Statement of the Problem
Imagine learning in an environment where fear, oppression and distrust are not only the norm in the school environment but the cultural environment as well. Imagine trying to learn in an environment where racism is encouraged, poverty is rampant, and violence is an integral part of the culture. Imagine learning in an environment where local teachers have a cultural belief that control of the classroom is more important than the learning going on and that yelling is a teacher’s most effective tool. Imagine teaching in a system where parents tell their children they do not have to listen to out-of-state teachers. This describes the Hawaiian public school system that I have experienced.
The problem I saw in Hawaii is an inability of the general public to see education as a pathway out of poverty. I experienced a basic lack of trust by the community of the educational system. People who value education, do not seem to trust that the Hawaiian public school system can deliver a quality education, and those who do not value education believe it had no bearing on their lives nor will have in the lives of their children. This trust gap is a barrier for the children of Hawaii to excel in school. How does one create trust in another without first showing that person that they are trusted? Trust is earned. Trust is learned. Trust is reciprocal. Trust is cumulative. Is it possible to teach trust to a group of students who have been conditioned by family, teachers, and community to not trust?
Field of Action
Maui Waena Intermediate School is a title 1, 6th through 8th grade middle school on the island of Maui. Due to historically low reading and math scores the school has spent the past two academic calendar years in academic restructuring under the direct control of Edison Education. The school provides services to a diverse population of students most of which live at or beneath poverty level. The school is located in the town of Kahului, HI, an area on the north shore of central Maui which features a predominantly Asian/Pacific Islander population. 89.5% of the town’s population are minorities, with 60.5% percent of the population being Asian and 18.8% Pacific Islander. (MuniNetGuide) Being a Title 1 school, over 40% of the school’s population has qualified for and receives free or reduced lunch.
According to Bolante (2008) of Honolulu Magazine, the school ranked 229th out of 258 public schools, thus ranking in the bottom 12% of all public schools in the state. Over the past two years great strides were made at the school, however in Keany (2010) of Honolulu Magazine reported Maui Waena ranking 195th out of 257 public schools in the state, remaining in the bottom 25th percent.
The school has a large population servicing over a 1000 students a year and class sizes typically range in the area of 25 to 30 students. The population is working class and suffers from all of the typical trappings of poverty. Many of the students’ parents were teenagers themselves when they first had children. Drug use, gang involvement, and prison sentences are common occurrences in the families of many students. The school is prone to on-campus fights by both male and female students and suspensions are a common occurrence.
I teach four sections of 6th grade mathematics (one is an honors section) as well as one elective class called ‘exploratory wheel’ which is a teacher choice elective course. As a former science teacher it is my personal goal to improve the students understanding of mathematics and help them see that math is a language, which describes the world around them. I focus on hands on group activities designed to foster conceptual understanding with real world application. I work diligently to create a constructivist-learning environment, which fosters a joy of learning in my students. My challenge for the past two years was creating learning opportunities for my students that allowed them some control, while experiencing strict directives with dead lines arbitrarily established off site. Edison set up strict rules about how much time could be devoted to each concept regardless of the progression of the class. Monthly computerized exams were given by Edison. Teachers were not allowed to see the questions prior to the tests and were instructed to not prepare the students for the monthly benchmark exams. Edison’s philosophies do not reflect John Dewey and Jean Piaget’s theories of constructivist learning. This was a problem I felt I had to address because I also believe, as Foote et al (2001) stated “…the understanding that knowledge is constructed by individuals and not dispensed as a commodity from ‘the outside-in.’” (pg. 13)
Imagine learning in an environment where fear, oppression and distrust are not only the norm in the school environment but the cultural environment as well. Imagine trying to learn in an environment where racism is encouraged, poverty is rampant, and violence is an integral part of the culture. Imagine learning in an environment where local teachers have a cultural belief that control of the classroom is more important than the learning going on and that yelling is a teacher’s most effective tool. Imagine teaching in a system where parents tell their children they do not have to listen to out-of-state teachers. This describes the Hawaiian public school system that I have experienced.
The problem I saw in Hawaii is an inability of the general public to see education as a pathway out of poverty. I experienced a basic lack of trust by the community of the educational system. People who value education, do not seem to trust that the Hawaiian public school system can deliver a quality education, and those who do not value education believe it had no bearing on their lives nor will have in the lives of their children. This trust gap is a barrier for the children of Hawaii to excel in school. How does one create trust in another without first showing that person that they are trusted? Trust is earned. Trust is learned. Trust is reciprocal. Trust is cumulative. Is it possible to teach trust to a group of students who have been conditioned by family, teachers, and community to not trust?
Field of Action
Maui Waena Intermediate School is a title 1, 6th through 8th grade middle school on the island of Maui. Due to historically low reading and math scores the school has spent the past two academic calendar years in academic restructuring under the direct control of Edison Education. The school provides services to a diverse population of students most of which live at or beneath poverty level. The school is located in the town of Kahului, HI, an area on the north shore of central Maui which features a predominantly Asian/Pacific Islander population. 89.5% of the town’s population are minorities, with 60.5% percent of the population being Asian and 18.8% Pacific Islander. (MuniNetGuide) Being a Title 1 school, over 40% of the school’s population has qualified for and receives free or reduced lunch.
According to Bolante (2008) of Honolulu Magazine, the school ranked 229th out of 258 public schools, thus ranking in the bottom 12% of all public schools in the state. Over the past two years great strides were made at the school, however in Keany (2010) of Honolulu Magazine reported Maui Waena ranking 195th out of 257 public schools in the state, remaining in the bottom 25th percent.
The school has a large population servicing over a 1000 students a year and class sizes typically range in the area of 25 to 30 students. The population is working class and suffers from all of the typical trappings of poverty. Many of the students’ parents were teenagers themselves when they first had children. Drug use, gang involvement, and prison sentences are common occurrences in the families of many students. The school is prone to on-campus fights by both male and female students and suspensions are a common occurrence.
I teach four sections of 6th grade mathematics (one is an honors section) as well as one elective class called ‘exploratory wheel’ which is a teacher choice elective course. As a former science teacher it is my personal goal to improve the students understanding of mathematics and help them see that math is a language, which describes the world around them. I focus on hands on group activities designed to foster conceptual understanding with real world application. I work diligently to create a constructivist-learning environment, which fosters a joy of learning in my students. My challenge for the past two years was creating learning opportunities for my students that allowed them some control, while experiencing strict directives with dead lines arbitrarily established off site. Edison set up strict rules about how much time could be devoted to each concept regardless of the progression of the class. Monthly computerized exams were given by Edison. Teachers were not allowed to see the questions prior to the tests and were instructed to not prepare the students for the monthly benchmark exams. Edison’s philosophies do not reflect John Dewey and Jean Piaget’s theories of constructivist learning. This was a problem I felt I had to address because I also believe, as Foote et al (2001) stated “…the understanding that knowledge is constructed by individuals and not dispensed as a commodity from ‘the outside-in.’” (pg. 13)
