TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Teachers -- we love 'em
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, set aside to honor our public school teachers and the important work they do. In these essays, three writers pay tribute to the teachers who helped chart their lives.
By Dustin Shindo |
JAMIE NEKOBA was my science teacher for two years at Waiakea High School in Hilo. She taught my freshman biology class and my senior directed-studies science class, but she also taught me lessons of life that I have carried ever since.
In biology, Mrs. Nekoba was a great teacher in all the conventional ways. She was warm-hearted and encouraging, she made class interesting and she taught us science through experiments, not textbooks. It was everything I needed at the time to be engaged and really learn the material.
But in my senior year, as I approached college, I received much more from Mrs. Nekoba. She encouraged me in many ways. Her teaching style was different because we were different. The class objective was to do our own research and come to a conclusion. She would advise and guide us but also let us stumble sometimes and learn from our mistakes. She knew when we were steering too far off course and needed her help, and when to step back and let us find our own way.
Not only was Mrs. Nekoba a great educator, she truly had an interest in our individual development and personal lives. She made a point to pull me aside and help me in areas beyond her primary responsibility, giving advice that showed she respected me as a student and as a person. She made me realize how sometimes very challenging situations were manageable in the grand scheme of life.
Mrs. Nekoba has touched Hoku Scientific in more ways than she knows. In addition to being one of my best teachers, she also was a memorable science teacher for two other Hoku Scientific employees: Kaleo Taft, founder and chief technology officer, and Candice Sato, controller.
Mrs. Nekoba went above and beyond what is expected of a teacher. I appreciated her perspective and advice then, and I can see now what a truly wise teacher she was.
Dustin Shindo is founder, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hoku Scientific, which manufactures membranes and membrane electrode assemblies for hydrogen fuel cells. He is also the founder of Mehana Brewing Co. in Hilo. Jamie Nekoba is now the registrar at Waiakea High School.
By Donna Tanoue |
OF ALL my teachers, Violet Nohea Chang at Jarrett Intermediate is most memorable. Ms. Chang had panache. She was young and attractive, with a short, pixie haircut and funky glasses. But it was her style of teaching and the way she interacted with students that made her special.
Ms. Chang was just starting her teaching career, but she did not teach English and social studies in the usual ways. She pushed us beyond books and everyday realities. Whether it was bringing in community leaders such as Monsignor Charles Kekuamano to speak with us, or taking us to Kennedy Theatre to talk to the producers and creative folks backstage, she sought to broaden our thinking about the community at large. I remember the day she took us to Ala Moana Center to speak with the general manager about the retail world. Through these kinds of experiences, we came to realize the diversity of opportunities before us.
Ms. Chang showed us our potential in other ways, too. She would send our essays and poems to the local newspapers for publication. I still remember the excitement of seeing one of my poems, "Eye of a Needle," in print!
Jarrett students of Ms. Chang have gone on to become teachers, principals, doctors, lawyers and community leaders. Ask any of them, and I'll bet they, too, will remember her with respect and affection as a very special teacher.
Donna Tanoue is vice chairman and chief administrative officer at Bank of Hawaii.
By Jodi Leong |
I FIRST MET "Mr. B" at Castle High when I was 13. I was from a private school and was painfully shy, pretty overwhelmed and plain old lost.
Ron Bright took me and countless other students under his wing. I remember the first time I saw him -- smiling and bouncing down the corridor, his keys jingling on his belt. He lit up the hallway while greeting everyone in his path.
That's what he did for so many: lit up our path. He would have a profound impact on my life.
His lessons went far beyond theater arts. He taught me the importance of finding work I enjoy, of respect, the power of laughter, fun and joy -- and the value of teamwork.
He gave each of us roles in his productions, on or off stage. Every role was important, he said. He gave us a sense of purpose and self-worth. Those lessons remain with me today, as a member of the KITV news team, as an average citizen and a member of my own family.
BLAINE FERGERSTROM / BFERGERSTROM@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ron Bright, "Mr. B," takes a short break while conducting dress rehearsal for the Kamehameha Schools 5th grade class play yesterday.
|
|
Mr. B, his wife, Moira, and his family remained my touchstones throughout high school, five years of college in Massachusetts and into my adulthood.
We are still laughing and learning together. And I never hesitate to "go home" to seek advice, refuge and comfort when I've hit a rough patch or made mistakes or gotten a little beaten up by the real world.
Thank you, Mr. B, for lighting my path and enriching my life!
Jodi Leong is an anchor for KITV television news.