The Genealogies that Define Us (Week 13)

This week was super busy. I feel like this year really started to hit the fan and my time and resources have just scattered. All the projects and tasks that I started in my STEMS2 excitement have become too much, and I feel a little overwhelmed with my new prospects and my current responsibilities.

Things that I am learning in STEMS2 are guiding me to be more mindful of my students and the things that they need to really end this year with valuable knowledge and practical experiences. Things I am learning and reflection on:

• Oliveira's book was fascinating because it helped me to better understand many attributes of the "Hawaiian" culture and specific understandings of Kanaka. Discussing topics from the book with my family led me to discover that they (my siblings and father, who for years I have tuned out his "kanaka talk") were already familiar with so many of the concepts, principles, truths that I am just learning about in this season of place. But, how did that happen and why am I only now thinking about these things (the critical connections between place and ancestry, the beauty of language in uncovering the past, the complexity of genealogy, the politics of land use and the significance of ancestral lands)? How was I left out of the Kanaka sharing circle growing up? These are hard questions for me, although really good and necessary to better grasp who I am. Each chapter left me in a state of cultural disequilibrium, putting me on the outside of something I didn't realize I wanted to be in. Wrestling with the question of how this information can improve my life. My conclusion so far is that not every person has the same opportunity to develop their sense of place positively. Life's circumstances are as diverse and convoluted as the people that make it up. But, culture is a funny thing, being something that is always there to grab on to and is what you make of it. For some people it is invisible, perhaps floating just under the surface of the everyday. For others, there is nothing stronger than blood. Place can be as deep or as useless as we want. As such, I reflected on the book and the places that it took me, more on a personal level and spent less time connecting it to my practice as a teacher educator. However, as I become more secure in my own life and identity, aka my sense of place, my ability to help others to do the same will hopefully increase as a result of the places we share.

• I appreciated something that Tara and Eo talked about during last week's session which was about choosing how we represent ourselves and the genealogies that define us. This is very much at the core of my previous point. That statement, which I can't remember entirely right now, helped me connect Oliveira's book to my students, school, and teaching. How often do I project my own standards and labels on my students, especially when they don't meet my expectations? How have I misjudged my students and their histories, both personal and academic? What are the genealogies that I give life to in my classes everyday? What legacy am I leaving for the future of my students, school, and community? How can I record the positive attributes of our journey and development as a class? How can I build a positive sense of confidence and need for action in my students so they can write their own futures and be proud of their pasts? Where is my hope as a teacher and am I instilling hope in my students regardless of past circumstances or future challenges?

• Working at a private Christian school much of the talk about identity is rooted in the Bible and what God says about people. God tells us that He made all people in His image, in our nature and structure we are unique and connected to our Creator by design. Knowing that all people have the same ancestry, meaning that inevitably we all come from one source, Africans to Asians to Polynesians, and had the same beginning. Logically this makes sense from a naturalistic and spiritual standpoint. As such there are unifying principles of humanity that transcend culture and race and place and position. However, the condition of people groups have, over time, expressed themselves through many forms of cultural interpretations and has evolved into many unique ways. I am continually amazed by the cultures of the world and wonder at the infinite connections between places and people. Although I reject the spirituality of the Kanaka worldview that Oliveira presents for myself, I acknowledge that she has correctly perceived that people are fundamentally designed to be connected to something on a spiritual level. These connections are where identity is fostered. It's these connections that must be carefully assessed and weighed for their appropriateness in our teaching.

• I have been noticing more place-based lingo lately, and it seems that people who work in the Hawaiian community, or people who work/live in areas focused on sustainability, etc. really talk a lot about "place." This is a big deal and kind of a buzzword- or buzz-phrases if you will- that I am glad to be familiar with. I have also noticed that I seem to get taken more seriously and have a better connection with other educators or specialists when I include our buzz-phrases from our STEMS2 learnings. So, this is encouraging to know that I am becoming part of a broader community of people, who are already all around me, that really believe in the things that we are learning in STEMS2 and who are working diligently to change their communities through some of the same approaches.

• I am feeling good about the way that I have approached my Environmental Science class this year. The semester has progressed seamlessly as all our topics have been building on each other. This first semester began with an exploration of our responsibility to take care of our planet and recognizing our place in it as stewards AND protectors (not just one) for a sustainable future. We were looking at the Earth from a systems perspective and realizing that we are an internal component. The environment provides us with services that every person on this planet needs to survive. In essence, this first unit was really about a sense of place and connecting my students to our 'aina and mokupuni. After setting a basic groundwork, we learned about the specific biogeochemical processes and the roles of large-scale bodies in storing materials (C, N, P, H20, etc.). From there we explored the specific roles of forests and appreciated their important functions in the world, namely serving as critical habitat for species and playing a primary role as part of our watersheds, especially in Hawai'i. We learned about the specific species and forests that play host to them. We went on 2 learning journeys to the Pu'u O'o trail and to the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center. We read stories about each place and studied some of the scientific research to better understand the forests. We learned about kipuka and their functions and properties that all isolated places have. The concept of kipuka can expand to Hawai'i island and beyond, including many cultural implications, as we are totally isolated in the middle of the Pacific ocean and tied to an ancient society that is being uncovered more and more each day. We learned about the necessity of protecting native birds to help reforest native forests in the face of all kinds of environmental pressures and climate change. So the focus has been on 'aina and land-based systems. Next, wai. This is where my STEMS2 unit plan comes in and my Plan B.

• Finally, I have done a lot of thinking about how I can work to make my classes more interdisciplinary and really engage other teachers in my work. Unfortunately, I do not see myself as being able to stay at the school I am at for next year. I know the move is going to be challenging for me as I absolutely love the school I work at and my students. But, I also don't think that it provides a fertile place for me to indeed do the STEMS2 work that I need to do. My resources will continue to be strapped as I am pulled in a million different directions teaching 5 classes on a traditional schedule and juggling the 5 other hats I try to keep on my head. For now, I know that I will not be going back next year. I'd like this to change, but for now, I'm still praying.