Aloha, and welcome to my first official blog post! I am so excited to share moments of this crazy adventure with you all. The past two weeks have genuinely been the most eventful weeks of my entire life. Thank you all so much for reading!
The Plane Ride
Exactly one week after the whirlwind of graduation, I boarded a one-way plane to Honolulu, Hawaii with Amelia, my college housemate of three years. We are doing Teach for America together, and it was so comforting to board the plane with a best friend. After very tearful airport goodbyes, we embarked on our twelve hour plane ride to an island in the middle of the ocean! We were both, unfortunately, stuck in middle seats far away from each other. After a cramped twelve hours, our first stop in Hawaii had to be the airport Starbucks.
Our Temporary Home in Honolulu
When I decided to move to Hawaii last Fall, my dad put me in contact with his friend from high school, Mrs. Tammy, who lives on Oahu. On a phone call, I asked Mrs. Tammy for recommendations on very short term housing - as Amelia and I needed a place to stay for two weeks before moving into our summer housing. Immediately, Mrs. Tammy offered for us to stay with her family for the first two weeks. She has a seven year old daughter that we have loved hanging out with! (She has also given us a great movie education - Moana and Lilo and Stitch were her first two movie night picks).
Mr. Shane (Mrs. Tammy’s husband) picked us up from the airport and brought us to our home for the next two weeks! Their family lives in downtown Honolulu, the biggest city in Oahu. The view from their condo is stunning, and it has been such a blessing to stay with them. They have been helping us with finding cars, insurance, traffic routes, getting to know the island, the best places to hike, and how to be a responsible, respectful Hawaiian citizen. Amelia and I aren’t living in Honolulu long term, so it has been so fun to engage in city life for the past two weeks!
The view from Mrs. Tammy’s condo!
On Monday, Mrs. Tammy took me and Amelia all over the East side island, showing us places to hike, swim, and shop! We visited Lanikai, Kailua, Kaiwi, Koko, and more! She is a fantastic tour guide and a wealth of island knowledge.
Triplets!
Beginning Work
On Tuesday, Amelia and I started our new jobs with Teach for America! For the first two weeks, we engaged in full-time training, gaining the knowledge and skills to be successful in the classroom.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, our cohort met in person at Chaminade University in Honolulu to kick off our training. We explored Hawaii’s history and culture, learning about the unique challenges our students will be facing. It was so amazing to meet all of our fellow teachers in person. We have a 60 person cohort on Oahu, and our fellow teachers have all been so kind, passionate, and intelligent. After our two in-person days, we continued our training online via Zoom. We learned about the science of learning, teaching strategies, culturally relevant pedagogy, DEI, and Hawaiian history/culture.
Interestingly, as part of Teach for America, I will earn my Masters’ degree in through Chaminade University! I will be taking evening classes for the next two years in order to earn my Masters in Education.
Amelia and I learning about the Hawaiian Renaissance during our in-person training.
On June 1st, Amelia and I will begin teaching summer school! I am so excited to get into the classroom with students. We will teach in the mornings, then continue our trainings via Zoom sessions in the afternoon. Amelia and I were both placed at James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach for summer school. I am a little nervous to teach high school, but I am super excited to work with an age group that I haven’t worked with much before!
Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day Weekend was the first holiday that Amelia and I celebrated in Hawaii! We had Monday off of training, and we took advantage of every free moment! On Saturday, Mrs. Tammy’s family took us on the Lanikai Pillbox Hike - an iconic Oahu hike! At the peak of the hike are old military watchposts, which are currently covered in graffiti. The graffiti changes weekly, so you always see something new on this hike. Mrs. Tammy’s seven year old daughter did this hike in Stitch crocks, making it look so easy! The best part of this hike are the gorgeous views of the Mokes - twin islands off the coast!
On Monday, we joined some TFA (Teach for America) friends on a waterfall hike to Kapena Falls! We swam in the river, but unfortunately neither Amelia nor I were brave enough to jump off of the waterfalls. Next time!
That evening, we joined Mrs. Tammy’s family at the Chinese Lantern Festival in Honolulu. We built and decorated floating lanterns to honor loved ones who have passed. Once the sun set, we sent the lanterns out into the ocean. This event is massive, and there were thousands of lanterns all floating in the stunning Hawaiian ocean. It was a beautiful ceremony with prayers for the Earth and all those who have passed on. I loved how the ceremony integrated Hawaiian values of being environmental stewards and honoring our ancestors.
Something I Learned this Week
Behind the gorgeous beaches, mountains, and waterfalls, Hawaii has a rich, complicated, and often dark history. A fact that really stuck with me from TFA training: In 1896, the U.S. government banned the teaching of the Hawaiian language in public schools and discouraged speaking the language at home. This law remained in effect until 1987 - a total of 91 years. This law robbed a generation of native Hawaiians from learning their language, and the ripple effects of this are still present today. Now, there is a huge push to teach Hawaiian in schools and celebrate the language! I want to incorporate as much Hawaiian into my classroom as possible.
Hawaiian Word of the Week: Kuleana
A Hawaiian word I learned on my first day of TFA training was “kuleana”. It is defined as “responsibility and privilege”. This word has stuck with me, and I have been reflecting on my kuleana to my students and this amazing island. It has been the biggest privilege to move to this gorgeous place, get to spend to much time in nature, and to have this job. With this privilege, I also have a responsibility to be the best teacher I can be for my students. I have a responsibility to learn about the culture of Hawaii, and to be culturally competent when I teach students who come from a vastly different background than myself. Kuleana encapsulates the balance that I have of privilege and responsibility to the land and community of Hawaii.
Photo Gallery!
If you’re interested in a few more photos :)
Statue of a famous surfer (Duke Kahanamoku) in Waikiki!
Favorite beach that we’ve been to so far!
Seal on Ala Moana beach!
One of Amelia and I’s first accomplishments as official Hawaii residents - getting library cards!
Thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions, comments, or prayer requests, please contact me! I miss everyone so much already. See you in two weeks for another email update!
Thank you, Reese. I know you will do well. You will learn so much from those you teach, I'm told by several teacher friends. Much love to you as you begin this adventure.
It looks like you’re having an amazing experience already! So proud of you. Love you and miss you!!!