FACE Education Talk Story at First Unitarian Church of Honolulu

Report from the event:  Refreshments were served in the Gallery on the Pali where a vibrant show of student work from the Dole Middle School was displayed. The Sanctuary was set up with the large drop down screen, projector, chairs facing the screen in a 2 row crescent for viewing of the film, and a separate circle seating area for the Talk Story group. A sign in table was set up and sign ins were taken with the form which follows. A release form was prepared and was signed by some of the participants. 

Steve Lohse, our church chair of the Social Justice Council FACE Liaison Standing Committee, opened the evening with a brief introduction of the church and FACE. He introduced Mary Weir.

Mary Weir, co-chair of the FACE Education Task Force, briefed the gathering on how FACE works, our reasons for gathering, to begin Talk Stories, to spread these events to include more community members across the island.

Deborah Bond-Upson, Social Justice Council Education member and a minister gave introductory remarks on the context of our education crisis. One of the issues raised was that Harvard’s Project Zero found that the percentage of 3-5 year olds rank genius in multiple intelligences including divergent thinking, drops from 98% to 2% by the time those youths are 25 years old. (This is mentioned because It came up later) Deborah offered this prayer:

The education world is dangerous:  children are at risk.
A child could fall through the cracks and fail to know their own worth.
Let us maintain the strength to protect our youths and all committed to learning.
Our world is ever-changing.
New skills are driving change-- technology, media, economics, and organizing.
Let us develop skills and find new ways to enable each child to fulfill her potential.
Substantial and important change in this complex world requires time, imagination, focus, cooperation, strategy, persistence, humor, compassion, love, gratitude.
Education and learning require substantial and important change.
Let us achieve change for the benefit of our children, their future and ours.
Amen.

We watched 15 minutes of A Community of Concern and then gathered in a Talk Story Circle.  Following is a loose transcription of the talk.  

FACE First Unitarian Church of Honolulu Education Talk Story Comments with Releases

Joann Marshall, First Unitarian Church member, moved here 2 years ago with her husband who is in the Navy and their 3 children ages 11, 8, and 2. Isabella joined our Talk Story Circle as well.  Isabella started her school career in Oklahoma city, then England, where the school day was 8 to 3pm for 190 days per year. We got to Hawaii where the school day was 8 to 2:10 and only 8 to 1:20pm on Wednesdays with only 180 days in the school year. My kids had so many changes to absorb due to our move, but there was so little time in school for them to adjust academically. Then furloughs further reduced their school year to 3 1/2 day weeks and we found it impossible to accept. So I got involved in the furlough trying, trying , trying. It was a very difficult year, it can never be allowed to happen again. People in my husband’s shop were having to pull double shifts to make up for the folks who needed to stay home to take care of kids who were home from school on furlough. My children only get one 2nd grade year, one chance at the 5th grade and that year of furloughs is still hard to accept. We are so lucky to have found such wonderful schools for our kids. Good things about the school: great administration, feeling of community, small school. I feel that for subjects like math, pride, confidence, breaking math into little bits so they can understand it is important, the current standards make it hard for some kids to not get lost as early as the 2nd grade and give them very little chance to overcome this early failure. It is a unique situation in Hawaii with one district for the whole state. I saw the video as showing a way to empower parents. We need to remain super vigilant.  Do not let the money problems affect the kids. We strongly need to lengthen the school day. They don’t learn handwriting anymore. With a longer day, they can drill math facts in school.  Homework should be bringing home real world problems. Make sure children and families are protected. Find the doors that can be opened for communication. Find the ways these changes can happen.  Smaller schools versus large school, even in Oklahoma City, an urban environment, we chose a smaller inner city school.  Folks wondered why we didn’t pick a larger suburban school But there is something important in having all staff know me and my kids. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely, Joann Marshall

Isabella Marshall, student  Wilson Elementary School (Hawai’i public school) Teachers don’t have their own way to teach. They have to stick to the GLOs.  It’s like this, in England they told us to write an essay about a nightingale and we would be free to write, here they say write an essay an nightingale and you must meet these 10 benchmarks and 5 standards in order to get a good grade, here is your checklist. We didn’t have any homework in England, I had projects. Here in Hawaii, my dad and my sister stay up until her bedtime working on drills. In England we were able to get everything done in class. And the teachers helped. When we took work home it was projects that I was able to complete entirely on my own without having to get any special supplies or help from my parents. I like to take responsibility for my projects here but most include lists of sometimes unusual supplies that I have to depend on my parents to get. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely, Isabella Marshall, and Joan Marshall (parent)

Jean Coffman, retired teacher, taught pre-school through grad school, ESL Remedial Language Skills, teacher training, HPU.  50+ years, in Japan and in public schools and the prisons in Hawai`i.  My kids went through public schools, all went on to college.  When one son was in high school, was failing and causing problems, we went to the school, brought all his teachers together and said,“You are not responsible for my son’s education, we are. And we are here to support you in any way we can.” The teachers said they never heard that before. I said to the teachers, once a week on Friday, tell me “OK or not OK”—if not, he and I will be grounded.  It took 2 weeks for his behavior to change.  I did not to go to PTAs but did volunteer at each school, to spend time with kids, faculty, etc  When I had student teachers—they had GLOs (general learning objectives) then standards.  These were awesome guides, but there are concerns.  My student teacher said “Teaching these standards is hurting my teaching”  Good teachers had to be drilling students instead of teaching, teaching them how to take and pass the tests.  Lots of able and creative people teaching and preparing for teaching.  How best to support them?  FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely, Jean Coffman

Kathy Jaycox, community member without school age children. question: What happened to the Oakland school? Answer: They got their building—there was happiness in the circle when folks heard this. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely, Kathy Jaycox

Catherine Graham—First Unitarian Church member, mother of Zachary, coordinator for international student exchange program. I think that my son Zachary would be one of those geniuses (crying)  I kept thinking why can’t you learn? And Zachary was the one who could pay attention, he knew about all the dinosaurs, but then he went to school it’s like someone turned out the light. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely, Catherine Graham 

Karen Muronaka, a community member with no school age children: I have 2 kids, one attended private school, one went to a public school.  I am a HS teacher, first from a teacher’s perspective, you have kids who come from different learning styles.  You need to have lessons using a variety of strategies so that everyone has a chance to learn.  Some schools use videos, media, hands-on, you have to keep changing.  I am lucky because I am a science teacher, so everything is hands-on. This allows everyone to learn.  Example:  I was dead-set against main streaming—then I was told that I had to take 9 special ed kids into my classroom, and I had an assistant. That was the best class I ever taught. There were many days that everyone was so wrapped up in their work that when I reminded them the bell was going to ring in 5 minutes, they all said “Awww!”  I even taught them to use computers because they will use such tools in the workplace.  There are many things that swamp teachers. Things like prom planning, car washes, could not get parents to do it, you are swamped, and your school day is short. You wind up doing all the paper work at night. If parents want to help, the best thing they can do is to get their children to read.  Have them write their own stories. Set your standards high. Tell them you believe they can do it. Show your kids you enjoy reading by showing them that you are reading!  My daughter went to a blue ribbon public school. My son went to Punahou and both got a great education.  There are inspired teachers in every school. As you get up into the older grades fewer parents are involved, yet their children’s problems are becoming more complex. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely,  Karen Muronaka

Patrick Zukemura, FACE Lead Organizer- Oahu, went to pubic school, Farrington. I have 2 daughters who went to public school. My wife really caught on to reading and read aloud to our kids, so they love reading. One daughter really learned how to get around the rules, figured out how to go to school without going to school My younger daughter graduated from HS and worked very hard and got a scholarship to college.  My younger daughter works in the Human Resource Dept. of the University of Hawaii Research Corporation and my older daughter manages a Jiffy Lube . FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely,  Patrick Zukemura

Mary Weir–  FACE Education Task Force Co-chair, mother of two children education in Hawaii public schools. The 7 years my kids went to school in Hawaii were some of their best public school years. They loved it here and have only good memories of their friends and teachers and life here.  My daughter is now married and lives 2 miles from us. She is pregnant and we'll soon be grandparents.  My kids have done very well, graduating from college, my son with a PhD, and it is hard for me to think we do not give that same learning opportunity to all kids.  Hawaii needs to give all children the opportunity of a quality public school education.  It is a very tough road to get to equity for all the children but our faith values demand it and FACE will keep fighting for it. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely,  Mary Weir

Leland Bond-Upson- Minister, First Unitarian Church Honolulu, parent to 4 adult children educated in California public schools.  My wife Deborah and I have four children, all of whom went through public schools in California through high school. We worked to fund education via a self-imposed tax in our affluent district, but when Deborah and I recommended sharing the funds we raised in our district with other less affluent districts, but the other parents would not agree. I am here tonight listening to the concerns. I am trying to absorb your stories, and am struck by the deep feeling I hear.  I am a big believer in education.  Thomas Jefferson said democracy depends on an educated electorate. I agree, so for that reason alone among many others I am committed to high-quality public education. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely, Leland Bond-Upson

Deborah Bond-Upson—First Unitarian Social Justice Council Education Member, FACE Education Task Force member, PPS-HI member, Wife of the minister, parent of 4 adult children educated in California public schools.  I’ve spent the past 30 years working in education. My mother gave us the feeling that doing something in education was the most important thing. My siblings and I all went to public school, did well in college prep programs. But my mother worked as Commissioner of Vocational Education. She was thrilled that kids who could not learn reading with the regular approach, could learn if they were reading an air conditioning repair manual. I remember riding in the back seat of the car with my sisters, all of us with white gloves and crinolines, and my mother slamming on the brakes and pulling over because she thought she saw educator, John Dewey.  So all my life I have been looking for ways to get the right education to the right individual to meet their interest. And now with technology, supporting teachers with training and tools, the vast content and media developed, and advanced understanding of assessment, we can now get any level of education – from learning to read to brain surgery-- to any human on the planet.  And educating the populace enables economic equity and prosperity as well as personal joy and satisfaction. I want to work together to achieve this. FACE and the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu have my permission to use my comments above for any communications efforts.  Sincerely, Deborah Bond-Upson

Evaluation:  Patrick Zukemura lead the Evaluation, requesting that each participant choose one feeling word for the gathering tonight. Here are the words chosen/spoken each by a participant: 

Perspective

Excited

Connected

Hopeful

Sharing

Thoughtful

Hopeful

Encouraged

Responsible

Connected

Excited

Open

Good

Next Steps

Mary Weir described the next activities including the next Talk Story , Tues April 26^th, Windward Side St. John

She mentioned that we will share these stories from tonight on the first Unitarian website. We will work on a plan of action. She noted that there will be a big FACE meeting on June 11^th. We will have a big crowd, we will have a step, a report. She thanked the First Unit church  for hosting the middle school art show, this shows our faith community to reach out to the public schools. We are in this together. Again, she said that she is optimistic about organizing. We have the power to take on some issues that need to be addressed.

Joann Marshall noted that we will see a bubble of kids who are in school during this time of change.  She asked if we could host a round table discussion with someone from the DOE.  A number of the participants were interested in this approach. 

Jun Yang commented that he had just seen a memo on the Education Budget, by James from Kanu Hawaii. The memo summarizes the budget: there are a lot of cuts, including the SECs (parent involvement).

Patrick mentioned that he just got back from DC. The only way we can stop budget cuts, is if we organize. What are we going to do about it? Change the minds or change the people.