Welcome to my second biweekly blog post! Yesterday marked one month of being a Hawaiian resident! I feel like I just disembarked from the plane yesterday, however, so much has happened since I moved here. I am in disbelief so much change can happen in a month!
The Big Move - Honolulu to Ewa Beach!
On June 1st, Amelia and I said goodbye to Mrs. Tammy and her family, who had graciously hosted us for the first two weeks here. We were so fortunate to stay with them - they taught us so much about Hawaii, and we already miss Moana movie nights with her daughter! On our last day in Honolulu, Amelia got a car! I still do not have a car (who would’ve thought finding a car on a tiny island is difficult?), but I have become thoroughly acquainted with the Hawaiian public transportation system. We packed up her Subaru and headed to our new home in Ewa Beach!
For the next two months, Amelia and I are staying in a summer sublease in a city called Ewa Beach. We are renting rooms in a house from two girls in Teach for America! They just finished their first year of teaching and headed home for the summer, so Amelia and I will be there until the end of July, when they return. We have two other roommates - Macy and Caroline - who are also first years in Teach for America! It has been so fun to live in a house full of fellow teachers.
Honolulu and Ewa Beach are very different - Honolulu is the biggest city in Hawaii with a population of around 350,000 people. Ewa Beach is a smaller, mainly residential town on the Southwestern shore of Oahu with a population of ~15,000 people. Our summer housing is a 15 minute bike ride from the beach!
My friends and I at Pu’uloa Beach Park in Ewa Beach! We love coming here after work, and it is so close to our summer housing!
Your Newest Summer School Teachers!
One of the best parts about our summer housing is that it is a six minute drive to work! Amelia and I are teaching 9th grade English at James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach (Go Sabers!). Funnily enough, there are around 40 summer school classrooms through Teach for America, and Amelia and I got placed into the same classroom (What are the chances?).
My very official staff name badge! Sometimes I am slightly worried I will be mistaken for a student.
Teach for America uses summer school as a way to train incoming teachers. Amelia and I are in the same classroom, as well as another TFA member named Paul. We all decided on the curriculum together. It was so awesome that we get to practice curriculum building and deciding what to teach out students. We even got to choose which books we wanted to read with our class!
The three of us alternate “lead teaching” every day. So, once every three days, I am responsible for creating the lesson plans, deciding the activities, and conducting the class from the front of the room. On the days we aren’t lead teaching, the other two teachers act as assistant teachers. We stay busy!
In our classroom, we are currently focusing on vocabulary, grammar, literature, and writing skills. Right now, we are reading the book “Speak”, which focuses on a girl’s difficult journey through ninth grade and deals with a lot of issues that high schoolers face. The past two weeks have been full of vocabulary charades, popcorn reading, creative writing stories from first person POVs, and review Kahoots!
I sadly haven’t taken any pictures of my classroom yet, but here we are on our first day of teaching!
Hiking Galore!
I really enjoy hiking - it is one of my favorite activities in the world. Oahu has some of the best hikes I have ever been on. Here are the ones I’ve been on in the past 2 weeks:
Ka’ena Point - North
We joined our friends Madi and Michael on an amazing hike in Waialua called Ka’ena Point. The five mile hike took us to the very Northwestern tip of the island! This trail has mountains on one side and sparkling blue water on the other. We rock climbed, we saw giant birds called Albatrosses, and we explored the beautiful tide pools full of sea life on the trail!
Pu’u O Hulu “Pink Pillbox” Trail
I joined my friends Amelia, Madi, and Michael on an amazing hike in Wai’anae called the Pu’u O Hulu trail. This trail earns the name of “pink pillbox” because there are several old military observation stations along the way, and one of them is entirely hot pink now! The trail was only a mile but was straight uphill. The views of the West side of the island were insane, and the graffiti on the pillboxes was very cool.
Inside view of one of the pillboxes with a stunning view of the ocean!
Other Adventures!
Surfing in Waikiki Beach
Surfing is a staple here, and we have been a little nervous to get started. My friends and I took a surf lesson in Waikiki Beach, and we managed to catch a few waves! Surfing is definitely harder than it looks, but I am excited to go again!
The Pan-Pacific Festival
The Pan-Pacific Festival is an annual celebration of culture, tradition, and dance in Hawaii. They block off the main street in Waikiki, and there are dozens of street vendors selling Hawaiian foods, booths selling art/jewelry/clothing, and stages with cultural performances. We ate poke and honeycomb ice cream, both of which were delicious!
Ashton at Waikiki Beach!
Hawaiian Word of the Week: “Ma ka hana ka ‘ike”
On the first day of summer school, my Teach for America coach wrote this on the board: “Ma ka hana ka ‘ike” which translates to “In working, one learns”. This Hawaiian saying has really stuck with me through the beginning of summer school. It is daunting to be thrown into the classroom. I worried that I wouldn’t be completely prepared, that I would make mistakes, that I wouldn’t be the best teacher I can be. Teaching has been a steep learning curve, but I learn more every single day through trial and error, reflecting on my mistakes, and striving to do better every day. In working, I am learning to be the type of teacher that makes a difference in childrens’ lives.
Something I Learned this Week
The Hawaiian state fish is called the Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa. Not only does this fish have a fantastic name, it is notoriously aggressive and usually travels alone rather than in a school. I have seen several of these cuties while snorkeling so far! (None have been aggressive towards me…yet).
My mom bought this snorkeling mask for me a few years ago, and I laughed and told her how silly it looked. Now, she is the one laughing, because it is the comfiest snorkel mask ever and I use it all the time!
Thank you so much for reading my newsletter! While this past month in my new home has been incredible, I miss everyone so much. Please text me with life updates, prayer requests, and anything in between! Sending love from Oahu!
I love reading about your adventures. I am so, so proud of you! And you are welcome for the snorkel mask! ;)
Wonderful to read of your adventures in paradise! What a great report. I'm very proud of you and your accomplishments, and your incredible capacity to try new things! Keep up the good work. I'm certain you are becoming a terrific teacher. Surfing success will come with practice, I'm sure. Snorkel away! Love, Aunt Donna