The What School Could Be Podcast

(This is a re-release of my episode number 69 with Mid-Pacific Institute’s, Dr. Edna Hussey.) Dr. Edna Hussey is a passionate and dedicated educator committed to the advancement of an educated citizenry, children’s rights to quality learning AND the professionalism of teachers. Mention Dr. Hussey’s name anywhere in Hawaiʻi and you will get mad respect and admiration. Folks say she operates at a different level, which I am sure she would humbly reject. She KNOWS what school could be because she has done it, repeatedly. This episode was edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of pianist, Michael Sloan. To support this podcast, write us a review and give us a rating in your favorite podcast app or aggregator!The post 69. (Rereleased) Reading the World, with Dr. Edna Hussey appeared first on @WSCBPodcast.

My guest today is Darciann Baker, a faculty member at the Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi campus. Darciann is a Native Hawaiian woman, born and raised in Hawaiʻi. Her entire career has been dedicated to the perpetuation of the Hawaiian language. It is an endeavor she has held close to her heart ever since she found her Hawaiian identity when she was 15 years old. (The special oli, the Hawaiian chant that blesses this episode was written and performed by Kalei ‘A’arona Lorenzo, my guest’s high school classmate and basketball teammate. Mahalo, Kalei for this beautiful beginning to a wonderful episode.) Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of pianist, Michael Sloan. To support this podcast, write us a review and give us a rating in your favorite podcast app or aggregator!The post 78. The Power of Backwards Design, with Darciann Baker appeared first on @WSCBPodcast.

Speaking of a thousand points of light, my guest today is the deeply insightful, Dr. Julie Mowrer, Acting Director of the Center for Community Engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Dr. Mowrer is also the Director of the English Language Institute (ELI), also at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the founder of the Bonner Leadership Program.Continue readingThe post 77. The Deepest Meanings of Language and Community, with Dr. Julie Mowrer appeared first on @WSCBPodcast.

Speaking of a thousand points of light, my guest today is Wes Adkins, a math teacher at James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach, the largest school in all of Hawai‘i. He proudly works in an inclusion classroom, promotes self-paced learning environments, and implements project based learning assessments. Nipsey Hustle and Vector90 inspired him to work in STEM education and teach students the skills for locally minded entrepreneurship. A first generation college graduate and a film buff all his life, Wes recently won a $25,000 Education Innovation Teacher Challenge grant for his proposal to have his students create the Ewa Beach Drive-In. The award was given by Farmer’s Insurance Hawaii and the Public Schools of Hawai’i Foundation. Wes sees launching a drive-in cinema as a great way to harness his students’ varied interests and help them develop diverse skills, from engineering the movie screen to curating and creating films, and developing business plans, computer apps, even recipes for the snack bar. “The possibilities are limitless,” Wes notes. “I’m a firm believer that if you can just find something that you love, you can learn about the rest of the world through that thing that you love.” Wes is also deeply interested in culturally responsive pedagogy, ethnomathematics and the “gamification” of learning, especially math. A Teach for America corps member, Wes is in only his third year as a math teacher. “You wouldn’t know that he is a math teacher because he integrates so many things,” James Campbell High School Principal, Jon Henry Lee once said. “And that’s what’s going to make the learning that much more powerful for the student. It comes from these integrated projects where you connect the dots. He captures their imagination first. A lot of students, the second you talk about geometry or math and things like that, sometimes it turns them off, right? But if you talk about a project that incorporates all the things they care about, whether its the marketing, pulling together the engineering, creating stories … that’s what clicks with students,” notes Principal Lee. Wes hails from California and his wife is from Japan, so Hawai’i is a perfect midway point for their growing family. His first year at James Campbell High School was disrupted by the pandemic, but his students are now fully back on campus. Wes has an undergraduate degree in film and digital media production from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a masters in culturally responsive education from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa. My editor and creative consultant is Evan Kurohara. Theme music is provided by my friend of 40 years, Michael Sloan. You can find his music, 12 albums and over 100 songs in Spotify, Apple Music and all the other major music platforms. Please stay safe and healthy, listeners, and please get vaccinated. A hui hou, and take care. Links:Drive-in Theater ArticleDrive-in Theater SiteSpark and Inspire FilmHawaiʻi Public Radio InterviewMANGA HighEthnomath YayMath!Pixar in a BoxDurable SkillsThe TFA Learning Lab Episode Theme Music by Michael Sloan Editor and Creative Consultant, Evan KuroharaThe post 76. Meeting Students Where They Are At, With Wes Adkins appeared first on @MLTSinHawaii .

Dr. Tammy Jones is a Project Coordinator for PLACES Hawaiʻi at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, supporting teachers on the Waiʻanae Coast to develop place-based curricula. She is also the curriculum developer and co-facilitator of Try Think, a program run in the state correctional facilities and sponsored by the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities. Dr. Jones has worked closely with Dr. Thomas Jackson and the Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education to promote Philosophy for Children Hawaiʻi, known as p4c. This episode was edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of pianist, Michael Sloan. To support this podcast, write us a review and give us a rating in your favorite podcast app or aggregator! The post 75. The Many Passions and Projects of Educator, Dr. Tammy Jones appeared first on @WSCBPodcast.

I have wanted Kevin Matsunaga on my podcast for a long, long time. Kevin never imagined he would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a teacher. He found his calling as the digital media teacher, coach and guide at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on the island of Kauaʻi, and his students have won too many national video competitions to count. In 2007, the Hawai’i Department of Education recognized Kevin with a Kauaʻi District Teacher of the Year award. The impact he has had on kids in our public schools since 2007 is simply staggering. This episode was edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of pianist, Michael Sloan. To support this podcast, write us a review and give us a rating in your favorite podcast app or aggregator. The post 74. Communications, Deadlines and Teamwork, with Kevin Matsunaga appeared first on @WSCBPodcast.

A college football defensive end and a philosopher meet at a bar. The defensive end asks, “What’s the meaning of life?” The philosopher replies, “Missed tackles, my friend. To many missed tackles.” Dr. Chad Miller is a former NCAA football star, our 2012 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year, a National Board Certified teacher, and currently a Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Institute for Teacher Education. Dr. Miller also serves as the Director of Teacher Development at the University’s of Hawaii’s Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education. This episode was edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of pianist, Michael Sloan. To support this podcast, write us a review and give us a rating in your favorite podcast app or aggregator. The post 73. From Defensive End to Philosopher in Residence, with Chad Miller appeared first on @WSCBPodcast.

It’s hard to rank all the things I love about Russell Motter – history teacher, lover of great music, epic thespian, good cook, creative innovator, Atlanta Braves and Falcons fan, among others – but the fact he mixes a mean Sazerac, my favorite cocktail, sits at the top of the list. Russell and I taught together in the history department at ‘Iolani School from 2010 to 2014. When I say taught together, I mean it literally. We team-taught US History, merging our two classes into one very cool section that at times traveled to the outer edges of innovation in education and what history could be. (To see a very cool video about our work, click here.) But I get ahead of myself. Russell has a BA and a masters in history from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has been teaching in the history department at ‘Iolani School for 26 years, and was its department head from 2005 – 2013. Russell and I co-founded and co-directed the Education Innovation Lab at ‘Iolani School during the 2013/2014 school year. He has been a curriculum consultant for Punahou School’s PUEO program; he coordinated ‘Iolani’s capstone program for two years. Currently he is the course leader for ‘Iolani’s APUS history program. Russell has also taught at the college level here in Honolulu. If you ever have a chance to read Russell’s resume you will see that he has a miscellaneous projects section a mile long. Highlights include working on a team that brought technology to ‘Iolani’s campus in the form of a K12 iPad 1:1 program, the second school in Hawaii to do so. I also served on that team with Russell. It was a blast. More than anything, in my humble opinion, Russell’s work bringing incredible guest speakers to ‘Iolani School is a highlight. Speakers include Barbara Field, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, John Hope Franklin (a personal hero of mine), Wynton Marsalis and Isabel Wilkerson, Pulitzer Prize Winning author of the incredible book, The Warmth of Other Suns. Oh, I almost forgot, Russell, originally from the Great State of Georgia, acts in local theater productions here in Honolulu, is a master mixologist and, in an earlier life, was a hotel bellman. To say he has lived a rich and intentional life is an understatement. My editor, creative consultant and sound engineer is the wondrously creative, Evan Kurohara (SØZEN), a self-taught audio engineer and producer born and raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. He is currently working in Honolulu and aspiring to reach new heights by dedicating himself to exceptional quality work through creative and analytical meticulousness (his words!). Our original theme music is provided by my friend of 40 years, virtuoso pianist, Michael Sloan. Michael has produced 12 albums with over 100 songs and is featured in Apple Music, Spotify, and all the other major music platforms. You can also find his work at his YouTube channel. He has listeners in over 100 countries and over 2000 cities, to date. Songs featured in this episode include, “A New Day,” “Oasis,” “Mysterious Dancer” and “Fuchsia.” There are two other clips of songs downloaded from a open source site: “Pass the Plate” and “On the Rocks.” Please support this podcast by providing a rating and review at your fav podcast app! The What School Could Be in Hawaiʻi podcast is funded by Ted Dintersmith and WhatSchoolCouldBe.org. Please stay safe, keep wearing your masks in crowded public spaces, and please get vaccinated. Until next time, mahalo, a hui hou!, and please be in good health.  Theme music provided by Michael Sloan Editing and creative consulting by Evan KuroharaThe post 72. Russell Motter: Renaissance Man, Raconteur, Teacher and Mixologist Extraordinaire appeared first on @MLTSinHawaii .

Lianna Lam is an educator and leader passionate about community and public schools who views both as places to seed and cultivate Aloha! Lianna holds an environmental engineering degree from University of California at Davis and a Masters in Education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She has worked as an engineer, science teacher, sustainability coordinator and as a STEM Coordinator. Currently she is leading Kaimuki Middle School on a marvelous journey towards student-driven learning through a project KMS is calling the Voyager Center. This episode was edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of pianist, Michael Sloan. To support this podcast, write us a review and give us a rating in your favorite podcast app! 

My guest for this first episode of our 3rd season is Dr. Edna Hussey, a passionate and dedicated educator committed to the advancement of an educated citizenry, children’s rights to quality learning AND the professionalism of teachers. Mention Dr. Hussey’s name anywhere in Hawaiʻi and you will get mad respect and admiration. Continue readingThe post 69. Reading The World, with Dr. Edna Hussey appeared first on @WSCBPodcast.