Top Teachers
Saturday, August 8, 1998
Name: Olga Siador
Age: 53
Position: Sacred Hearts Academy teacher
Education: St. Paul's College
Pastimes: Arts and crafts, sewing
Olga Siador adores the kid-sized barn in her classroom and the kids who play in it. "It has always been (about) children for me," said the Sacred Hearts Academy teacher. A mother of one, Siador said her students are the brood she never had but always wanted. Seeing, feeling, learning
"The Lord gave me one, but he gives me 24 each year. I can't ask for more."
Siador said she asks for very little - just student interest and parental support. In return she gives students a hands-on approach to learning. "Children learn better when they actually see and feel, not just sit in the classroom," she said.
A lesson on farms had the kids researching farm life, and taking a bus to a farm in Makaha, where they observed the harvesting of honey firsthand. From hive to honeycomb to honey, the kids experienced everything, Siador said.
The barn, built by a parent, was an extension of that. It since has served as a thatched hut for a rainforest project, a puppet theater for a parent gathering, and Santa's workshop for Christmas.
Vice Principal Remee Bolante said she admires Siador's "ability to make learning truly meaningful, yet exciting."
Siador said the students inspire her and she can't wait to see them again, partly because she hopes they'll take her mind off her son's move to California, which is costing her money. "Honey, my phone bill is just unbelieveable," she said.
By Kimberly K. Fu, Star-Bulletin
