Monthly Archives: November 2023

Literally, great breath

Pukui, Mary Kawena, Hawaiian dictionary : Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian

s., Aho, patient, and nui, much. Forbearance; long suffering; patience.

Andrews, Hawaiian Dictionary, 1865

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AHONUI

Have you ever struggled to find an appropriate response after someone told you about something bad that happened to them? You feel a mounting pressure to say something but the words are not coming. You want to help this person feel better and take away their pain. You try to place yourself in their “shoes” and say the things you might want to hear. In the end, you say something, but did your words make a difference? 

Ahonui along with haʻahaʻa help us to find the most appropriate response and when to relay it. Where haʻahaʻa is about emptying ourselves of thoughts, ego and judgement when listening to someone, ahonui is about waiting for the moment by being attentive to the speaker and intuiting what type of response is needed and when. 

Recently, I had the honor of sitting in on a book talk by Stephanie Malia Krauss, author of Whole Child, Whole Life: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, Learn, and Thrive. The book talk was different in that high school students were invited to share their thoughts about what adults needed to hear about their lives and struggles. Meanwhile, adults were to sit in haʻahaʻa and listen. The students talked about being crushed by the tremendous pressure to achieve while grappling with feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression. They felt misunderstood by their parents and teachers, being told to “be strong” or “don’t worry about that.” 

As a teen, I certainly experienced similar feelings, but I did not have the added stressors that comes with social media and being isolated during my formative years. How do I know what to say to help these teens – especially when I too was taught to swallow my emotions, not show weakness, and just carry on? – Lessons that arguably have led others in our past to instead excessively self-medicate with substances, express frustrations by abusing loved ones, and/or retreat into isolation.  

Instead of advising the students or presenting them with a solution, Ms. Krauss modeled haʻahaʻa and ahonui during her talk. She communicated with empathy, paraphrasing and then asking students if she completely heard them. She did not judge or criticize what was said. Instead she showed acceptance and compassion. 

In our own relationships, that can sometimes be hard to express, especially when our ego and own sense of protectiveness kicks in. So it’s important to remember to exhale and empty ourselves of judgement, be haʻahaʻa. Then if you struggle with the words to say, try asking this simple question my partner taught me. With ahonui simply ask, “How can I best support you?”

5 PURSUITS of HAʻAHAʻA

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch this: First Laugh–Welcome, Baby!  written by Rose Ann Tahe and Nancy Bo Flood; illustrated by Jonathan Nelson. Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Many cultures celebrate different milestones as a baby grows and develop. Discuss with a kupuna what milestones are celebrated in your culture.
• SKILLS: The author uses many different descriptive words the baby’s actions that might indicate smiling or laughing. Draw a Bubble Map of describing the baby in this story.
• INTELLECT: Smiling and laughing are developmental milestones for babies that indicate they are becoming more socially aware. Research when smiling and laughing typically happen for most babies and the reason why we smile and laugh.
• CRITICALITY: Tupac Shakur once wrote, “the power of a smile, especially yours, can heal a frozen heart” How might a smile and helping others smile cause less hate in this world?
• JOY: Share some laughter with your loved ones this week. Celebrate each other for the gifts they share.

JOIN THE H-PEP’s GRATITUDE HUI

On behalf of the Hawaiʻi Postive Engagement Project (H-PEP), parents and educators are invited to join an in-person workshop focused on sparking gratitude. Activities include:

•  Sharing stories
•  Making new connections
•  Writing a heartfelt Mahalo letter
•  Crafting a personalized bracelet for someone in your life you would like to Aloha. 

Sign up for Gifts of Gratitude, Saturday, December 2, 2023, at Ka Waiwai Mōʻiliʻili, Oahu. 

Please note that you can only sign up for 1 group and must attend the full session. Open to all Hawaiʻi educators and parents. Opening event is free to join and registration is required by Monday, 11/27/23.

FOSTERING HEALTHY EATING HABITS – KĀNEʻOHE COOKS

Mahalo nui loa to our Wellness Committee and all who contributed to our Kāneʻohe Cooks event, last week Wednesday including

• Aina Aloha o na Lima Hana
• Joni Kamiya and Kamiya Farms
• Kāneʻohe Elementary Cafeteria Staff
• Dr. Jon Oka Family Dentistry
• The Rocket Scientist
• Our wonderful Wellness Committee and their ohana for running different booths: Erin Battles, Dee Fujinaka (with Dyan Nakamura), Jennifer Kwok, Chelsea Pang, and Travis Park 

If you attended, please provide us with feedback to make next year’s event even better. Even you didn’t attend but would like to get involved, please consider attending our next meeting on December 13 (link below in the calendar)

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 PINK FOR MAUI WEDNESDAYS

Join us in letting “that light, that divine inspiration that Aunty Pilahi Paki says is given to you at your very beginning, come through and let your ALOHA join with the ALOHA of the collective to bring about healing.” 

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.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Redup. of haʻa; low, lowly, minimum, humble, degraded, meek, unpretentious, modest, unassuming, unobtrusive; lowness, humility.

Pukui, Mary Kawena, Hawaiian dictionary : Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian 

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: HAʻAHAʻA

Stephen R. Covey once observed, “The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.” Accordingly, Aunty Pilahi Paki and Pono advised we practice haʻahaʻa and empty ourselves of thoughts, ego and judgement when listening to someone. Conversely, if we take the words spoken to us, filter it through our own experiences and opinions, we will fail to completely understand that person’s perspective. For example, imagine someone is telling you about an awful restaurant experience. As they speak, you might be thinking about the last time you were at that restaurant or how you had a similar experience. Yet, their experience is completely their own. It’s influenced by multiple factors such as their sensitivity to salt, their unique taste buds (did you know that some people are genetically predisposed to dislike dark chocolate and other bitter foods?), how their day went, how their server’s day went, food traditions they experienced growing up, etc. That’s why Yelp reviews can vary so greatly for the same restaurant. So instead, empty yourself of personal thoughts then listen. Ask questions to clarify your understanding. Check to ensure you understood.

When a visiting team comes to a school for the purpose of accreditation, it’s too easy for the team to listen to reply by bringing in their own educational background; see things as if they were a teacher or administrator in that school. Having served with the WASC Accreditation Commission for more than 20 years, I’ve heard too often, “Back at my school…” or “If I were you…”. Admittedly, when I first started serving on visiting teams, I was guilty of filtering my observations through my experiences as a teacher and how we did things at Kailua High School. 

Gratefully, the team that visited us last week, led by Deborah Hofreiter, a retired administrator from California, conducted the visit with haʻahaʻa. She reminded her team, “We are here to learn about Kāneʻohe” and not to insert what they think is going on. When the self-assessment we submitted to them lacked clarity, the team interviewed people. They listened until they understood.

As a result, the team created a report of their findings that accurately described where we are as a school. They noted strengths and areas of growth that we already saw within ourselves. Additionally, they also spotlighted several areas of strength we acknowledged but did not emphasize. They were especially impressed with our focus on STEM, our vibrant community partnerships, and the extent to which ALOHA permeates our culture. In fact, our visiting chair glowingly reported how much ALOHA she and the team felt from all members of our school community. As an example, she cited an exchange with one of our students. When she asked, “what stands out to you about Kāneʻohe Elementary” the student replied, 

The longer you are at Kāneʻohe the more aloha gets into your heart. I know this because it happened to me.

Kawika, 5th grader

We are grateful for a visit that was conducted with haʻahaʻa and the opportunity to be truly seen. Mahalo nui loa to the team: Deborah Hofreiter, Malia Draper, Kristi Maruno, and Celestino Palacio.

5 PURSUITS of HAʻAHAʻA

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch this: When We Were Alone read by the author, David Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett. Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Like the girl in this story, practice haʻahaʻa, and listen to understand. Ask your kupuna about something in their past that influences them today (like what they wear, something they always say, or often do).
• SKILLS: This story features many examples of simile, (i.e. We all mixed together like storm clouds.) Practice making a simile to describe your kupuna.
• INTELLECT: This story is about a woman who survived the American Indian residential schools that attempted to “civilize” or “Americanize” Native American children. Native Hawaiians faced similar treatment as their language was banned from schools from 1896 to 1978. Talk about what would’ve happened to the language and knowledge of Native Hawaiians if that ban was never lifted.
• CRITICALITY: How does the grandmother in this story express her resilience and strength given her treatment as a child? What ALOHA value might this be an example of?
• JOY: Share what you and your friends or siblings do when you are alone, away from adults. What do you do that brings you joy?

Parents/Kupuna/Teachers: Here is another version of a read aloud that features the artwok and words of the story.

FOSTERING HEALTHY EATING HABITS

This week, our Wellness Committee present Kāneʻohe Cooks, a return to our pre-pandemic campaign to promote healthy habits. Our committee is motivated by the desire to help our students develop healthy habits so that they not only feel better but they are able to learn better. 

Did you know that childhood obesity is significantly linked to higher rate of depression, anxiety, and lower self-esteem? This in turn can also lead to social problems such as being bullied. And since we know all of these conditions can draw attention from learning, obesity is also associated with lower academic achievement.

Along with discouraging sugary snacks, we advise families adopt the daily 5-2-1-0 strategy:

• 5 Servings of Fruits, Roots and Vegetables
• 2 Hours of Screen Time
• 1 Hour of Physical Activity
• 0 Sugary Drinks

Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) VISIT – WHAT’S NEXT

At the end of the visit, the WASC Visiting Committee shared their appreciation to the staff, students, parents, and community members of our Kāneʻohe Elementary community. They loved seeing our classrooms, taking in the beauty of our campus, hearing our stories, and gathering our suggestions, weaving them into their final visiting report.

The Visiting Committee now submits their report to the WASC Commission who will make a final determination regarding our accreditation status. The Commission meets in January, so we practice ahonui until we hear official word sometime in the new year.

Mahalo nui loa for all who organized, supported, shared, and helped us prepare for this accreditation visit. It required a lot of coordinated effort and the experience underscored how fortunate I am to be a part of this school community.

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 PINK FOR MAUI WEDNESDAYS

Join us in letting “that light, that divine inspiration that Aunty Pilahi Paki says is given to you at your very beginning, come through and let your ALOHA join with the ALOHA of the collective to bring about healing.” 

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.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Pleasant, nice, amiable, satisfied, contented, happy, affable, agreeable, congenial, cordial, gracious; please.

Pukui, Mary Kawena, Hawaiian dictionary : Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: ʻOLUʻOLU

As a kid, growing up in Hawaiʻi, what I was taught about Thanksgiving seemed pretty typical for any kid growing up across the US. In class we made construction paper Pilgrim hats and colored pictures of the Mayflower. We learned that the Pilgrims stood up against the King of England who persecuted them for practicing their religion. To gain their freedom, they braved a long, arduous voyage across the sea before landing at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. Many lives were lost at sea and then more died from sickness and starvation as they struggled to survive in the “New World”. With winter coming, they might not have made it through if not for the help of some friendly Native Americans who taught them how to farm. To thank them, the Pilgrims invited members of the tribe for a feast and that was the first Thanksgiving. 

Since then, the event has been mythologized as the “first Thanksgiving.” Along with it being a day to show gratitude, it has come to symbolize the perseverance and good intentions of the Pilgrims and by projection, Americans. Today, 400 years later, we have a fuller picture of that event as perspectives of the Wampanoag people have pushed through the soil of history that once buried it.

The Pilgrims established their colony in Plymouth just as winter was beginning. With inadequate supplies, winter nearly decimated the colony. Luckily, the Pilgrims stumbled across Wampanoag storehouses and survived on plundered provisions. In the months that followed, despite the trespass, members of the Wampanoag people showed ʻoluʻolu -a gracious, nice act – to the Pilgrims teaching them farming practices that would help them thrive. Later that fall, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag celebrated an abundant harvest with a feast lasting three days. The alliance formed between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag was short lived. Eventually they and other colonists pushed for more land and greater access to resources. This led to the seizing of lands and the enslavement and mass killing of the Native Americans.

Although reduced in numbers and confined to smaller plots of land, members of the Wampanoag continue to live in Massachusetts. Since the 1970s they have been calling for the stories of their ancestors to be heard and for justice to be restored. Instead of Thanksgiving, they commemorate the occasion as a National Day of Mourning. It is a peaceful protest decrying the discrimination and oppression their ancestors faced. It is not a call to arms or a threat to overthrow the government. Instead, Wampanoag produce video segments, write books, give talks and do all they can to tell their stories with the hope of bringing about change. In this sense, the Wampanoag remain ʻoluʻolu – simultaneouslygentle and strong – persevering to educate and right the wrongs of the past.

5 PURSUITS of ʻOLUʻOLU

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch this: Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story written by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis Bunten, and illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr. (Illustrator) Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Corn, squash and beans were so important to the Wampanoag, they called them the three sisters and viewed them as gifts from the Great Spirit. Talk with your family about what plants/food sources are important to your culture.
• SKILLS: What genre of literature best describes this book?
• INTELLECT: How does this story differ from the more common Thanksgiving story that is frequently told about the Pilgrims?
• CRITICALITY: How does hearing different perspectives of a historical event help us promote equity and prevent injustice?
• JOY: Try making Nasamp, a traditional Wampanoag dish that may have been shared during the great harvest feast.

Parents/Kupuna/Teachers: Learn more about this story through a thought provoking interview with the book’s authors. 

Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) VISIT

Kāneʻohe Elementary is an accredited institution and every six years, must undergo a renewal process to maintain it’s accreditation status. As such, this week we welcome three educators from schools across Hawaiʻi and one from California. Over the course of the week, they will visit our classrooms, interview members of our school community, and observe our practices. At the end of the week, they will provide a report of their findings and any recommendations pertinent to our continued efforts to improve. If you see our esteemed visitors on campus, please be sure to say “Aloha” and welcome them to our school.

MOKULELE REMINDERS

For those that drop-off and pick-up students on Mokulele, please remember to show aloha to our neighbors. The roads across and mauka of our school are privately owned by the residents of Parkway. They asked me to relay this plea not to park, stop or use their roads as turn-arounds.  Please show aloha and mahalo for your kokua.

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 PINK FOR MAUI WEDNESDAYS

Join us in letting “that light, that divine inspiration that Aunty Pilahi Paki says is given to you at your very beginning, come through and let your ALOHA join with the ALOHA of the collective to bring about healing.” 

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.

UPCOMING EVENTS