanese language, French from the very beginning.

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And so its birth was a really unique venture and in the progressive education movement

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because it stayed true to all of those, the progressive philosophies of Dewey and Kilpatrick

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and Lucy Sprague Mitchell and all those folks.

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Yet it was adapted to be more reflective of Hawaii's multicultural society.

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Over the course of this episode, I will include a variety of voices from various students

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and faculty.

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To provide some context for what's to come, I'd like to introduce you to the people you're

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about to hear speak.

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First is Jennifer Stearley, one of the directors of faculty and curriculum and a current educator.

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For a parent's perspective, you'll hear from Veronica Kimme, who's also a faculty

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member.

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Finally, for the adults, you'll hear from Alison Backligg, director of admissions at

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Hana Haoli.

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And last but not least, you'll hear from Raleigh, Hannah, Kaoli, Taylor and Etta, students

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across different age groups.

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In the conception of this project, Amber and I identified a few core values of Hana Haoli.

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While spending time talking, covered by the canopy, and taking in the warm island air,

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Amber pointed out to me that not every progressive school is as lush and green as Hana Haoli.

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In most of the schools she had seen, where they were situated was not a key component

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of how they operated.

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Hana Haoli, on the other hand, situated itself squarely within the Hawaiian cultural and

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physical context.

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This speaks to one of the values we discussed, that of place-based pedagogy, something I

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discussed at length with Stacey in episode 2.

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I guess the first thing that comes to mind is place-based learning, which of course is

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kind of a buzzword lately, but what an amazing place to have place-based learning.

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There's such rich cultural, historical background, and unfortunately, because of the history

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of colonization, a lot of Hawaiian culture has to be rediscovered and reinvigorated.

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As a person who is not Native Hawaiian, there's so much that I need to learn and am learning.

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It's an exciting opportunity for, as a teacher, to say along with the kids, hey, I don't know

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this, but I want to know it, and I know who I can ask.

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Knowing that for them, that curiosity, and valuing where we come from in a certain way.

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I was born here, but I'm not Hawaiian, but I feel like I come from this place to a certain

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level, so I need to honor that and respect that.

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Then also, yeah, I guess really with the wonderings, what else can we learn about where we are?

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How else can we connect?

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How else can we honor this place where we are?

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The students are acutely aware of this as well, highlighting Hawaiian traditions as

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some of their favorite experiences at Hanaoli.

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I really love Makahiki, which is basically Christmas, but Hawaiian, we give authoring,

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we do dances, Hawaiian dances, chants.

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It's really fun.

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I think it's really cool that we get to do Hawaiian things, and it makes me feel connected

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to Hawaiians, and this year, the fifth grade and fourth grade is going to be the spotlight

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of Makahiki, so I'm excited to do that.

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In line with this understanding of place, Hanaoli takes a different approach to how

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it forms its curriculum.

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One of the key elements of Hawaiian pedagogy that showed up time and time again in my research

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was learning by doing.

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Just as Dr. Tsai addressed in episode one, project-based learning has been essential

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to the success of the Hawaiian education system, and Hanaoli has carried this model into the

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era of worksheets and standardized testing.

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Rather than conforming to this new epoch, Hanaoli has continued to pioneer a project-based

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model with lots of room for reflection and creativity.

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When I joined Hanaoli and was teaching in second and third grade, they had the curriculum

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almost built so that there were already a lot of projects that were incorporated into

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the learning, into the curriculum, in order to really give kids experiences and to understand

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– to get at their understanding.

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One of them that I think is pretty unique and fun and valuable is a kids' city project

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where as part of their unit learning on families, schools, and communities, the children design

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and create a city in the classroom.

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So since they have a unique setup of three different classrooms or home groups in one

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large space, the kids take over that entire space for maybe the course of a week.

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But before that even happens, the kids are planning what does a community need?

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What is a community?

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How can we show that?

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How can we make a functional community?

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What do we want in this community to make it the best it possibly can be?

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After they've done the research by going on learning trips, having guest speakers,

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doing interviews, reading, watching videos, they decide upon the elements of their city

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and gather materials that they need, map out where different parts are going to be.

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Oh, we need a bank here because it's a safe place to have a bank.

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Or we definitely need a grocery store because our community members need to eat.

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So that's one of the amazing projects that has been done in second and third.

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In fourth and fifth, it looks a little different.

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I'm coming more recently from the fourth and fifth grade classroom.

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A project that we've done a few times now is a nonviolent direct action project.

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And with that, the children are learning, I mean, with all the projects that we do at

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Honoholi, they're really learning about a larger concept.

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So in this one, they're learning about social justice.

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They're learning about being a changemaker in their communities.

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So kids have some freedom to decide what the focus of their nonviolent direct action is

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going to be.

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And they've also, before this, learned some basics about the civil rights movement.

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They're fourth and fifth graders, so they don't understand or get into all the complexities

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and the history of it.

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But they have a grounding in that and where this idea comes from.

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And they learn about Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from a Birmingham jail.

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And they decide what action they would like to take.

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They collaborate with each other on how they might take this action, whom it will affect,

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and how, their intended outcomes, what they might do if their action is not successful.

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So through the different age levels and developmental stages, kids are doing different types of

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projects to really show what they understand and develop their understanding.

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And I also like all the work and how it feels so accomplished and good when you get everything

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done, so yeah.

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Um, I'm the same with Hannah.

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I like all the traditions and how we do them.

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And then I also like how we do, like, learning by doing.

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So that just seems nice to me.

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Same.

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Can you guys explain that, what that means?

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So like, for me, it's more of like, um, like, I do this and then sometimes we'll do like

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a reflection about it.

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So it's like, we reflect, I guess.

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Yeah, I like the reflecting, except sometimes I think it's hard for me to remember, like

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sometimes.

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So I like to take notes sometimes of like, what's happened and stuff, like, yeah.

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Just so I know and I have something to reflect on.

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My favorite unit is the food unit because we would get to like, go to Matson or like

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a food product place, like center, or like factory.

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And they would give us like, a pack.

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And my favorite, like, project is when we had our ocean creatures and we got to research

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our creatures and then write about them and drop pictures.

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My favorite unit was personally Mandarin because I'm half Chinese and I get to explore

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more of who I am and my favorite project in it was, we kind of had this idea of this

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artist named Ai Weiwei and we made a project based off of something like him.

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I created like a zodiac animal in his style.

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Or yeah, and I did it with my classmates.

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Um, I don't remember any of like the big projects, but there is this one, like, I wouldn't

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call it a project, but I would call it an activity.

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So one day we had this thing called Black and White School, which was school from like

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when you were in school, like the Rose kind.

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And that was in actually the pavilion where we have our assemblies and stuff.

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And then we did Orange and White School in the back of our classroom where we did like

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a lot of stuff and we made stuff up the bell and it was really cool.

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One of the big projects that we did in the ocean unit that I really enjoyed was like,

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we would put all of our, like all of our facts and stuff that we learned into like a book

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that we would write.

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And for me, that was really fun because I like to author and write.

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So yeah, that was fun.

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I'm going to add on to that.

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I really like to author and write too, but then we got to choose like our top animals

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that we liked, like our top five animals that we liked.

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And then the teachers gave us one of those options and then we had to study that animal

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and like Raleigh said, make it into a book.

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Can I interject because I've had, can you, do you mind telling him about what it means

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to be an author and the authoring process?

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I think it's a good example of...

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Well, what we do here, which is similar out and like what authors would do,

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well, we would like write our draft and then we would self edit with the friends or a partner.

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And then we would like, after that, we would take it to our teacher and she would be like

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our editor and then she would edit for us.

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And then after we got everything edited, we would put it into a big, not a big book,

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but we would bind it and stuff after we did it.

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Well, we have to, then we have to write it on pages after we edit.

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Get to write on these certain pages.

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You can choose if you want a big book or a small book,

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but you can't keep switching back and forth.

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And so we had to like write our story again with all the edits onto the paper.

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So we basically wrote our story like two times

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and then the teacher would laminate our covers, bind it.

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We would do the about the author and dedication.

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We would choose the order and stuff.

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It was really fun and cool.

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Yeah.

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Hanahouli, at more than a century old, is a school steeped in tradition.

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Another value we identified, the traditions provide a sense of continuity,

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progress, and vision to the students as they spend each year building on the last.

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To start, one of the most well-known traditions is the stepping stone,

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where each student carves a stone with their passions, memories, or anything in between

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to be immortalized on a stone path in the courtyard of the school.

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There's a ceremony where each student steps over the stones,

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signifying the end of their journeys at Hanahouli.

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I want to put some like waves on my stepping stone

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00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,480
because one of my main passions is swimming.

225
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,920
So I want to like do some ocean-themed stuff.

226
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:16,760
So yeah.

227
00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:25,320
I thought maybe since I like volleyball, maybe I could do like a big volleyball

228
00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:30,600
and then like in the lines, I could do like other things that I like.

229
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,840
Something I want to put on my stepping stone

230
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is my like my passions and what I love to do and what I love like to eat.

231
00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,320
Well, what would you want to put on it if you were going to show your passions?

232
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Like a musubi, skateboarding, and football.

233
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:50,760
It made me like my favorite show.

234
00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:57,000
I would go with the original of what most kids do.

235
00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:03,000
I think I would want to put one big thing that represents me in the middle.

236
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:08,040
For example, like one of my passions.

237
00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:09,400
I'm not sure about that yet.

238
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:18,440
And on the sides, maybe I'll put like hopeful words for me.

239
00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:23,720
So one day, if I come back, I'll look at my stepping stone and remember what I did.

240
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I think I do a tennis ball yet, or like symbols that show what I like to do.

241
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,720
Here are some other traditions that made the students and teachers particularly excited.

242
00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:42,520
One of my favorite traditions that I haven't done yet, but it's like always so exciting,

243
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:50,440
is so we do this thing where we would grow like a mini Christmas tree.

244
00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:53,240
And then the sixth graders would cut it down.

245
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:59,640
And I always feel like joy watching them cut it because I know one day that will be me.

246
00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:04,440
And like everyone's working together and I love teamwork.

247
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:11,640
And then it's just also really joyful because while the sixth graders are cutting it,

248
00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:15,800
everyone else is watching and like singing Christmas songs.

249
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:20,120
So yeah, and then I also love holiday program.

250
00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:26,440
It's really fun for me to dance, perform, and they get all like clapping and it just,

251
00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:29,080
it feels so good once you've accomplished it.

252
00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:34,040
So every year after the performances, I always get kind of sad that it's over.

253
00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,640
And then I also love holiday program.

254
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:43,880
It's really fun for me to dance, perform, and they get all like clapping and it just,

255
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,520
it feels so good once you've accomplished it.

256
00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:51,480
So every year after the performances, I always get kind of sad that it's over.

257
00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,720
Also on the last day of school, I love the slipper toss.

258
00:20:55,720 --> 00:21:01,000
We get, we wear slippers to school and then we get to, we take off our slippers

259
00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:05,080
and then we count down the last 10 seconds of the school year.

260
00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:08,040
And we go 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

261
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:12,760
And then when we say go, we throw our slippers up in the air towards the flagpole.

262
00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,720
And then at the end, we all run and go find our slippers.

263
00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:18,920
That's how we end the year.

264
00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,400
Can you think of some other traditions to tell them about?

265
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:29,960
Yeah, so one we do is another like big program.

266
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:37,400
It, we do May Day and so we'll do like the sixth graders will do the maple dance.

267
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,680
Everyone will do songs and sometimes we'll do dance.

268
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:50,920
Dances like last time, last year, we did a Filipino dance to nickelling.

269
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:56,840
So like the bamboo poles would go in and out and we would have to dance in between them.

270
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:58,040
So that's really fun.

271
00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:03,320
So it would go out, out, out, wait, out, out, in, out, out.

272
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:08,360
And your foot has to be up in the air when it goes in.

273
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:12,520
And then you tap your foot in the middle for the da, da or out, out.

274
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:17,240
And we would have to like pay attention to the sticks and try not to get our feet smashed.

275
00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:21,480
And then we would have to do a dance with our partner according to the pattern.

276
00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:24,840
Tell them that you know it again.

277
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Tinicling.

278
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:26,760
In Tagalog?

279
00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:32,840
So and then it's just a really fun holiday program.

280
00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:51,480
And then another like tradition we do is, sorry, I forget some of my art traditions.

281
00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:55,560
There's like birthday books and the Olympics and flag and assembly.

282
00:22:56,120 --> 00:22:58,360
Olympics, that's what I was saying.

283
00:22:58,360 --> 00:22:59,640
Okay, tell them about the Olympics.

284
00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:09,080
Olympics is like, well, first the sixth graders do like Greek oratories and they have groups

285
00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:09,560
and stuff.

286
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:18,120
And then after that, they do the Olympics, like the Greek Olympics, but we do it like

287
00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:19,480
Holy Olympics.

288
00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,160
So it's like running hurdles, javelins.

289
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:33,000
Sometimes they will do, what's it called?

290
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,960
They would do 40 year dash, there's a long jump.

291
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:39,400
It's really fun.

292
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:44,440
And then there's also birthday books.

293
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:49,240
Birthday books is when it's your birthday, you have the option to choose a book.

294
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:53,160
And you make a plate that says, this birthday book is the gift of blanks.

295
00:23:54,520 --> 00:24:06,040
So and so's birthday, like blank birthday on the date of their birthday.

296
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:07,480
And then the year.

297
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:15,240
And then you get to like decorate the black, you get to glue it into the book.

298
00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:17,000
And then that lives in the library.

299
00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:22,440
So like if you come back or something, like, and you open up a book, then you can find

300
00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:23,880
your birthday book.

301
00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,120
So it's like a good memory to have.

302
00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:37,720
It's like, there's also flag and assembly of assemblies, like, you know, you sit,

303
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:39,960
there's like plays, productions.

304
00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:41,240
It's really fun.

305
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,280
And then flag, like we do the Pledge of Allegiance.

306
00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:48,120
And we have announcements and thought of the day.

307
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:49,640
And then, yeah.

308
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:51,400
Can you say what the thought of the day is really quick?

309
00:24:52,200 --> 00:25:00,680
Well, sometimes there's like the canoes and islands, the island is a canoe.

310
00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:09,080
But other days, maybe it will be like the old short player and the new short player.

311
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,640
Today may beautiful things happen to you.

312
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,160
And let us honor this day.

313
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:13,800
Yeah.

314
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:22,040
And then sometimes we'll do like Po'e or fourth and fifth this year.

315
00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:23,080
Like what we're in.

316
00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:29,080
We're going to be doing a Mandarin thought of the day or Ma'o O'ola.

317
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,960
These traditions, as you might have noticed, are often sourced from across the spectrum

318
00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,640
of different identities and cultures that make up the Hawaiian melting pot spanning

319
00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:39,400
the Pacific and beyond.

320
00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:43,080
At Hana Haoli, students learn ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi, as well as Mandarin,

321
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:45,560
somewhat recently taking the place of Japanese.

322
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,160
Students are exposed to a variety of cultures and develop a rich understanding

323
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:51,240
of the peoples present in the Hawaiian islands.

324
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,000
This reflects a cultural responsiveness that Hana Haoli strives for.

325
00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:59,000
The school seeks to give students the opportunity to reflect their own culture in their education.

326
00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:06,040
Yeah, so my husband and I are both of mixed ethnicities.

327
00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:11,560
And I would say that we both feel like we don't know enough about, you know,

328
00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,640
the cultures of our ancestors.

329
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:25,320
And I do feel like my daughter learns more about our family's, you know,

330
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:29,240
the cultures that make up our family more than we know,

331
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:31,320
than we know how to share, you know, with our kids.

332
00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:34,360
For example, my husband's a quarter native Hawaiian,

333
00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:39,720
but doesn't know very much about Hawaiian history or even Hawaiian culture.

334
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,400
And I feel like she learns that here in school and she brings that home to us.

335
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:48,840
You know, I'm a quarter Japanese and I don't know anything about being Japanese.

336
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:53,240
And she's involved in so many like Japanese traditions at school.

337
00:26:54,600 --> 00:27:00,520
And this place, I think, does a really great job of like embracing many different cultures.

338
00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:06,040
And really they just ask families to like share what is special to them,

339
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,520
you know, and what you share about yourselves.

340
00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:14,840
And so, you know, like we get to learn about so many different cultures

341
00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:17,000
just through other families sharing.

342
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:18,440
And I love that.

343
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,360
And I love that like kids really feel a lot of pride for who they are

344
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:25,320
and for how they're different from one another.

345
00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,920
And kids are genuinely interested in learning about, you know,

346
00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:30,120
each other's differences.

347
00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:36,440
Yeah, I think it's in our mission statement, in our beliefs and values,

348
00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:40,280
we do state explicitly that we value diversity,

349
00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:44,920
that it is not just something that exists, but that we value and celebrate it.

350
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:53,080
I think within the classroom, within all our little daily routines,

351
00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:59,080
we have built in ways to honor and celebrate our differences.

352
00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,680
We honor children's voice and perspective.

353
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:07,320
We welcome families into the classroom and onto campus.

354
00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,160
We have a lot of celebration of different cultural traditions.

355
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:18,840
When a family brings a cultural tradition or celebration to the classroom,

356
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:20,520
we make a big deal.

357
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:21,240
It's awesome.

358
00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:23,000
We love to learn about each other.

359
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:30,840
As far as differences, I think is something that's addressed in all ages,

360
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:36,520
like from JK to, oh, that same same and that's different to sixth grade

361
00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:40,120
when they're really exploring their personal identity

362
00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:45,320
and figuring out who they are in a larger society.

363
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:47,080
That's a question that always comes up.

364
00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:51,800
And that's always something that we explore with the kids and we celebrate

365
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:56,280
and we honor who they are as people, not just as students.

366
00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,920
This exposure to a variety of cultures serves a multitude of purposes,

367
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:05,000
one of which is reflecting the quote unquote real world back at the students.

368
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,120
Contrary to the belief that progressive education creates a bubble,

369
00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:11,720
Hanaoli strives to expose students to the complexities of real life

370
00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:14,600
and the often complicated ways in which people interact.

371
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,080
I asked how the educators and parent I spoke to

372
00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:19,880
prepare their kids for the quote unquote real world

373
00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,280
as is often considered the goal of education.

374
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:26,280
To them, the distinction between school and the real world was not quite so rigid.

375
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:33,000
I think as a teacher, something I always strive to remember

376
00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:39,320
is that when I was a child, what I was feeling and what I was thinking

377
00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:44,280
was real to me at that time.

378
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:51,400
As a child, you don't understand all the complexities of life.

379
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:53,640
You don't understand so much.

380
00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,480
But what you do know, that's authentic to you.

381
00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:03,320
So I guess it's my way of saying I want to respect the experiences of kids.

382
00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,320
Whatever they are feeling and whatever they are thinking,

383
00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:09,800
that is true to them at that moment.

384
00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:13,880
So that is their real world.

385
00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:15,080
That is their real life.

386
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:20,600
So school, again, it's not a mirror of their life.

387
00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:21,320
It is their life.

388
00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,760
This is the place where they spend so much of their time.

389
00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,840
This is where their friends are.

390
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:28,440
This is their experience.

391
00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:36,920
So helping them understand that this is a safe place where they are valued,

392
00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:41,640
but also they are expanding their understanding of the world.

393
00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:47,080
And we don't want to have a barrier between this is school,

394
00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,480
this is life, or this is school.

395
00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:57,480
So as much as we can help them find connections to the bigger world,

396
00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,240
I don't want to say the outside world,

397
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:03,960
but just the bigger world that their lives are expanding,

398
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:12,360
I guess, is our job, and to keep them curious and to keep them safe

399
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:17,320
while they do that is my goal as a teacher.

400
00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:24,280
So the kind of schools that I went to were pretty traditional,

401
00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:28,440
and I would say that I was a good student.

402
00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:29,800
I was good at school,

403
00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:39,160
but I don't feel like it prepared me for being a flexible problem solver,

404
00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:47,480
and I think that this school environment really does support that in my daughter.

405
00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:56,520
I love that she's already really good at collaborating with others,

406
00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:06,280
and that when she's given an open-ended assignment,

407
00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:13,400
that it's not overwhelming or that she's not unmotivated,

408
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:21,640
but rather she's excited to jump in and explore what she's genuinely interested in.

409
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:27,720
And I think that those are perspectives or outlooks that you need

410
00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,600
to be successful in this world today.

411
00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:36,840
So I really feel like the way that the school approaches learning

412
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:42,280
is very reflective of how we live our lives as adults,

413
00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,800
and so it really supports her in that way.

414
00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:55,560
Also, a lot of the structures here in the school involve a lot of student choice

415
00:32:56,360 --> 00:33:04,760
and a lot of freedom for kids to pursue what they're interested in,

416
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:10,440
and I love that. I think that that's going to help her a lot in her future.

417
00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:12,840
Instead of having stratified age groups,

418
00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,200
Hana Haoli promotes relationships between students across age groups,

419
00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:19,720
allowing for students to mentor and care for each other no matter their age.

420
00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:20,760
When I spoke to the students,

421
00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:24,280
this was one of the aspects of their experience at Hana Haoli that excited them the most.

422
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:31,560
Well, just by nature of the age, there's a ton of growth that's happened since she was four

423
00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:32,760
until now she's eight.

424
00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:40,280
But it's been really fun to see her evolve from,

425
00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,360
because of the multi-age structure of the classes here,

426
00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:48,680
it's been fun to watch her enter a class as a newcomer.

427
00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:52,840
We call them enterings in their first year and then continuings in their second year.

428
00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:58,520
It's been fun to watch her personality and perspective change

429
00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:02,120
from the way she approaches school as an entering

430
00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:04,760
to how she approaches it in her continuing year.

431
00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:10,360
The first multi-age grouping here is in kindergarten and first grade,

432
00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,520
and she loved being an entering in that grouping.

433
00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,200
The class is called Kokuna Okula,

434
00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:21,800
and she's used to being the baby in the family.

435
00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:26,280
She's got two older sisters I mentioned who are actually significantly older than her,

436
00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:30,920
and it comes naturally for her to ask for help,

437
00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:34,440
and she enjoys the attention that comes with being the baby.

438
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:41,880
But it doesn't come as naturally for her to be empathetic to others,

439
00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:49,320
to choose things based on the examples that it sets.

440
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:55,720
And so it was really fun to see her take on the role of the continuing,

441
00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:59,160
and to be a supporter to younger students.

442
00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,320
And this coming year, she'll be a continuing in her

443
00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:05,800
in the second multi-age grouping.

444
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,360
It's called Kula Eevee, second and third grade.

445
00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:13,000
And I'm excited to see how she approaches it this year too.

446
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:14,520
I think it'll be totally different.

447
00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:23,400
So for me, I think it's fun, interesting and fun.

448
00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:28,520
Because this year, our teachers are really pushing us to be diverse.

449
00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:34,920
That also helps us not just be boys and girls or stuff like that,

450
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:37,080
but different grades.

451
00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:42,760
Or we call them enterings for the young grade and continuance for the older grade.

452
00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:47,720
So I feel like that just gives one more step into being diverse,

453
00:35:47,720 --> 00:35:49,720
which is really important.

454
00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:56,520
Yeah, I really like it because I feel like I can go to one of the continuings

455
00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:57,880
if I'm an entering.

456
00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:02,440
And if I need any help or a question or if the teachers aren't available,

457
00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:06,600
and I can ask them my question and I feel comfortable doing that.

458
00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:12,280
And then if I am a continuing, I like getting the questions from the enterings

459
00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:16,120
because I know that they're following my footsteps in learning like I did.

460
00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:17,880
And I think that that's really cool.

461
00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:26,760
And then the only two grades that are not mixed grade is sixth grade and junior kindergarten.

462
00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:27,560
Or JK.

463
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:35,480
But I would say that they kind of mix together because we have like sixth grade buddies

464
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:36,760
and JK buddies.

465
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:45,880
So like sixth grade would have a JK buddy and so they're like together kind of.

466
00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:47,560
Yes.

467
00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:51,560
And then there's also reading buddies, which ho'e ka'ahele,

468
00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:57,560
or fourth and fifth grade, do with kakuna or kindergarten and first grade.

469
00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:59,080
So that's really cool.

470
00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:01,640
We get to every Wednesday afternoon after lunch.

471
00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:04,600
We read to our reading buddies.

472
00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:05,400
And that's really nice.

473
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:06,440
For 30 minutes.

474
00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:06,840
So yeah.

475
00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:15,400
Something that probably I'm excited to do is get a JK buddy because I really want like

476
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:20,440
a little JK buddy so I can like make stuff for them.

477
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:33,160
JK is like the littlest class of Hanahouli.

478
00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:39,240
And when you're in the highest class of Hanahouli,

479
00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:42,680
you get to have a buddy from the lowest class.

480
00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:50,840
Um, I like how when I was younger or when I was in the younger age,

481
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:54,600
the older kids treated me really respectfully.

482
00:37:54,600 --> 00:38:03,240
So I have kind of I look that year or I'm an older kid now,

483
00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:12,200
but I used to look forward to helping the little kids and having a big responsibility.

484
00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:16,920
So oh, and in third and second grade, you get like a buddy.

485
00:38:17,720 --> 00:38:19,800
It's usually second and third grades.

486
00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:26,280
And they're basically like the people you work with the most.

487
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:31,560
So yeah, that's pretty fun.

488
00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:37,640
I think the experience with fourth and fifth graders is

489
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:43,160
you can ask anybody and they're always going to be able to help you.

490
00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:46,280
You can't just the people that are older than you.

491
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:50,760
Not only do multi-age classrooms prepare students for a world not stratified by age,

492
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:53,160
but it also promotes a sense of community.

493
00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:54,840
Across various Hawaiian pedagogies,

494
00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:58,680
one of the most important shared elements is that of ohana or family.

495
00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:00,680
These are the communities we fall back on,

496
00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,400
the people we build our lives with both blood and chosen.

497
00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:07,560
Hana Haoli, rather than individualizing the education of the students,

498
00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:10,120
allows parents to be active participants.

499
00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:13,800
However, unlike the often dog-whistled notion of parental rights,

500
00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,680
parents are not expected to restrict their child's knowledge intake,

501
00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:21,320
but rather learn as an ohana what it means to explore the world as a learner.

502
00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:22,680
This is so important, in fact,

503
00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:26,040
that it is one of the key elements of the admissions process at Hana Haoli.

504
00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:31,720
You know, when a child is three and a half or four and a half years old,

505
00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,880
they're little, they're all going to be little kids,

506
00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:37,960
but they all do have an interest,

507
00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:41,480
a unique personality that we can kind of see at that age.

508
00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:46,040
So we look for just a variety of personalities of children.

509
00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:50,520
We look for if they show us different interests,

510
00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:51,720
you know, in terms of the children,

511
00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:54,840
if they're able to follow directions and kind of stay with the group.

512
00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:57,000
If it looks like they might need more needs,

513
00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,040
you know, then we're able to provide in terms of

514
00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:04,920
maybe needing a smaller group size or attention in a specific way,

515
00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:08,520
then that might be an indicator that maybe it wouldn't be a good fit.

516
00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:11,640
We also look to the parents and their response

517
00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,560
and their understanding of this school

518
00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:18,760
and their interest and willingness to participate.

519
00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:23,480
Parents enjoy a variety of ways to involve themselves in their children's education.

520
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:29,720
So this school is extraordinary in the number of opportunities

521
00:40:29,720 --> 00:40:33,480
that they create for families to be really actively involved

522
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:35,720
in their kids' school experiences.

523
00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:40,520
You know, there are a gazillion learning trips a year

524
00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:42,120
that parents can chaperone.

525
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:44,520
There are tons of fun activities in the classroom

526
00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:47,240
that they ask for extra hands with.

527
00:40:47,240 --> 00:40:49,000
They invite families to come and, you know,

528
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,800
present about things that they're familiar with

529
00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:54,920
or things that are related to the topics

530
00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:57,080
that the students are exploring in their units.

531
00:40:58,120 --> 00:40:59,960
Parents come to campus.

532
00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:03,240
I mean, any given day, you'll see many parents on campus

533
00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:08,280
just for our morning flag gatherings and our Friday assemblies.

534
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,480
It's a really welcoming community.

535
00:41:13,560 --> 00:41:15,080
And I work part-time for the school,

536
00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:17,880
and so I actually have the luxury of having a lot of time

537
00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:23,160
that I can commit to volunteering in the classroom,

538
00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:25,480
you know, and doing that stuff as a parent.

539
00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:30,120
And then I also, as an employee of the school,

540
00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:34,520
I have a really close relationship with all of her teachers

541
00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:36,040
and all of her classmates.

542
00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:39,720
I supervise recess, you know, a couple times a week,

543
00:41:39,720 --> 00:41:44,280
and I get to be a fly on the wall quite often, you know.

544
00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:47,160
So I feel really lucky that I get to be

545
00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:49,320
such a big part of her school experience.

546
00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:54,200
Yeah, there's so many different ways that family,

547
00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:58,520
I mean, family is an essential part of our school culture.

548
00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:03,080
If we took that out, it would not be the same school.

549
00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:09,640
From the moment, well, most of our families come in as JK families,

550
00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:10,920
not all, but the majority.

551
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:15,240
There are elements set up to welcome them

552
00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:18,520
and to educate them about our values as a school

553
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:22,600
and also asking them to be involved in their child's education.

554
00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:28,120
I'll paraphrase, but there is a statement in our beliefs

555
00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:31,080
saying that we believe the parent or the family

556
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:33,880
is the first and foremost educator of the child.

557
00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:37,320
And so I think we try to live that with,

558
00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,280
especially in the lower elementary,

559
00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:44,840
parents are often asked to come in as experts.

560
00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:47,160
And being an expert can be, you know,

561
00:42:47,160 --> 00:42:50,280
I am an expert at growing banana plants

562
00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:53,480
and I'm going to teach the kids about how to grow banana plants.

563
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:56,040
And it can be really simple as that,

564
00:42:56,040 --> 00:43:01,160
but we're showing the kids that we value their families,

565
00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:04,920
we value their family's knowledge and traditions

566
00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:07,880
and cultural knowledge and experiences.

567
00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:16,920
We have our Hui, which is kind of like a big version of a PTA,

568
00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:20,600
but it's everyone, it's teachers, staff, families,

569
00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:24,520
we are all together, we're all trying to be informed,

570
00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:25,960
we're all trying to be involved.

571
00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:30,520
So big and small ways, we're always trying to build

572
00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:33,800
our school community on that relationship of

573
00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:40,120
families are part of our school and school depends on our families.

574
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:45,960
Well, a specific example of a really, you know,

575
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:51,960
really engaging family project that she just had in this last year

576
00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:58,280
was the class's theme is, you know, in Kula Iwi,

577
00:43:58,280 --> 00:43:59,880
they're exploring their island home

578
00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:05,560
and the learning trips throughout the year involved going to,

579
00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,040
you know, many different places around the island

580
00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:12,120
and exploring the geography and thinking about,

581
00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:15,080
you know, just all about this place.

582
00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:19,560
But they asked families to identify a place

583
00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:22,040
that they had never been to preferably on this island,

584
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:24,840
but maybe on another island, you know, while you're on vacation

585
00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:29,000
and to approach it like a learning trip, a family learning trip

586
00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:31,720
and then to do a little reflection on it together.

587
00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:35,240
And they compiled all the reflections together

588
00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:38,440
and made a book of all of these places on the island

589
00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:40,840
that you could visit that other, you know, classmates

590
00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:42,440
had gone to with their families.

591
00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:47,640
And so we, you know, found part of the beach on the island

592
00:44:47,640 --> 00:44:53,800
that we had never been to that's got tide pools

593
00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:57,400
and, you know, is pretty well known for having a lot of wildlife.

594
00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:02,200
And we had the most amazing day and loved writing about it

595
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:03,640
and sharing photos.

596
00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:06,440
And we've got this book now of all these cool places

597
00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:08,200
and hikes that we want to check out, you know,

598
00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:10,600
that even my older kids look at all the time and are like,

599
00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:12,520
hey, we got to go to this beach, remember?

600
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:14,840
Remember so-and-so was talking about that place, let's go to it.

601
00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:20,760
So yeah, that's like one of, you know, many opportunities

602
00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:25,560
that they present families with, you know, to get really involved.

603
00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:32,040
But I also find that the school has kind of taught me

604
00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:37,720
to also like respect and honor her space

605
00:45:37,720 --> 00:45:41,800
and her initiative to pursue things that she's interested in

606
00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:44,200
and to, you know, drive her own learning.

607
00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:49,160
And I would say that in a lot of ways I was more actively

608
00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:54,520
like engaged with my older children's learning

609
00:45:54,520 --> 00:46:00,200
than I am with hers in the sense that I want to give her that room,

610
00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:03,480
you know, to like to pursue the things that she's interested

611
00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:06,200
in what she's learning about in school without, you know, me,

612
00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:08,760
you know, being involved in it.

613
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:11,640
And I think she likes that too.

614
00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:14,840
And I think that's another cool thing about the school,

615
00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:21,720
you know, that they really instill in kids, you know, desire to learn

616
00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:24,040
and to explore the things that they're interested in.

617
00:46:25,320 --> 00:46:27,880
Well, and I think another piece that I've learned, you know,

618
00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:32,760
I experienced last year was my first year as director of admissions.

619
00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:38,920
And I saw that the process set up

620
00:46:40,040 --> 00:46:43,960
prior to my becoming director of admissions was just fabulous.

621
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:50,600
What we do is we not only have small group play sessions with teachers,

622
00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:58,680
but we ask families to, the parents to join in small groups

623
00:46:59,400 --> 00:47:06,840
and to learn about how we teach here, to learn about how we center on children,

624
00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:10,600
to learn more about progressivism and learn about John Dewey

625
00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:12,840
or learn about how our school was founded.

626
00:47:12,840 --> 00:47:16,360
So we have like four sessions running at a time

627
00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:21,320
while the students or the children are with teachers in classrooms,

628
00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:23,080
parents are going to their own classrooms.

629
00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:28,040
They're maybe doing a movement dance activity

630
00:47:28,040 --> 00:47:34,280
and expressing themselves through responding to music and then reflecting.

631
00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:40,440
Or they might be in a social emotional group in the art room

632
00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:45,800
with our school counselor sharing about feelings or sharing about parenting

633
00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:51,560
and then relating that to how we teach here and how we acknowledge the whole child.

634
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:55,800
Or they might be with our librarian in the library

635
00:47:55,800 --> 00:47:59,080
learning about the beliefs and the practices here

636
00:47:59,080 --> 00:48:02,840
and what it looks like from, you know, the early ages,

637
00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:06,760
the junior kindergarten and all the way to sixth grade.

638
00:48:06,760 --> 00:48:13,560
So that the cool thing about that is the parents are as excited

639
00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:17,400
or more excited than the children in their experience.

640
00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:21,560
They're like, wow, I really am understanding this a little bit more.

641
00:48:21,560 --> 00:48:24,840
I'm loving this, so I want this for my child.

642
00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:28,920
Or they might come away, you know, those who don't want it,

643
00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:30,520
they're not necessarily telling me.

644
00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:35,400
But I think it's been a really great way of sharing about our school

645
00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:38,600
so that families coming in, they know from the start,

646
00:48:38,600 --> 00:48:40,360
we're not a traditional school.

647
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:44,440
They're not going to be sitting at desks all the time,

648
00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:47,880
although we absolutely do use desks and we absolutely do teach skills

649
00:48:47,880 --> 00:48:52,920
and we absolutely do look at, you know, growth over time with the children.

650
00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:59,960
So those pieces of interviewing and have the parents involved

651
00:48:59,960 --> 00:49:02,600
and then also having the parent docents,

652
00:49:02,600 --> 00:49:05,560
I think that really shows how our community is

653
00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:10,920
totally woven into the fabric of what we do here

654
00:49:10,920 --> 00:49:15,320
and how we relate to the world.

655
00:49:16,360 --> 00:49:17,960
Okay, I've said it a lot.

656
00:49:19,240 --> 00:49:21,000
It is important to recognize, however,

657
00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:23,720
that the school doesn't exist within a vacuum.

658
00:49:23,720 --> 00:49:27,960
Hawaii has one of the lowest rated education systems in the United States.

659
00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:30,760
Public schools are often underfunded, understaffed,

660
00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:33,880
and don't provide the potential for upward mobility to their students.

661
00:49:34,520 --> 00:49:37,400
Hana Haoli, like many of the notable Hawaiian private schools,

662
00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:38,840
tends to serve a privileged group.

663
00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:42,360
However, they continue to make efforts to expand their student body

664
00:49:42,360 --> 00:49:44,760
and push back against the cutthroat competition

665
00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:47,160
that defines Hawaiian education today.

666
00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:49,240
Here's Allison with more on the admissions process.

667
00:49:50,520 --> 00:49:57,720
You know, one of the things we want to do is to reach out to different preschools, really,

668
00:49:57,720 --> 00:50:03,960
and to that have not typically had children come to us.

669
00:50:03,960 --> 00:50:11,400
So one of the things I want to do this year is sort of expand our network or reach to

670
00:50:13,720 --> 00:50:18,280
schools and other areas of the island that have not traditionally,

671
00:50:21,560 --> 00:50:24,040
we haven't had applicants from those schools.

672
00:50:24,040 --> 00:50:28,040
So that's one idea right now that we have.

673
00:50:28,040 --> 00:50:34,680
We have a couple of, you know, half our applicants come from a handful of schools,

674
00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:38,520
and the other half come from a variety of schools.

675
00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:43,240
So I want to plug into those variety of schools to find our applicants.

676
00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:51,080
We also are going to have a committee from our board and be looking at financial aid

677
00:50:51,080 --> 00:51:00,360
and looking more completely at how our financial aid might support diversity in our school

678
00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:05,480
and whether that's adequate or whether we need to make any changes in that.

679
00:51:05,480 --> 00:51:08,360
So I think those two ways reaching out to different schools

680
00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:13,880
and then having our board on the other side look at that aspect.

681
00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:24,280
The University of Hawaii has a progressive pedagogy program, and that might be,

682
00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:31,000
that's a way we've gotten several teachers, really excellent teachers, have joined us.

683
00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:37,240
And I'm not sure if that's also a way to expand our, I mean, they know more about hanahale in that way,

684
00:51:37,240 --> 00:51:41,640
you know, they might apply their children, but perhaps there's another way that that could support

685
00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:47,160
spreading our knowledge about our school in another direction.

686
00:51:48,200 --> 00:51:54,280
Part of what works about hanahale and what makes it unique is that we are a small school,

687
00:51:54,280 --> 00:51:57,560
and you really can know everybody when you're a small school,

688
00:51:57,560 --> 00:52:04,600
and that's one of the things that makes it special in our progressive mission.

689
00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:10,520
But also a part of our mission is that we reach out to the broader community

690
00:52:10,600 --> 00:52:21,080
and we've had a summer school program called the skills we need for the last couple of years,

691
00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:27,560
and that may possibly expand or at least be continuous that, you know,

692
00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:32,440
we have children from the public schools come here, we have funding that's provided

693
00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:37,320
that summer experience for them, but really to have a greater impact, you know, in the

694
00:52:38,280 --> 00:52:45,800
state school system, our professional development center, which Amber Strong Makaiao has been

695
00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:52,680
involved with, along with Veronica Kimi, that has been a way that we've been able to

696
00:52:52,680 --> 00:52:59,000
expand our reach and expand our knowledge and our, you know, care for the schools in Hawaii.

697
00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:03,720
And we've had many participants from the Department of Education in that way.

698
00:53:04,680 --> 00:53:09,000
Hana Haoli, as well as being an example of progressive pedagogy, also has a field

699
00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:13,800
pioneering professional development network. Run by Amber, Hana Haoli's PD both teaches

700
00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:17,400
and practices the ideas and philosophies that sets Hana Haoli apart.

701
00:53:21,080 --> 00:53:25,560
What kind of professional development do you do at Hana Haoli? And in particular,

702
00:53:25,560 --> 00:53:29,720
how does it differ from sort of the typical model of education professional development,

703
00:53:29,720 --> 00:53:35,960
both in terms of the content and the structure? Yeah, so Hana Haoli School has a professional

704
00:53:35,960 --> 00:53:40,680
development center, which has a director, which is myself. And uniquely, it's a bridge,

705
00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:47,320
bridge program between the University of Hawaii and Hana Haoli School. And I'd say that it's

706
00:53:47,320 --> 00:53:51,880
really modeled after what John Dewey was doing with the experimental school at the University

707
00:53:51,880 --> 00:53:59,240
of Chicago, and which John Goodlad wrote about many years later, but really looking at school

708
00:53:59,240 --> 00:54:05,000
university partnerships and looking at how this helps schools become better because you have the

709
00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:11,640
influx of new ideas and new teachers and research and scholarship and pushing innovation. And then

710
00:54:11,640 --> 00:54:17,560
it supports the work of universities because it's real life living schools that students

711
00:54:17,560 --> 00:54:23,240
can learn how to teach in, scholars can come and study, and researchers can come and do work in.

712
00:54:23,880 --> 00:54:30,360
And so our professional development center at Hana Haoli has multiple types of programs.

713
00:54:30,920 --> 00:54:36,040
We run workshops and public talks. We have a two-week summer institute and integrated

714
00:54:36,040 --> 00:54:43,240
interdisciplinary thematic curriculum design. And the main goal of all of these is to offer

715
00:54:43,240 --> 00:54:48,840
educative experiences that are led by progressive education teachers that align to our progressive

716
00:54:48,840 --> 00:54:54,760
education mission. We have programs such as that, but we also really use the school

717
00:54:54,760 --> 00:55:01,880
as a living laboratory. So we have school tours designed for educators, long-term scholars and

718
00:55:01,880 --> 00:55:07,000
residents, shorter-term scholars and residents, where people can come and see things that they're

719
00:55:07,000 --> 00:55:11,080
exploring and thinking about in education in action. So for example, if they're interested

720
00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:15,880
in team teaching or what a multi-age classroom looks like, that instead of just reading about

721
00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:21,400
it in a book or taking a workshop on it, you can come and experience it for yourself alongside the

722
00:55:21,400 --> 00:55:28,360
teachers and students at Hana Haoli. In addition, we have teacher candidates. So folks who are

723
00:55:28,360 --> 00:55:34,200
learning how to teach are on campus. And by having that experience to experience progressive

724
00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:39,480
education firsthand as a first-year novice teacher, it really fundamentally shapes the type of

725
00:55:39,480 --> 00:55:45,800
teachers folks become. And then we're also producing resources and materials and curriculum

726
00:55:46,360 --> 00:55:51,240
by working with all of the teachers that collaborate with us in either long-term scholars

727
00:55:51,240 --> 00:55:58,920
or through workshops and things like that. So I just want to emphasize the way in which we

728
00:55:58,920 --> 00:56:07,240
leverage being able to have learning happen alongside children and families and teachers

729
00:56:07,240 --> 00:56:12,600
as a part of the regular school day and the ways in which that grows the profession of teaching and

730
00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:17,560
helps to grow folks that have real hands-on experience with progressive education. And it

731
00:56:17,560 --> 00:56:24,440
also helps Hana Haoli grow and become a better school itself. Yeah, and so how important but

732
00:56:24,440 --> 00:56:32,680
also what role do you view professional development as part of the larger identity and project of the

733
00:56:32,680 --> 00:56:39,080
Hana Haoli school? Yeah, I mean, I think it's really aligned nicely with our progressive mission of

734
00:56:40,040 --> 00:56:44,600
supporting school communities to create a better future society for today's children.

735
00:56:46,680 --> 00:56:55,720
I think that by we are able to service the 210 plus families whose children attend the school,

736
00:56:56,440 --> 00:57:03,320
but by extension, the school is able to do work in the broader community and to have a bigger reach

737
00:57:03,960 --> 00:57:07,960
and a bigger impact. And I just think that that's so closely aligned to

738
00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:14,840
what it means to be a progressive educator. And that when you're a progressive teacher,

739
00:57:14,840 --> 00:57:19,400
you're thinking about the kids in your classroom, but you're also thinking about how can we apply

740
00:57:19,400 --> 00:57:23,400
the work that we're doing in our classroom to actually make real change in the world and

741
00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:28,840
society at large. And I think by having a professional development arm of the school,

742
00:57:29,480 --> 00:57:36,760
this really enables Hana Holy to fulfill its progressive mission in exponential ways.

743
00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:43,720
So we identified a couple of core values. Just as a reminder, we had learning by doing traditions

744
00:57:43,720 --> 00:57:48,360
and responding to a changing world, learning at school mirrors the real world learning,

745
00:57:48,360 --> 00:57:52,600
Ohana connection to community building and cultural responsiveness. How do you see those

746
00:57:52,600 --> 00:57:59,640
values reflected in the, you know, the way you engage in professional development?

747
00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:03,640
Well, I would definitely say learning by doing was at the top of your list. And I,

748
00:58:03,640 --> 00:58:07,000
I mean, I think I've, I've said this, but I really think that that's,

749
00:58:08,040 --> 00:58:13,480
it's great to be able to have scholarship and research that you can read. It's great to work

750
00:58:13,480 --> 00:58:18,280
with an expert teacher in a professional development setting where you're thinking along

751
00:58:18,360 --> 00:58:24,440
with other professionals, but it just takes it another step further when you're able to go

752
00:58:24,440 --> 00:58:33,720
and see it in a real classroom or as a scholar in residence to have the opportunity to experiment

753
00:58:33,720 --> 00:58:41,160
with an idea that you're testing out in a real classroom or school setting. And I'll give an

754
00:58:41,160 --> 00:58:47,720
example. Um, last year we had a student in our, um, master's program in progressive philosophy

755
00:58:47,720 --> 00:58:52,680
and pedagogy. His name is Brendan McCarthy, and he was really interested in exploring

756
00:58:53,320 --> 00:59:00,680
how we could use film and students producing films to learn more about what children love

757
00:59:01,480 --> 00:59:07,480
and how can we use knowing about what they love to then create future programming at our school.

758
00:59:08,120 --> 00:59:16,600
So as a part of his master's program, Brendan facilitated a school wide, I want to know what

759
00:59:16,600 --> 00:59:25,320
love is film festival at Hana Holy school. So each all 210 students made films about what they love

760
00:59:25,320 --> 00:59:31,560
to do. Um, they started out with a nine 19 second film and they got to show it to their peers and

761
00:59:31,560 --> 00:59:35,640
they, um, gave a critique and then they produced another film. And at the end of the year, we had

762
00:59:35,640 --> 00:59:41,000
a film festival with the whole school and then we were able to analyze and look at what the

763
00:59:41,560 --> 00:59:46,760
students had made their films about and to help to use that to help us with future programming at

764
00:59:46,760 --> 00:59:52,520
the school. And that's just a great example of, you know, Brendan could have been at the university

765
00:59:52,520 --> 00:59:57,720
taking a class about progressive education, written a paper about how great would it be to

766
00:59:58,280 --> 01:00:03,720
have this film festival with children to explore what they love to do. But he also got to actually

767
01:00:03,720 --> 01:00:09,080
go and make it happen and to be able to spend an extended period of time working on that.

768
01:00:09,880 --> 01:00:13,720
I think that's something, you know, teachers don't always have the opportunity. Our professional

769
01:00:13,720 --> 01:00:19,640
development experiences are typically short and in chunks and to be able to have projects that you

770
01:00:19,640 --> 01:00:26,040
can work on over time within real school settings is just, I mean, that's learning by doing to its

771
01:00:26,040 --> 01:00:33,560
core. What sort of audience do you find, you know, engages in your professional development? Is it

772
01:00:33,720 --> 01:00:39,880
usually educators who want to try something new or educators who are already sort of immersed in

773
01:00:39,880 --> 01:00:44,600
the world of progressive pedagogy or have a background in it? Yeah, I'd say both. I think

774
01:00:46,120 --> 01:00:51,080
we have folks that have an understanding of what it means to be a progressive educator and they're

775
01:00:51,080 --> 01:00:57,400
looking for professional development opportunities that are going to help them further that aspect of

776
01:00:57,400 --> 01:01:05,240
who they are as an educator. So, for example, we had a DOE department of education elementary

777
01:01:05,240 --> 01:01:11,800
teacher last year who really wanted to see for herself and to think more with teachers and

778
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:17,400
students at Hanahouli about how play can be integrated into learning in the early years.

779
01:01:17,960 --> 01:01:23,800
And so this was something that she had already identified for herself that she valued and she

780
01:01:23,800 --> 01:01:30,840
sought us out to help her work on that. I also think that because so many of our workshops are

781
01:01:30,840 --> 01:01:37,800
responding to our changing world and they focus on topics that teachers who may not identify as

782
01:01:37,800 --> 01:01:43,480
progressive recognize, man, I really want to go and learn something more about how to teach about

783
01:01:43,480 --> 01:01:49,640
climate justice or how to integrate more social emotional learning opportunities in my classroom

784
01:01:50,280 --> 01:01:53,800
or what does it mean to be a social justice educator? I've heard a lot about this. So they

785
01:01:53,800 --> 01:02:00,520
come to us not really with any background in progressive education and really fall in love

786
01:02:00,520 --> 01:02:08,760
with the community and the community of learners and the support and the thinking and looking at

787
01:02:08,760 --> 01:02:16,360
teaching as an art. And so I think in that way we invite and bring in new folks who maybe had

788
01:02:17,080 --> 01:02:21,720
little understanding of what progressive education is and open the doors to what the possibility

789
01:02:21,720 --> 01:02:27,640
that might be. And really the whole aim is that they can come and experience things at Hanahouli

790
01:02:27,640 --> 01:02:34,600
and see the possibilities and then go make this happen in their own classrooms. And some schools

791
01:02:34,600 --> 01:02:39,320
are progressive from the top down. They have progressive leadership or they have structures

792
01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:45,320
and systems that allow them to be progressive. But a lot of times progressive movements can

793
01:02:45,320 --> 01:02:49,960
happen from the bottom up, you know, one teacher at a time that says, you know, I want to start

794
01:02:49,960 --> 01:02:55,480
doing integrated interdisciplinary thematic units of study. And I learned about it. Now I'm going

795
01:02:55,480 --> 01:03:00,920
to bring in my colleagues and we're going to grow this from the bottom up. And so in your

796
01:03:00,920 --> 01:03:06,600
professional development, how do you prepare educators for work in the progressive sphere?

797
01:03:06,600 --> 01:03:11,080
But I think more importantly, outside of the progressive sphere and sort of combining

798
01:03:11,080 --> 01:03:18,200
two questions that I have, what sort of skills and recommendations do you provide

799
01:03:18,200 --> 01:03:24,520
for educators who want to introduce progressive ideas in contexts that are maybe more resistant

800
01:03:24,520 --> 01:03:30,520
to those ideas? Yeah. So to answer the second part of your question about how do you support

801
01:03:30,520 --> 01:03:37,400
folks that find themselves in more traditional school settings, I think the first part is that

802
01:03:37,400 --> 01:03:44,680
when they attend a workshop or come to Honoholi School and they see something that they believe

803
01:03:44,680 --> 01:03:49,480
philosophically about how school should be organized or how teaching should be, but they

804
01:03:49,480 --> 01:03:55,160
don't see it at their own school or they're not surrounded by people that have similar philosophies

805
01:03:55,160 --> 01:04:03,400
or beliefs. That in itself is validating to know that this is now proven by science and effective

806
01:04:03,400 --> 01:04:08,360
way of teaching and people are doing it and it's successful. So I think that's validating.

807
01:04:09,720 --> 01:04:15,320
And then we do the best that we can to really all of our professional learning experiences are

808
01:04:15,320 --> 01:04:21,800
grounded in community and they're collaborative and we're socially constructing knowledge. So that

809
01:04:21,800 --> 01:04:27,480
involves talking and thinking with other people. And so they begin to build a network of peers

810
01:04:28,120 --> 01:04:32,200
and like-minded peers that even though they're not at the same school, they can connect with

811
01:04:32,200 --> 01:04:39,400
one another beyond the workshop and do the work together. And then we also try to set up structurally

812
01:04:39,400 --> 01:04:47,880
as a part of many of our learning experiences that folks have support over time. So for example,

813
01:04:47,880 --> 01:04:53,240
with the Thematic Institute that we do in the summer, they design curriculum for a two-week

814
01:04:53,240 --> 01:04:57,640
period in the summer and then they start implementing in their classroom and schools in the fall

815
01:04:58,280 --> 01:05:02,760
and we meet with them periodically in our community of learners and check in and say

816
01:05:02,760 --> 01:05:07,560
how are things going? What sort of support that do you need? So I think being able to give

817
01:05:09,160 --> 01:05:14,280
ongoing support and then knowing just that we are a resource in the community that they can always

818
01:05:14,280 --> 01:05:22,200
come back to I think is one way in which we ensure the longevity of the practice and that

819
01:05:22,680 --> 01:05:27,640
um people can regularly have contact to help them keep growing and

820
01:05:27,640 --> 01:05:30,280
the support they need to make the movement grow in their own schools.

821
01:05:34,920 --> 01:05:38,840
In the end, what makes all of this worthwhile is the students being able to explore their

822
01:05:38,840 --> 01:05:44,120
interests in a safe and supportive environment. What struck me was just how joyous and lively

823
01:05:44,120 --> 01:05:48,600
the students were when discussing their time at Hana Haoli. They were often talking over

824
01:05:48,600 --> 01:05:52,200
each other in our interviews, each trying to get a word in about their favorite projects,

825
01:05:52,200 --> 01:05:57,320
traditions, you name it. They clearly love what they do. The faculty I spoke to as well had

826
01:05:57,320 --> 01:06:05,880
nothing but love for their jobs and responsibilities. My favorite parts are like I said I think

827
01:06:06,760 --> 01:06:14,760
the validation that people get that they have this little voice inside of them about what they know

828
01:06:14,760 --> 01:06:22,200
is good for children and good for kids and good for themselves as a teacher and good for society

829
01:06:23,880 --> 01:06:29,560
and yet they're not seeing that or they're not able to express that in the schools that they're

830
01:06:29,560 --> 01:06:35,960
at or in the professional communities that they're working in and to have them come to

831
01:06:35,960 --> 01:06:42,360
our workshops or spend time on campus it's almost like you can see a relief wash over them that this

832
01:06:42,360 --> 01:06:48,280
is truly a possibility and that this is a reality. It's not just something that philosophers are

833
01:06:48,280 --> 01:06:54,360
writing about in books but it can really happen. It's almost like Christmas morning

834
01:06:55,800 --> 01:07:02,280
that just to see that in somebody's face when they realize that this reality is possible and

835
01:07:02,280 --> 01:07:07,640
then it fuels them to want to go and make that reality where they are. I think that's so rewarding

836
01:07:07,640 --> 01:07:15,240
and it's part of why I do what I do, what I'm driven by, that more and more children

837
01:07:15,240 --> 01:07:21,320
and communities have access to a more humane education like this and so in any way possible

838
01:07:23,560 --> 01:07:27,800
to fan the flame and make that happen in other schools I think is really rewarding.

839
01:07:28,760 --> 01:07:33,720
What is the hardest part? What was the most challenging I think was the second part of

840
01:07:33,720 --> 01:07:40,840
your question? Well honestly right now what I'm really working on is setting up institutional

841
01:07:40,840 --> 01:07:47,080
structures to ensure that this partnership between the University of Hawaii and Hana

842
01:07:47,080 --> 01:07:54,680
Haoli School endures over time and that just like Hana Haoli can serve as an inspiration

843
01:07:54,680 --> 01:07:59,960
for teachers to see how progressive teaching and learning looks like, that the Hana Haoli

844
01:07:59,960 --> 01:08:05,400
University partnership can be an inspiration for other schools and universities to see what

845
01:08:05,400 --> 01:08:11,560
a successful school university partnership can look like. I mean this was John Dewey's dream

846
01:08:11,560 --> 01:08:16,360
from day one. I mean this is what he was aiming to do at the experimental school of the University

847
01:08:16,360 --> 01:08:23,560
of Chicago and it's just extremely difficult to have large institutions partner with each other

848
01:08:23,560 --> 01:08:32,440
and work in tandem with one another over time and John Budlad has read about this extensively

849
01:08:32,440 --> 01:08:37,800
as well. I mean I was a part of a partnership school in the Department of Education where I

850
01:08:37,800 --> 01:08:44,520
got my masters and unfortunately that no longer exists so I'm just determined to crack the nut

851
01:08:44,520 --> 01:08:51,160
of why is this so challenging to have school university partnerships when it makes so much

852
01:08:51,160 --> 01:08:58,520
sense for not only the profession of teaching but for a better future society and so I think

853
01:08:58,520 --> 01:09:03,400
that's one of my biggest challenges right now that I'm working on setting up institutional

854
01:09:03,400 --> 01:09:09,160
structures so that this becomes a model for other universities and schools. There's a few things

855
01:09:09,160 --> 01:09:17,240
that I like the most about my job so I might not have a singular answer. One is that I get to see

856
01:09:17,240 --> 01:09:26,440
the whole school. I'm not siloed so to speak in one classroom and needing to make sure that my

857
01:09:26,440 --> 01:09:34,520
our group of children is cared for all day long. I can sort of have a wider view of the day and

858
01:09:35,720 --> 01:09:41,240
visit classrooms see what's going on so that I'll know what to share with families but also so that

859
01:09:41,240 --> 01:09:46,440
I can you know help with enrollment and any questions families may have along the way. So

860
01:09:46,440 --> 01:09:55,800
I love having the wider range and the freedom to see every aspect of the school and I also love

861
01:09:55,800 --> 01:10:02,520
talking with parents about our school. I love relating to different families. I just really

862
01:10:02,520 --> 01:10:13,400
enjoy that a lot and what do I like least? Maybe that I'm impatient and want to have make a lot

863
01:10:13,400 --> 01:10:20,040
of changes all at once that I need to be more patient to wait for those changes to come. That's

864
01:10:20,040 --> 01:10:26,120
the hardest part for me like I want to make changes and I know it's going to be several years so I need

865
01:10:26,120 --> 01:10:33,960
to like hold off and and go more slowly slow down and be okay with that but it's it's a really

866
01:10:33,960 --> 01:10:41,160
exciting place to work. When you start a new job you have that imposter syndrome and that lasted

867
01:10:41,160 --> 01:10:47,240
for a little while and then I realized no no I love this school you know about the school I can

868
01:10:47,240 --> 01:10:53,400
share with families and learn along the way just like our students are. You know so I actually

869
01:10:53,400 --> 01:10:59,960
moved around quite a bit too when I was young and I did have I did attend very traditional schools

870
01:11:01,160 --> 01:11:09,800
and I would say I mean the way that I know that she will build she's a part of a community that

871
01:11:09,800 --> 01:11:15,960
she will be a part of for a very long time if not forever. You know for the rest of her life

872
01:11:15,960 --> 01:11:20,200
really I can feel already that this community is going to be a part of her life forever.

873
01:11:21,160 --> 01:11:25,080
I think that that's really different from what I grew up with you know because I moved around

874
01:11:25,080 --> 01:11:30,440
a bunch and because it transitioned from you know my elementary school to my middle school

875
01:11:30,440 --> 01:11:37,480
to my high school. Here at Hanahouli it feels like a it's a the even though it's only eight

876
01:11:37,480 --> 01:11:43,160
years that they spend here it feels like a really significant part of a kid's life you know.

877
01:11:45,240 --> 01:11:50,520
So yeah I think so I would say the major difference is that you know she's going to

878
01:11:50,520 --> 01:11:55,640
be a part of this community for a really long time and she really feels a sense of belonging

879
01:11:55,640 --> 01:12:01,880
to this community. You know when I talk to her about like she's attending summer school at

880
01:12:01,880 --> 01:12:07,960
another school just a bigger school to you know so that hopefully she'll have an easy time adapting

881
01:12:07,960 --> 01:12:12,520
to new situations because this place is so nurturing and it's so consistent in her life.

882
01:12:13,320 --> 01:12:17,080
When I talk to her about you know eventually when you're in middle school you'll go to another

883
01:12:17,080 --> 01:12:20,600
school like this one maybe you'll go to the school that your sisters go to and she says

884
01:12:21,240 --> 01:12:26,680
no I never want to go to another school. I love Hanahouli so much you know and I can see how safe

885
01:12:26,680 --> 01:12:33,240
she feels here and how much she feels like herself you know and she can't imagine being anywhere else.

886
01:12:34,040 --> 01:12:41,320
Like a lot of kids say like oh school's so boring I don't like homework yeah but Hanahouli makes me

887
01:12:41,320 --> 01:12:48,680
feel I don't know how exactly to say it but like it makes me feel like oh yes I get to go to school

888
01:12:48,680 --> 01:12:55,800
I want to go to school and for me I actually love homework so yeah I'm kind of the opposite

889
01:12:55,800 --> 01:13:03,000
and then like Hanahouli has taught me to love homework. Yeah I like homework but not if I have

890
01:13:03,000 --> 01:13:09,720
a lot after school like today I have a lot after school so luckily it's a Friday and there's no

891
01:13:09,720 --> 01:13:17,320
homework but I just um I like homework otherwise. So what's your one word that you would use to

892
01:13:17,320 --> 01:13:23,320
describe? And then we gotta go. Joyous and fun I'll say yeah joyous and fun.

893
01:13:24,600 --> 01:13:32,280
My favorite part is probably recess because we let we get to like let all our energy out before we

894
01:13:32,280 --> 01:13:42,760
start again and learn. Um my favorite is the specialists we have music, manner, and PE

895
01:13:43,320 --> 01:13:52,120
because unlike the other classes they're a little different and um you get it's like like going

896
01:13:52,120 --> 01:14:03,000
into an like another world where you could each do something fun it's like escaping from all the

897
01:14:03,000 --> 01:14:11,400
hard work yeah. Um yeah I think I like recess because sometimes um there are friends that you

898
01:14:11,400 --> 01:14:16,440
want to play with but you can't because they're in like different cohorts um so like during recess

899
01:14:16,440 --> 01:14:24,360
you're able to like talk to them or uh spend time with them. Learning by doing what our school means

900
01:14:24,360 --> 01:14:37,080
is um joyous work. Oli means joyous and hana means work. No other way. No and because in

901
01:14:37,080 --> 01:14:44,520
Hawaii it's backwards so our school means joyous work. And a couple like five six years ago I think

902
01:14:44,520 --> 01:14:54,360
it was we celebrated the 100th year of school and that was the 100th year of one century of

903
01:14:55,960 --> 01:15:05,640
and then yeah like I also don't like to be pushed so I think it's like like the teachers I guess

904
01:15:05,640 --> 01:15:12,360
would need to like challenge the kids a bit but not like come on do this this this this

905
01:15:12,360 --> 01:15:21,080
this this um but like letting them go at their pace but still pushing them but a bit to challenge

906
01:15:21,080 --> 01:15:28,200
them get their minds going. I also like the creativity of the school where like all of our

907
01:15:28,200 --> 01:15:34,840
traditions and the creativity and one of my favorite classes I want to say it's art because

908
01:15:34,840 --> 01:15:41,000
I love art I like to draw like faces or self-portraits and right now we're making

909
01:15:41,000 --> 01:15:49,960
our kappa for Makiki and I think that's really cool. I think progressive education is like

910
01:15:50,680 --> 01:16:00,280
moving on like you keep going forward and never stop and like keep be like outstanding.

911
01:16:01,000 --> 01:16:10,760
To me it means to go forward but also my parents tell me this but it's okay to look back on

912
01:16:11,560 --> 01:16:17,560
mistakes that you made so you can keep going forward in the future.

913
01:16:17,560 --> 01:16:30,680
I think progressive education to me is kind of like yeah um like Hanahouli learning by doing

914
01:16:31,240 --> 01:16:34,840
instead of um and knowing what you're supposed to do and why.

915
01:16:35,880 --> 01:16:40,920
Do you guys remember that in your school unit when you learned about like traditional schools

916
01:16:40,920 --> 01:16:46,600
and then progressive education is the type of school at Hanahouli so knowing that that that's

917
01:16:46,600 --> 01:16:51,800
what that word means. Do you two want to elaborate on what you believe this type of education is

918
01:16:51,800 --> 01:17:01,800
about? Yeah having a choice and like being independent. I can be who I want in the future

919
01:17:01,800 --> 01:17:10,760
it's like um building and holding yourself um with all the education you did so you can be who you are.

920
01:17:11,560 --> 01:17:16,200
Thank you again for listening to our podcast at Human Restoration Project. I hope this conversation

921
01:17:16,200 --> 01:17:20,520
leaves you inspired and ready to start making change. If you enjoyed listening please consider

922
01:17:20,520 --> 01:17:25,480
leaving us a review on your favorite podcast player. Plus find a whole host of free resources,

923
01:17:25,480 --> 01:17:30,440
writings, and other podcasts all for free on our website humanrestorationproject.org. Thank you.

924
01:17:40,760 --> 01:17:41,080
you

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