Have Blog; Will Fly

Hey gang. Take a gander at this student blogging rubric. The categories include "critical reading, critical thinking, quality of entries," and the like. Elements of this rubric could be tailored to assessing reflection as well.

Day 4 He Wahī Pa'akai

My apologies for the inconsistencies in audio. Not bad for a simple digital camera.

Mahalo everyone for a wonderful summer institute.
A hui hou.

Looking Onward

This summer institute marked the beginning of our journey together. It was very heartwarming to get to know all of you better and to discover what you believe in. Thank you for sharing your aloha with all of us.

As we begin to build, define, and shape the academy for our students, our stories and values will help to strengthen its foundation. May all the good feelings and thoughts we’ve given to each other be preserved in our hearts and planted in this new learning community.

Until we meet again, Malama Pono.

Summer 2009 Hui

Planting our ti leaf in the rich soil

The process of planting ti leaf moved my spirit today. Something happened inside as I listened to folks share their unedited thoughts while placing the ti plant into the ground. My eyes swelled up with tears after about the fifth or sixth person spoke. I sensed that they were truly speaking from their na'au.

My connection to this place is strong and all I could think about was how grateful I am to live and work in this beautiful environment made of rich, nourishing, healthy soil. Planting the ti leaf felt good. It felt good to connect the ti leaf from my home in Manoa to my work place, Kapiolani Community College. At the same time, I think I also felt guilty about taking so much from the land and not showing enough appreciation and respect for all that it has given me and my family.

Mahalo for helping me to reconnect.

Are You Worth Your Salt?

Did you know that Roman Legions were paid in salt? This payment was called "salarium." This is where the word salary came from.

Thank you Kawika, Lisa, Kelli and others for the salt you have given us and for the opportunity to give back to the earth for all that it has given to us. Planting the tea leaves today was a real spiritual experience, connecting us back to the roots from which we all came.

As I felt the salt in my hands, Matthew 5:13 came to mind, "Ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose it taste, how can it be made salty again? It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people."

By calling us salt, God is telling us that we have the responsibility and the opportunity to be a positive influence in the world. In our case, our focus is our students and it is our responsibility to let them see and be touched by the standards we set for ourselves. Like salt we can be:

1. A Preserving Agent---preserving what is good in our students

2. A Penetrating Agent---being active forces to encourage our students to reach for the highest

3. A Pleasing agent---living our lives that we bring out the best in our students

So SALT, keep your taste and continue to increase your influence on your students, your community, and your world.

Aloha and Mahalo to all of you for sharing your stories and delicious treats!

At last....I'm finally able to post!

Mahalo to all of you for such an eye-opening week!

I especially wanted to thank Lisa for her patience in helping me gain access to our group's blog this morning. There was a glitch in receiving the email which invited us all to join the blog, so guess what--I ended up creating my own blog. I now have a greater sense of empathy for students who have many questions about logging into Laulima or uploading files and photos to their e-portfolio.

There were so many "aha!" moments for me this week, and I can't wait to see how these "aha" moments can be applied to our students. I have a notepad full of ideas which stemmed from things you've shared this week.

Thank you for sharing so much of who you are, where you are from, and where you want to go.

I know it's only Thursday, but have a wonderful weekend!

mahalo

Kelli, Kawika, Kanai, Kauka, Kristine, Lavache and all of you who attended these workshops, mahalo.

I began to realize yesterday and today that the great lesson that I'm learning these days is the value of sharing. A word I used to hate, because it seemed that those who shared the most took responsibility afterward for the least when it came to actually getting something done themselves. However, I have seen those folks listed above share and also take responsibility. Not in a compulsive manner, but in a Hawaiian manner that actually got things done. We are more "together" than we were when we started, and start we have, on the road to defining these academies. I have a lot to learn about this style of process, but your examples both help and inspire me .... mahalo to you all...

Kawika, our provider of nutrition and goodness - such a hardworking, wonderful person who has depths as yet unplumbed.... waxing poetic, but for real... thank you for your generosity of spirit and sweat, your sharing so much with us. You do inspire. I want to get in shape so I donʻt have to miss out on the outside stuff again... Thank you to all for your sharing, your compassion and your friendship!
aloha nui loa! Regina

Eureka, I have found it!!! Just the place I want to plant my tea leaf. It seems that a plant is missing here, so I can add mine right in that space. A few steps to the left is the stone pathway to the mountain, the taro patch and the sweet potato patch on the hill.

A'oloko--inspiration for my students....prepare yourselves for your cherished goals. Get all the skills, knowledge, training and education that you need but always remember to look for the "unexpected" that may fall right at your feet. In career theory it is called

"Planned Happenstance."