Aloha FISH! Friends,
The 5B FISH! Were so blessed today to be able to visit w/New York Times Best-Selling Author Mr. Kwame Alexander! The morning began by Papa ‘Eha, ‘Elima, & ‘Eono (Gr. 4,5,6) ho’okipa (officially welcomed him) to our Kula (school). As we know, a ho’okipa is a Hawaiian cultural practice to welcome new visitors to our ‘aina (land).
Mr. Alexander shared his journey as a writer and reader! Even shared that he wasn’t allowed to watch much TV…he loved that he read instead! Learned so much new words through his adventures in reading! He shared how ho’omau (perseverance) is necessary in life, as his book got rejected 5 times before it was published! Need to miss some to “swish” some! Growth mindset at its finest!
He shared that he loves poetry and tells many mo’olelo (stories) through that genre! He even told of how he wrote his wedding proposal in poetic fashion! The oohhs and ahhhs were audible from the audience! 🙂 Of course, she said “YES!” He’s written 24 books to date & his book “Crossover” was the Newberry Award Winner for 
2015! By the way, ohana…his newest book, “The Playbook” is now on sale in the Scholastic book order that just went home today! Students are excited to purchase it!
Asking students what they loved best about his special presentation, here’s what they said,…”I loved the rapping!” “He kept us engaged in what he was saying because we could participate!” “He shared stories of himself & his ohana so we could build pilina (relationship) with him!” “Wow, he gets to meet other authors too”, “It’s so cool to read!” And of course, “He was so much F-U-N!’ And so much more! Learning should always be fun!
He graciously autographed our class copy of his award-winning book too! Ka’øiwi had a chance to ask him OUR class essential question “What is Your Kuleana?” His answer, “My responsibility is to change the world!” Mr. Alexander puts kuleana into action! He recently traveled to Ghana w/other educators to bring the gift of literacy to students (gave out books), built a library, and train educators there! We’ve found a partner…as the FISH! Strive to Change the World, One Heart at a Time! We hope he visits again…today, we ho’okipa (officially welcome)…next time, he returns as ohana (family)! Mahalo for sharing your mo’olelo with us! A hui hou, Mr. Alexander…until we meet again!