Akahai: Leaving better than you found it –with white gloves…the practice is grace. White gloves give the image of leaving someone clean and not staining them or leaving a blemish or scar. To leave someone unblemished is to share akahai. It does not carry an expectation of an award or reward or reciprocity, it is to share our best fish and keep our less than best fish.
Pilahi Paki as shared by Pono Shim to The Mānoa Heritage Center.
ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AKAHAI
A brook runs along the back of my cousins’ house, not too far upstream of the verdant Moanalua Gardens. When my sister, cousins and I were in our elementary years, that brook was our Exploratorium. We spent nearly everyday of the summer playing in the cool, flowing waters, allowing our curiosity to bloom. We figured out how to fit together pōhaku to dam the water and build pools to float around in. We redesigned nets to catch guppies, dojo, and tadpoles that we could raise in gallon-sized glass mayonnaise jars. We experimented with different homemade sleds used to slide down the mossy ramp that connected the stream to a canal. Just as it fed the gardens downstream, the brook nurtured our love for science, nature, and problem-solving.
While it may seem incomprehensible now, we spent much of that time unsupervised. My mom and aunt talked story in the house and only allowed us back in for meals (or to watch Kikaida). Not quite like that Japanese reality show Old Enough, we were left alone to play and create our own fun. Plus, we always knew help was one scream away. These experiences, this time alone, were critical to our successes as adults. It drew us closer, taught us to be independent, and to be fundamentally curious people.
“This matters. You can sometimes identify a bad leader by how few questions they ask; they think they already know everything they need to. In contrast, history’s great achievers tend to have an insatiable desire to learn. In his study of such accomplished creative figures, the psychologist Frank Barron found that abiding curiosity was essential to their success; their curiosity helped them stay flexible, innovative, and persistent.”
– David Brooks, “How Ivy League Admissions Broke America,” The Atlantic, December 2024
David Brooks further asserts that our current school “system encourages people to focus narrowly on cognitive tasks, but curiosity demands play and unstructured free time.” At peril is the ability of our children to be creative and imaginatively solve problems. One only need look at the rapid advances made with technology, social media, and AI to admit that many problems we encounter today could not have been conceived a few years ago. Yet, when we over-program our kids, drill them endlessly with worksheets hoping their scores will increase on a standardized test, we risk diminishing a part of their brain that will be critical to their successes later. As cited by Brooks, “In research for her book The Hungry Mind, the psychologist Susan Engel found that in kindergarten, students expressed curiosity only 2.4 times every two hours of class time. By fifth grade, that was down to 0.48 times.”
At times, focused, structured practice is necessary. For example, flashcards are one of the most effective way to build skills and strengthen active memory. However, even with flashcards, there is an optimum amount of time a child should spend studying them such as 5 – 10 minutes every couple of days. Dedicating too much time can build aversion to the task, decrease motivation, and reduce efficacy. Ultimately, overuse discourages curiosity.
Consequently, a balance must be struck. Along with short intervals of structured practice, children need ample time for free play, ideally in nature, to allow them room to imagine, problem-solve, and grow. Yet, this takes courage because it means we as parents and care-takers must let go of control. We must dampen our fears that scream “they are wasting time.” We must instead accept that even before a kupu emerges from the soil, a lot of development has been occurring below the surface, invisible to our eyes. And when we can control ourselves from dictating our children’s every move, we are engaging in an act of akahai that allows them to bloom.
5 PURSUITS of AKAHAI
Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad
Please watch this: Knowledge is Life Mary Kawena Pukui written by David Del Rocco, illustrated by Storm Kano, and read by our very own Kumu Kalei Tim Sing. Then with you child, answer the following:
- IDENTITY: Mary Kawena Pukui collected ʻike Hawaiʻi and ʻōlelo noʻeau throughout her life. Ask your kupuna for a favorite saying or words of wisdom that has been passed down in your family.
- SKILLS: Mary Kawena Pukui believed “knowledge is life.” Cite evidence from the text that shows that Mary Kawena Pukui lived by this belief.
- INTELLECT: Mary Kawena Pukui was “born during a time of turmoil in the islands.” What does “turmoil” mean?
- CRITICALITY: When Mary Kawena Pukui was a baby, the new government of Hawaiʻi outlawed the Hawaiian language. What impact did this have on the Hawaiian people? Why might Mary Kawena Pukui’s life work be considered brave and important?
- JOY: With a kupuna, look up different ʻōlelo noʻeau recorded by Mary Kawena Pukui. Find one that you like or is meaningful to you. Draw a picture of that ʻōlelo noʻeau.
STEM NIGHT AT KES

Mahalo nui loa to the families that attended this year’s STEM Night held on Friday, March 28. Professional engineers from The Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii (SEAOH) presented our students and families with three different building challenges involving LEGO, cars and towers. There were so many innovative designs. Mahalo nui loa to the SEAOH engineers, STEM Resource Teacher Karen Kimura, and Parent Community Network Coordinator Dee Fujinaka for organizing this engaging event as well as members of our staff who assisted including VP Kalei Tim Sing, Kumu Māpuana, Ms. Ing, and Mrs. Nakamura.
FAREWELL MR. JARON
Please join me in wishing Mr. Jaron, our very own School Social Worker the best as he continues his professional pursuits at the University of Hawaiʻi School of Social Work. There he will have a broader reach, influencing future social workers. Under his leadership, our rate of chronic absenteeism dropped by 13% and we established a new behavior management system. Mr. Jaron also established strong relationships with students, staff and families. We will sorely miss him. His last day is this week Friday.
CONTINUED PRACTICES:
NOʻAHUNA OF ALOHA
See Uncle Pono Shim explain the Noʻahuna, the esoteric meaning, of Aloha as taught to him by Aunty Pilahi, the Keeper of Secrets.
WEAR KĀNEʻOHE SHIRT WEDNESDAYS
Help us build unity and show our lōkahi by wearing a shirt that celebrates Kāneʻohe on Wednesdays. Wear any previous Fun Run or grade level shirt.
DAILY VIRTUAL PIKO
At the Daily Piko, we share thoughts on the Aloha value for the week which helps us become centered and ready to learn. We begin at 8 AM everyday except Wednesdays when we meet in-person. If you would like to share your reflections on the week’s Aloha value, please contact me.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Apr 10 – May 2 | State Testing |
Apr 18 | Good Friday Holiday |
May 8 | STEM Hōʻike 2:20 – 3:50 PM |
May 9 | Waiver Day – No Students |