The growth and learning that took place for me this year has an enormous impact on my professional and personal life.  Although I have many years of prior teaching experience, this year is the most that I have learned, outside of my graduate program, in terms of understanding how to be a better teacher with an expanding my tool box of tricks and strategies. I know that I will be more successful and will be able to have a positive impact on those around me and those I work directly with in the DOE and KS. As I continue to grow from these experiences I find myself wanting to learn more and set higher goals and expectations for my personal life as well as career path and profession.

Some of the challenges I faced this year were many. From getting back into the educational realm at the elementary level, to re-acclimating to the DOE system, learning the LIS way of life, personal loss, school closure due to Tūtū Pele’s uncertain lava path, to working on the fly and the back of you truck. As chaotic as it was I was never without tremendous support from my colleagues. I don’t think that I could have made through the school year if it weren’t for this. I am constantly learning more about the “new” DOE way of classroom lesson delivery, assessments and expectations. I feel that because I have my years of experience that I am able to pick-up on things quickly and adjust accordingly. I am still struggling with LIS way of living and can only hope to get more adjusted as time goes on.  Keeping this in mind will make me a better and more efficient classroom teacher, a strong partner for my DOE kumu and hopefully a valued asset to LIS.

This new position with LIS puts me in unfamiliar waters as I am not fully immersed in a teaching setting that I know or understand. From having a teaching career that I have intimate and deep knowledge of to not having clue about science or current DOE practices and expectations. I have success in working with my DOE kumu in introducing and incorporating some of the techniques and skills I have gained from being with LIS. Being back in the classroom, I am able to bring and share my experiences with my new DOE kumu as well as veterans on classroom management and effective delivery of lessons.

Prior to my position with LIS, I was fearful of observations and feedback as it was often connected to a punitive outcome, deflating the ego and questioning your ability as a kumu. However, knowing a better way of conducting these processes and the objectives I look forward to and welcome the idea of being observed and getting feedback as it will definitely make me better as an educator, professional and more importantly a person.

I look forward to more learning opportunities in the years to come as this will only strengthen my skill sets and capabilities as a kumu and hopefully one day a coach for the next generation of kumu. I hold true, now more than ever, to the notion that you never stop learning and every chance to learn something new is an opportunity to better or improve yourself is a chance to better those around you. I know that my decision to pursue a graduate degree in educational technology was a good investment as this is where education is headed and now being with LIS I can definitely have a greater impact for our keiki and our lāhui.