Kāneʻohe Elementary Principal's Message | Archives | 2024

THE CONSEQUENCE OF NOT BEING HAʻAHAʻA

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Derek Minakami 0

Haʻahaʻa haka, pau i ka ʻīlio #389
Things carelessly left about can be stolen
Pukui, Mary Kawena, (1983). ʻŌlelo Noʻeau

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: HAʻAHAʻA

Despite meticulously searching each of the shelves containing the houseware items twice, I could not find it. As much as the Goodwill employees strive to keep their wares organized, the customers tend to mislay items as they contemplate their purchases. So I foraged behind a wall of traveler mugs, beneath a sea of vases, and between mismatched dinner sets. Still it could not be found.

On Saturday, I returned to my house where my kids and ex live. My ex and I gathered to bottle a concoction we make to give to our friends and neighbors. On a good summer, our lemon tree produces bushels of golfball sized fruit, swollen with sweetly acidic juice. Ka ua Waʻahila, the cool rains that mist our trees every dawn and dusk, ensures the lemons grow plump and canary yellow. After filling a five gallon bucket, we wash the lemons and peel off the zest. We then bathe the zest in a liquid and let it soak for 6 months. At the end of its marination, the liquid looks as if it stole the color from the zest and could easily be mistaken for lemonade if not for it’s telltale pungent, overwhelming odor. To bring balance to mixture, we stir in simple syrup which is made with a one-to-one blend of sugar and water.

On this day, as I stood beside the stove, stirring the sugar, waiting for the concoction to become clear I noticed that my favorite spoon rest was nowhere to be seen. The spoon rest was a vintage solid brass carp, mouth agape, and filled with shiny scales. It easily tarnished and needed constant polishing. Yet, it had been a fixture in my kitchen ever since my ex and I found it at an estate sale at a house down the street. Rumored to be haunted, the house was filled with magnificent art and antiques far beyond the reach of the measly amount of cash we carried. As we made our way to the kitchen, the spoon rest humbly adorned the cluttered countertop and at $20, was the only thing we could afford. Since then, I rested many a ladle and spatula on its flank. It tasted numerous stews and curries, holding the memories of each of those dishes that I served to my children and dinner guests.

When my ex and I split, I moved out of the house and into my own apartment with a much smaller kitchen. So I ended up leaving much of my kitchen utensils behind including the spoon rest. Eventually, I moved into a bigger apartment with my girlfriend, combining our shared kitchen accoutrements. However, between the two of us, we lacked a spoon rest. I longed for that brass fish but assumed my ex held similar sentiments for it as I did. Not wanting an argument over a $20, used spoon rest, I decided not to say anything and ended up buying something both my girlfriend and I liked.

So as I stood stirring the simmering syrup, missing a place to rest my spoon, I asked my ex what happened to it. She nonchalantly replied that she donated it to Goodwill. When I asked why, she recalled that she found it at a some garage sale and it didn’t hold any meaning for her. She further explained that as the holidays approached, she wanted to konmari the house and gathered all the things that did not bring her joy, spoon rest included.

I reminded her that we jointly found the item and explained the value it held for me. I told her that I wish she let me know she was giving it away. She felt bad, but I had to admit that I was equally to blame. Instead of projecting how I felt about it onto her and assuming how she’d react, I should have been haʻahaʻa and approached her about it. I thought I was avoiding a conflict that in reality would have never emerged. Rather, I lost something that held more meaning for me than her.

Despite the fruitless search at Goodwill, I since saw a few of the same spoon rests for sale on the internet. But instead of purchasing a replacement, trying to recapture any nostalgia for the meals I cooked in the past, I decided to be happy with the replacement my girlfriend and I now own. I also resolved that it’s loss serves as an apt reminder to be haʻahaʻa or suffer greater consequences.

5 PURSUITS of HAʻAHAʻA

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch this: They All Saw A Cat written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. Then with you child, answer the following:

IDENTITY: Ask your kupuna how they see themselves and how they think others see them. Why might there be a difference?
SKILLS: Use the pictures and the details in the story to compare how each different animal saw the cat.
INTELLECT: What do animals really see? How do we know? Research what scientists have discovered about how wide and how far animals see, and what colors they can see.
CRITICALITY: We use our senses to take in information and perceive the world. Sometimes perceptions are correct, but sometimes they are incorrect. How can we get the best or most accurate understanding of others?
JOY: Create a drawing of how you think your teacher sees you and share it with them.

BEST WISHES MRS. HOUSE

Please join me in wishing Mrs. Susan House a heartfelt congratulations and mahalo for her many years of service. As of the end of December 2024, she will be retiring. Many of her former students have fond memories of learning from Mrs. House who consistently filled her classroom with laughter and the din of her instructions. An experienced, dedicated and very humorous teacher, well versed in many instructional practices, she will be sincerely missed.

STUDENTSʻ PERSPECTIVES ON ALOHA

Everyday at piko, I ask students if they would like to share their perspectives on the aloha focus for the week. Many students share their journal entries from the previous day. Others share anecdotes from their lives, sometimes speaking off-the-cuff. Regardless, their varied perspectives add to the richness of how we understand and consequently practice aloha. Last week, we received an extra treat from 4th grader Oli who shared how ʻoluʻolu applies to his playing of the trumpet. Please enjoy.

CREATIVE WAYS TO SHOW TEACHER APPRECIATION THIS SEASON

Thinking of giving your child’s teacher a gift or showing them your appreciation for all of their handwork and dedication? Check out this article from the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

HOʻOMAIKAʻI 6TH GRADE TEACHERS AND ʻOHANA

Congratulations and Mahalo Nui Loa go out to our 6th grade team and the families who organized this past Saturday’s Main Street Market. Preparations began at the start of the school year and accelerated in the past few weeks amid the holiday rush. Loads of people visited the event and seemed to leave overladen with bags full of gifts. Mahalo piha Kumu Kalei for providing admin support for the event and solving problems as they arose.

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.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Dec 20	Winter Songfest – details to comeLast day of 2nd Quarter/Fall Semester
Dec 22 – Jan 3	Winter Break
Jan 6	PC Day – No students
Jan 7	Teacher Work Day – No students

ʻOLUʻOLU AND OWNING MISTAKES

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Derek Minakami 0

E hōʻoluʻolu mai i kō ʻoukou mau naʻau.
Comfort your hearts
Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1965). Hawaiian Dictionary

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: ʻOLUʻOLU

Seven years separate my sister and me. As an older adult, a seven year age difference is nothing, but as a kid, seven years is a generation. Always in different developmental stages, we never attended the same school at the same time. While she tested my parents limits during her rebellious adolescence, I relished the attention my parents gave me while I frolicked in my cute stage. Consequently, that age difference kept us from getting close. I was an irritant when she just wanted to be left alone.

As the eldest child, she broke my parents in. She made all the mistakes, most typical for a teenager in the 70s and thus serving as the anti-example for me and my younger sister. This further widened the distance between us as I did not hold much respect for my sister and was thus insufferable to her.

Throughout my life, I made my fair share of mistakes. Hundreds, maybe thousands committed having very minor impact and ultimately fading from memory. Like my older sister, the type most people make as they are growing up and learning to navigate relationships. One, however sticks out in my memory as it forever reshaped my relationship with my sister and what it means to be an adult.

As our annual Christmas Eve party at my aunty and uncles house up in Hale Kou wrapped up, my sister, aunty and I were standing in the kitchen. My aunty stood before the sink washing dishes while we helped put away the food. My aunty turned to us and playfully warned us to make sure and help our mom with the dishes the following night when we have our Christmas Day dinner. Quick with the insults and slow to anticipate the consequences of my actions, I made a sarcastic remark about how lazy my sister was. It was not any more harsh than the usual insults I threw out, but for some reason it hit my sister hard. She broke down crying, made a swift kick to my rear, and ran off. Being that the rest of the family had been celebrating in the next room, the outburst left behind a terribly awkward silence.

Christmas passed with a suffocating tension lingering between my sister and me. I began to feel bad, a foreign feeling I hate to admit since I was already in my late teens. A few days before New Years, my father pulled me aside. He told me that I have to make things right before the new year begins. Naturally, I needed to apologize to my sister. However my dad said that I also needed to apologize to my brother-in-law. My father explained that not only did my words hurt my sister, it affected her husband. He was there to help her feel better and reassure her that my words meant nothing. By hurting my sister, I hurt him. The expectation to apologize to my brother-in-law shocked me. I did not consider how it might impact him or their home life. I did not intend to hurt my sister so much and I definitely did not intend to trouble him.

Given our tumultuous relationship and the words to apologize to my sister came easily. Unfortunately I upset her many times before followed by a trite “I’m sorry.” This time, however, impacting my brother-in-law added a different gravity. While the sincerity came easy, the words to express my earnestness escaped me.

On New Year’s Eve back at my aunty’s house, with my sister’s apology accomplished, I found my brother-in-law sitting with all of the uncles outside. A decade my senior, I could not maintain eye contact as the apology tumbled from my tongue. At first he studied me as if to measure the conviction behind my words. He then noisily exhaled nonchalantly, gave my shoulder a friendly slap with his huge hands, and said, “nah no worry about it.”

I felt relieved and humbled. It was my first adult apology, carving a new neural pathway in my prefrontal cortex. While my mouth and immaturity continued to cause me to make mistakes well into my twenties, each subsequent time I experienced greater pause. Each time projecting my brother-in-law’s face scrutinizing me, reminding me to own the mistakes of my past and committing to learn from them.

5 PURSUITS of ʻOLUʻOLU

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch this: A Pair of Red Clogs written by Masako Matsuno and illustrated by Kazue Mizumura. Then with you child, answer the following:

IDENTITY: Ask your kupuna what it was like when they were your age. Was there anything they cherished, like Mako, the main character’s red clogs?
SKILLS: In the story, Mako uses onomatopoeia to describe the sound her clogs make. Come up with a word that describes the sounds your shoes make when walking in different places and in different weather.
INTELLECT: Research Japanese geta (wooden clogs) and how they influenced the types of slippers and sandals we wear today.
CRITICALITY: Why does Mako decide to tell the truth and give up trying to trick her mother? Who helps you make honest decisions?
JOY: Thinking about the love and respect shown within Mako’s family, talk with your kupuna how your family shows love and respect for each other.

A PARADE OF HOLIDAY SPIRIT

Saturday morning brought another Kāneʻohe Christmas Parade where our very own Kāneʻohe Alala and Pū kani (the students who lead our piko every morning) recited an ʻoli about Koʻolaupoko. Following them, members of our Lokahi dance program led by Ms. Nyonda danced their way across town. Bringing up the rear of our contingent, our student council passed out goodies to the kids lined up along the road. Mahalo nui loa to our VP Kalei Tim-Sing, Academic Coach Cherisse Yamada and Wali Camvel for organizing our entry into the Kāneʻohe Christmas Parade and for all of our students and parent volunteers who joined us. A special mahalo goes out to our staff members who brought their ʻohana and joined us including kindergarten teachers Mrs. Murakami and Mrs. Haines, 4th grade teacher Mrs. Keawe, 6th grade teachers Mrs. Ng and Ms. Ho, and Academic Coach Mrs. Sekimitsu.