My New Job at Kahuku

At long, long last, I have begun my new professional life as a full-time ELL (English Language Learning) teacher at Kahuku High & Intermediate School. As far as schools go, Kahuku is a one-of-a-kind. Of course no two schools are exactly alike, but a place like Kahuku is rare. It is known as the "Pride of the North Shore." Kahuku is the sole secondary school for several rural communities lining Oahu's surf-famous North Shore. Besides being home to great surfers, the North Shore is home to Brigham Young University's Hawaii campus and a large mormon community. It is also home to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is the preeminent place in the Pacific for all things Polynesian. Finally, Turtle Bay Resort and Golf Course takes a section of the coastline as well as the private vacation homes of many celebrities.

Adding to its unusual mix of residents, Kahuku High & Intermediate School (HIS) includes many immigrant students from across the Pacific and the Pacific rim. For that reason, it has been a fascinating place to begin a career teaching English. My students, grades 7-12, hail from Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, and Kiribati as well as China, Taiwan, Laos, and the Philippines. Kahuku's rural location make it an unlikely location for such cultural mixing, yet there it is. By the way, Kahuku is also home of the high-school state-champion football team. In Kahuku, they "bleed red" for Kahuku Red Raiders. Kahuku HIS has more alumni in the NFL than any other school in the ENTIRE U.S. I think I may have a future NFL-er in my grade 12 class.

All that said, the beginnings of my new career have been wonderful. I have felt eager and excited every day to wake up and get to work. George provided immense help in getting my classroom looking more like, well, a classroom! When I took my first steps there, it was instantly obvious how much work needed to be done. There were layers of dust and dirt and rust that needed to be scraped away from various parts of the classroom. There were student files from the early 1990s. We gave my desk and a file cabinet a fresh coat of paint. Since our initial effort, I've done more cleaning, painting, file-purging, and furniture-rearranging. I've ordered basic supplies that were absent (thank goodness there were funds in the budget!) and enlisted the help of many delighted students to make improvements here and there.

Aside from the physical environment, I've done my best to inform my wonderful students that ESL will no longer be an "easy A", but I've also let them know that I care immensely about their success and their general well-being. They are responding positively so far and I am thrilled to have encountered so many wonderful young people in my new position.

Well, I am sure I could find another hundred things to say about my experiences so far, but I will save more for another time. I have no doubt that Kahuku will offer many, many wonderful and fascinating experiences. I look forward to them all. Please look at my lovely new home away from home (away from home) over here.