Aloha

In Hawaiian, teacher is ‘Kumu’. So, here I am Kumu Stuart. As I finished up third year of my degree I have embarked on a new and exciting adventure. My next practicum I arranged to take place in Maui, Hawaii at a local preparatory K-12 school. As soon as my finals wrapped up I packed-up my things and hopped on the plane to sunny beaches, thirty degree weather and an adventure to call my own. I arrived just over a week ago and have been in the classroom since. I have the privilege of learning from a wonderful grade four teacher, with a class of only fifteen students. I am in the classroom full time which I love as I am able to grasp how this teacher runs her classroom more effectively, get to know the students faster and be respected and viewed as an actual teacher, versus a volunteer that pops in once a week (which is often how I feel in other practicums). So here I am, living the dream teaching on the beautiful island of Maui. I walk outside of my classroom and see a field shadowed by mango trees, and a playground overlooking the ocean. What a privilege it is to be teaching in such a beautiful place. I already feel more than welcome within this school, I have been joyfully introduced to almost every staff member, and the parents of my students, I have been fully embraced and included in the classroom, and had the opportunity to be apart of and watch the school’s annual Lei Day performance. A performance that celebrates Hawaiian culture and their rich history. I love learning about and witnessing this school’s efforts to preserve, educate and continue Hawaiian practices as these practices can so easily be lost or forgotten due to the high tourist population.

Out of the so many things that I have observed and learnt in my experience thus far I have been thinking greatly about how I communicate with my students. A wise individual once told me that “75% of communication is non-verbal”. I think this statement couldn’t be more true or powerful in the position of a teacher. Between the facial expressions I give, the body language I present, the tone of voice I have, or the hand gestures I use—they all communicate much more than what I verbally express to my students. Within non-verbal communication there is ample room for interpretation; the students read into it and gather my opinion for me based on it. I remember so often when I was in grade school how my teachers could communicate their expectations of students with just a look. Whether I am asking my students to quiet down or looking for a response to a question my non-verbal communication can be condescending or welcoming. I can either make my students feel as if they have disappointed me or give them the room to grow— to show me they can. That’s what is comes down to. Do I establish an attitude and environment that welcomes room to improve, or do I wear my emotions on my forehead and let the students know that I am not pleased? I don’t think there is a hard and fast answer, but I do think that one discourages the students and effects their self-efficacy. My mentor teacher here in Maui demonstrates effective non-verbal communication in a way that I hope to learn from and reciprocate. Her demeanour and voice is always calm, even when she is frustrated. She never raises her voice, or slams books on a desk to get student attention. Instead she exercises patience and kindness to get her point across. In turn, each of her students love and respect her authority. Through her calmness, she actively seeks to endorse a character in her students that believes they can succeed; that she cares deeply about them and wants to watch their success stories unfold. If a student’s own teacher does not see their potential success, and they do not believe they can succeed, why would they even try? All because someone told them they can’t do better? I read a quote in a book entitled Love Does written by Bob Goff that talks about his experience of a small rural school in Uganda with this concept:

“We all welled up with tears of joy and pride for what these kids had accomplished. That’s one of the things about love. It doesn’t recognize boundaries and never obeys the rules we try to give it. It seemed that no one had told John and the teachers that they couldn’t change the trajectory of the kids’ educational futures, and no one apparently told these kids that they all weren’t supposed to pass the national exam…The following year, thirty more graduates would all pass the national exam; as did the next thirty-five graduates the year after them. And no one told the entire student body at the Restore Academy when the test results came in this year that they couldn’t get the highest scores in all of Northern Ug- anda. Because they did” (p.213-214).

I love this concept. As an educator it is not my job to put limits on my students. I want to open doors for them, nurture their exploration of new and exciting things, come alongside them in any way I can to help them succeed. I should never tell a student that they can’t do something. When I have my own classroom I would love to have a poster that says: “Never I can’t, always I can”. I want to encourage my students to never put limits on themselves—there is always room to try something. You don’t have to be the best at everything you do, but you can try your best. Yes, some people are going to better at certain things than others, but it’s not about that—it’s about the act of trying; putting the effort forward. I hope my students learn in my classroom that they always can, and they should break down the barriers to do so. It is through trying new things, saying "I can" to things we never thought we could even attempt before; here is where we learn new things about ourselves and grow. As an educator whether verbally or non-verbally, I never want to tell my students they can’t do something.

As I continue in my practicum here for another couple weeks, I hope to continually gain more insights as to what it looks like to live and work as a teacher. I would love to experience both and positive and negative aspects of educating others, being apart of a school staff team, and to live out what it looks like to be a teacher both in and outside of the classroom. I am learning so much already, and am looking forward to all the rest I have ahead of me.

Aloha & Mahalo