Lisa's American Dream

American Dream: House with a yard, 2.3 kids, dog, cat. Actually, its not a bad picture. Mine is slightly different, but not all that different.

It's really simple, actually. I want a house with a yard: a yard big enough to grow my own vegetables and big trees that provide lots of shade. I want a dog who will run around the yard (that Quincy approves of, of course.) I want to be able to walk or bike to the school where I teach Social Studies to high school students. I want to live by the water where George and I can go out sailing on the weekends. I want friends to come sailing too. And my Dad - and Mom! (The more the merrier, actually, as long as we don't sink the boat!) I want enough room in our house for friends and family to be able to stay comfortably when they visit. I want to live a LOT closer to my friends. I don't want a stupid home-owner's association breathing down my neck if we decide we want to paint our house purple. I want a place to go running by the water where I won't get run over by insane traffic. I want to be close to nature. I want to travel now and then, but I always want to come back home. I want to have time to play the ukulele and enjoy my other hobbies. I want to write a book about teaching and record an album. I want to go dancing, I want to sing for an audience once in a while, but more than anything, I want to have time to enjoy life brings with my sweetie, my friends, and my family. Is it too much to ask?

My New Digs at Cambell High School: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I finally got a look at my new classroom, D210, at my new school, Campbell High School, in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. In some ways, it is an improvement over my classroom at Kahuku High & Intermediate, in others, I've moved backwards. Here's the break down:

The Good

• I am in an actual building, not a portable.
• There is a water fountain about 20 yards from the door of my classroom. Ah! What joy to quickly fill my water bottle between classes.
• There is a bathroom on the same floor as my classroom. Good for me AND the students.
  
• I am not too far from the administrative building.
• My department chair is on the same floor and in the same building as me.
  
• I am not too far a walk from the public/school library. (Yes, a lot of schools in Hawaii share their libraries with the public. Kinda weird, in my opinion and occasionally causes difficulties in ensuring students can use the library appropriately, but that's a long story for another day.)
• The photocopier is one flight down and the walkways to it are all covered! In other words, I don't have to worry about carrying books and papers to and from the copier in the rain. Good stuff.
  
• I have a TV.
• I have a working computer, printer, and telephone. Hallelujah for small favors!
  
• I have an overhead projector, although it appears to be circa 1980.
• I have whiteboards. (Many of the classrooms in this school still have chalkboards!)
• I have 6-foot folding tables and chairs instead of the desk-chair combo thingies. These add a lot of flexibility in arranging classroom space so I prefer them. And bonus - they mostly match.
• The floors are freshly polished and very clean.
• I have enough chairs for 40 students. (Wait...maybe that should go under "The Bad." Let's hope I don't actually NEED that many!)

The Bad

• No LCD projector. I know this is a pretty fancy item, but I used mine EVERY day last year. They make such a difference for visual learners and are great for lecturing with Power Point. Look for a fundraising campaign to help me get one in the very near future. I can't imagine teaching without one.
  
• No maps. Hello? I'm a social studies teacher! Teaching Modern Hawaiian History without a map of the Pacific or the Hawaiian Islands, much less a world or US map? I suppose I will have to improvise on that one.
• While I have a TV, there is no DVD or VCR. Ermmm...gotta work on that one. Are we just supposed to watch soaps during class?
• No real windows. I have jalousies that come down from the ceiling about 2 feet and will help circulate a little air, but it was pretty hot even at 10:30 this morning when I stopped in. But hey - we'll survive.
• While I have a printer, it looks really flimsy and beat up. I will keep my fingers crossed that it survives the school year!
• Not all my textbooks have appeared yet...but it's still early. Fingers crossed that they will somehow appear before school starts on August 4th.
• I have no paper. That one should be easily rectified before the school year starts, too.
• No CD player. Meh, not too big a deal. I can rig some speakers to the computer and use it's drive when I need to use music or other audio materials.

The Ugly

• The walls. The walls of the room are scary and gross. They are hopelessly covered in gummy-glue type stuff, tape, and remnants of past teachers' attempts to decorate. The paint is peeling and it looks like the room hasn't been painted in a decade or two. I may host a painting party early on in the school year. I can't stand working in a place that looks like a garbage truck wrecked it and I think its insulting to students. They should have a clean, respectable environment for learning.
• The teacher who used the classroom before hasn't removed all of his stuff, including two giant file cabinets. This is a major pet peeve of mine as I have left my previous two classrooms in very good condition. I removed all of my files and belongings and made sure that all books that wouldn't be used by the incoming teacher were moved to their correct new homes. On the upside, he left a giant un-opened box of granola bars in the teacher desk. If he doesn't come to claim his things, I will pitch most of it and keep the granola bars.
• Last but not least, scary amounts of gum on the bottom of the tables. Par for the course, I suppose.
  

In sum, its not too bad. If I can get my hands on an LCD projector and a DVD/VCR, I can work on the rest and I'll be a happy teacher-camper. The room doesn't have much of a soul right now, but I will remedy that. It's gonna take a lot of work to fix it up, but it'll get done. Look for "after" pictures in the not so distant future!

View from just outside my classroom door.
When all else fails, it'll remind me I'm in Hawaii.

Bathroom Remodeling (#1 of 2) Completed!

At last, I'm posting the pictures of our the first of two bathrooms we are remodeling. I LOVE the new bathroom! Its so wonderful to shower and take baths in the redesigned/remodeled space. Hot baths in the jacuzzi tub with the windows open and the ceiling fan's light breeze are heavenly. In the picture above, you see the new double-sink vanity, new mirror, small medicine cabinet, etc. You can also see the custom wall/bookcase that George built - a great opportunity for him to use his carpentry skills.

Shower and jacuzzi tub and new window.

Shot of the bead board with towel racks and mermaid print above. I love this print! We've spend WAY too many hours looking for the perfect color towels to match. We have two sets of green towels in different shades. Neither is perfect, but they are both close enough.

Closer shot of the shower: movable show nozzle, marble tile, bench, built-in shelving, and glass bricks to add light.

I believe the tile work that Rita helped with is in this shot. :-)

Closer shot of the ceiling - crown moulding, light fixture, and ceiling fan.

Why I Keep Going Back

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've figured out that teaching is filled with a lot of heartbreak, stress, frustrations, catch-22s, and puzzling contradictory demands. You might wonder: what's the point? Why do I continue to show up day after day, when many days I just end up beating my head against the wall? Days like last Saturday are the reason and I want to share it with you.

If you haven't already heard the great news, Kahuku High & Intermediate School once again captured the state title at the Hawaii "We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution" competition. I had the honor and pleasure of coaching 16 bright and hardworking juniors and seniors on to victory. Of course, I was just a little piece of the picture. Many other teachers helped coach the students, professors from nearby universities and expert readers from across the country and even abroad played a part! Not to mention the countless teachers who taught students the reading, writing, and history skills needed just to BEGIN the We the People program. Still, I got to play a very special role with these students and for that I am grateful.

We began on our journey back in late July. Students began examining the foundations of our democracy. They examined and considered the philosophers whose ideas are at the roots of our governmental system. The studied the history that positioned America's founding fathers to write our Constitution mindful of the unique circumstances they faced. We continued for months to examine the roots and evolution of our founding document: the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Bill of Rights that followed shortly thereafter, the emerging government, the changes came with the Civil War, the growth and industrialization of the nation of the 1800s, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Era, and the changes of the September 11th generation. In fact, we WATCHED TOGETHER and considered as the nation opened another chapter in its history with the inauguration of the first African American president.

As part of this journey, back in November, students began examining specific in-depth questions about issues relating to our Constitution. Together we engaged in countless hours of research, thinking, drafting, writing, re-writing, more re-writing, defending, modifying, and strengthening of arguments. And then practicing, practicing, practicing.

At last the February 7th competition arrived. With months of preparation behind us, there was nothing left to do but for the team to head into the competition and execute what they had prepared for. And they did that beautifully.

The Kahuku team and fans relax
before the competition begins.

For those of you not familiar with the competition, students sit in teams of 3 and present a short opening statement on their topic to a panel of expert judges. And when I say experts, I mean experts. The competition judges are real-life Hawaii Supreme Court justices, appellate judges, historians, professors, and practicing attorneys. There is no faking an answer in front of this crowd. After the opening statements, judges grill the students on any point they like: history, philosophy, law, current events, hypothetical scenarios...whatever they want. And the students have no prior knowledge of what the judges will ask.

Kahuku's Unit 2 Team prepares
to impress the judges (which they did!).

In the face of the judges, the students performed beautifully. They gracefully answered the most challenging questions, showed detailed knowledge of the historical events surrounding the Constitution and its evolution, and even avoided the judges' occasional attempts to "trap" students to expose gaps in understanding.

After a grueling competition morning, we enjoyed lunch, and did our best to relax, knowing that the students really had given it their best. Several students commented that they just didn't know what else we could have done. Actually, I'm impressed with how chill this group stayed. They know how to have fun, even in times of anxiety.

Students play a makeshift game of "Spoons"
while they await competition results.

At last the award ceremony came. Butterflies filled our stomachs. Students tightly held each others' hands, closed their eyes, and hoped they would hear the words they wanted so desperately to hear. So much excitement after months and months of hard work. And at last, the speaker proudly announced that Kahuku would once again represent the State of Hawaii at the National We the People Competition in Washington, D.C.

Cheering, tears of joy, hugs, jumping up and down, followed by text messages and phone calls to friends and parents and other teachers. Even a full week after the victory, I am still riding a bit of the excitement and happiness that resulted from the team's hard work. It was undoubtedly the highlight of my teaching career thus far.

Students pose for a team photo with
the State-Champion plaque in hand.

Liberty and Justice for All is by itself a thing of beauty. I can hardly express what it means to me to be able to share it and guide students through the beautiful journey of our nation that is ever approaching the dream of "a more perfect union." I have no doubt that with their enthusiasm, the next generation of Americans will lead us closer and closer to that dream.

The Patience for Seventh Graders

I've had a lot of frustration lately with my third-period 7th grade GENERAL social studies students. They misbehave. There are 33 of them. They ignore their work. Their reading ability is very weak. They lose their papers. I give them new ones. They lose those. They make me scream. They make my voice go scratchy from so much shouting over them. They make me crazy. They hate me. I wonder if I hate them. But its my job - and I care - so I keep going back. I try new tricks, I revise old tricks. I try incentives, I try scoldings. They write out their punishments. I give them points and prizes. Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting anywhere. I beg them to pay attention. I try to persuade them I want to help them, but I need their cooperation. Can they please cooperate? Pretty, pretty please?!? They give a mixed response. I leave class feeling like I have no clue what I'm doing. I wonder what can be done.

Fast-forward to my fourth-period 7th grade HONORS social studies students. They are angels. Seriously. They follow my directions. They work independently. They understand nuances of their readings. They pay attention. They make jokes at appropriate times rather than ALL the time. We laugh. We have fun. They spout off the details the day's lesson with ease. I leave class feeling like a great teacher.

Fast-forward to the evening. I'm grading papers. I'm grading my 7th grade HONORS papers. They did them all by themselves. The answers are correct. They spell the words correctly. The papers are beautiful.

Then I'm grading the 7th grade general papers. I walked them through the work, basically giving them the answers. But as I'm reading, I notice something. They really REALLY tried. I wrote answers on the board for them to copy onto their papers. They copied carefully. Their words are spelled correctly and every blank is completed. As much as they make me crazy, I have to acknowledge that with the very simple task, they tried. Its hard to guess how much they actually learned from copying answers and being fed everything. Still, the effort means something. I want to reward them and encourage them to press forward. I'm determined that they learn to READ their textbooks, not just learn from pictures and my explanations and dramatizations and dancing around the room. Words are power. Books are power. And I want them to have that power. HOW can I bridge this gap? How do I push them higher? And again has this simple task taught them ANYTHING?

These are the questions I ask myself every day when the bell rings at the end of 3rd period.

Here's to the hope that I'm getting through to them . . . somehow.

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash

I watched a very compelling movie today: A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash.* You may have heard some alarming discussion on this topic from websites like peakoil.com or lifeaftertheoilcrash.net that predict world wars and civil unrest unseen in human history. I've browsed these sites with some interest over the past several years, but with uncertainty as to their credibility. Could it really be that bad? Is this another ploy at our fears? After all, I am no expert on economics, world politics, or geology and how seriously am I supposed to take a website that starts out with "Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon." (from lifeaftertheoilcrash.net). Its always been hard to determine how much credence to give to the peak oil crowd, especially when they occasionally resemble alarmist conspiracy-theorists! While it is unclear exactly how the transition from oil to alternative energy will happen, A Crude Awakening explains in no uncertain terms that it must happen. And very, very soon. It further explains that the better and sooner we plan for that transition, the smoother it will be.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, I became obsessed with trying to make ANY kind of sense out of what had happened on that day. I wanted to learn how groups like Al Qaeda could so effectively develop an underground, quasi-institutional hatred of the United States and the West. What could stir that unimagineable level of anger and hatred? My amatuer inquiries quickly led me to catch up on Saudi Arabian culture/politics and the last hundred years of oil/energy history. What it also led me to learn about was the topic of this movie: the horrible mismatch between world oil supply and world oil demand.

I went into this movie with a skeptic's eye. I was anticipating a lot of hype and speculation about doomsday scenarios that might come when we hit the decline years in oil production. What the movie delivered instead was a compelling case by many top-notch professors, economists, and geologists that our world oil supply is coming to an end in the near future. The film explains bluntly that the oil on the planet is limited and that we are at or near the peak of production. What will happen when the world passes that peak is unknown, but it is clear that it is time to start planning for our life on earth without oil. Given our seemingly insatiable appetite for it, we need to shift gears immediately. With new demands on world oil supply coming from India and China, we are likely to use up the remaining oil at a previously unimagined pace.

This movie offers important food for thought for every human on the planet. After all, our lives are tightly intertwined with oil and we need to begin unravelling the knot in which we've tied ourselves.

*NOTE: For you Netflix uses out there, this film is available for instant viewing on your computer!

A Musical Christmas Card

Hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas!

"Lost" Chestnuts

I love Christmas music. Its pretty hard for me to get tired of it, especially the beautiful old carols and anything composed before 1950. I've sung these songs a gazillion times and I know them all by heart - even some of the second and third verses. I'm always finding new ones, however, and more interestingly, rethinking the old ones.

Last night, George and I watched Stephen Colbert's A Colbert Christmas. As an aside, it was completely hilarious and put give some refreshing thoughts on the well-trod holiday. Anyway, at one point in the program, Stephen took a handful of chestnuts and hurled them at the TV - which was airing the "traditional" yuletide-log-in-fireplace on the screen. Luckily for Stephen the TV didn't break. Anyway, several hours later in the middle of the night, I started thinking about the couple references to chestnuts in Christmas songs. The two I thought of were "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." (of course) and "at the fireplace while we watch the chestnuts pop. Pop! Pop! Pop!" (from Sleigh Ride). I've probably seen a chestnut, but I've never given them any thought. And I've certainly never roasted them on an open fire. Is this tradition totally lost? My question to you: have any of YOU ever roasted chestnuts? We don't have a fireplace at our house, but I intend to try this on our little hibachi grill, assuming I can find some chestnuts. Please share your chestnut experiences with me! Is there a specific way to do this? Do they have a particular smell? Do they smell amazing like I imagine? Of course I could google the subject, but it would be SO much more fun to hear it first-hand if any of my readers have roasted chestnuts.

On that note, I will leave you with this simple phrase that's been said many times, many ways:
Merry Christmas to you!

Another Quick Note on the Importance We Place on Education

Yes, prepare for another short rant.

A few months back the Governor of Hawaii announced that the Hawaii Department of Education would have to cut roughly 70 MILLION dollars from its budget. Yesterday, however, the same governor of this same state announced 1.9 BILLION dollars in state spending for capital improvement projects. I checked to see if my school chosen for any of the projects. YES! Included in the handful of projects for my school is $260 THOUSAND to repair our stadium light poles. Kahuku may have to cut teachers next year, but the state is assuring us properly-functioning light poles in our stadium! Woohoo!

Priorities. Yep. Priorities.

Burdens on "The Effective Teacher" (aka cost-externalization in public education)

Here is my latest letter to the President-elect and taxpayers in Hawaii and in the U.S.

Dear Mr. Obama and Dear Fellow Taxpayers,

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but its time for a reality check about how difficult we've made it to be a teacher in public schools in America. I'm not the first to chime in on this topic and I won't be the last, but let me share my story to shed some well-needed light on the state of the profession.

I came to teaching after working as an attorney for about four years. While I tried several different positions in the legal field, I still hadn't found the job or the kind of satisfaction I'd sought when I entered law school. I did some serious soul-searching, braced for a 20K-per-year pay-cut and decided to become a teacher. I earned my Master's in Education while still working full time as an attorney. After becoming licensed in the state of Hawaii, I landed my first teaching position in 2007. I have been working in the same school for about two years now.

After almost two years in the profession, I've come to this important realization about teaching: "excellent teachers" aren't excellent because they possess some magical skills or knowledge about teaching. (NOTE: OK, there are some whose natural charisma and empathy toward young people make them especially well-suited for the classroom, but in general there is no magic behind the equation.) "Excellent" teachers are excellent because they are willing to sacrifice almost limitless amounts of time, energy, and sometimes money for their students. Many "mediocre" teachers are simply "mediocre" because they have chosen to take a stand and NOT give up time with their families, endless mental energy, and their own dollars to "subsidize" their classrooms and public education.

My question: is it really "mediocre" to stand up to the endless demands placed on teachers?

I'm not saying whether or not I'm an excellent teacher, but let me describe the demands of this job. I've worked every single weekend since the beginning of this school year, including every single 3- and 4-day weekend and our week-long fall break. I've worked three or four nights each week for the entire year. I am already planning what work-related activities I intend to do during my winter vacation. I am given one 50-minute class period daily to complete what amounts to roughly 3-4 hours of grading, planning, and other tasks. As a result, if I want to meet the most basic demands of my job, if I want to walk into my over sized classes with all my students' papers graded and lessons planned for the day, I MUST bring work home with me. LOTS of work. Now I recognize that part of this is because I am new teacher, but in a profession that is challenged to meet its recruiting/retention needs, isn't this a serious issue in itself? I'll also admit that when I do something, I want to do it right. I'm not a person to settle for a half-a$$ed job. But honestly, don't we WANT our teachers to be able to their best? Don't we want teachers to have higher than half-a$$ed standards? If a teacher can't give students useful feedback, provide meaningful classes, why even bother send young people to school? The point is that students learn, right? RIGHT??

Schools across Hawaii, including mine, face the real possibility of staff layoffs in the coming school year. If I'm lucky enough NOT to lose my job, I'll be left with my coworkers to manage a unchanged student population with even FEWER resources. Personally, I am at a tipping point. Actually, I am already beyond it. I can't maintain this pace forever.

So - what can be done? No one likes this answer, but its very simple: money. If we want our children to get a quality education, we've got to pay for it. Hawaii simply cannot afford to let its public education slip any further. We need MORE teachers. And more teachers cost MORE money. We can't expect existing teachers to bear increasing responsibility and increasing class sizes with diminishing supports and resources without breaking at some point. OK - some research (albeit HIGHLY questionable, in my opinion) shows that smaller class size doesn't always make for payoffs in student achievement. However, you simply cannot argue that grading the work of 4 classes with 20 students is the equivalent task of grading the work of 4 classes with 30 students. 4x20=80 4x30=120 Who must spend the hours to grade these extra 40 papers? The teacher! Its all about time. And time is money.

Many so-called "mediocre" teachers simply refuse to go to the extremes needed to fulfill the real needs of the students. And at a lower pay than any other profession requiring an equivalent education, can you blame them? Are they supposed to just volunteer their time out of the goodness of their hearts? Many do. But it is absolutely unacceptable that we demand that of them.

The real problem is that we simply don't care enough about our children, our future, to put our money where our mouth is and scream bloody murder for more funding for education. Simply, it is TIME to bite the bullet and pay more for our schools, even now in times of economic hardship.

One last thing, I'm NOT pleading for a pay raise here. While I do believe I deserve one, its about being realistic. As much as I'd love a pay raise, what I really want is a few more colleagues to share the workload here. I think I'm a decent teacher, but I can't stand this stress forever.

Your devoted teacher,


Lisa Rodvien

Money Talks: Thoughts on a 21st Century Economy*

Take a look at this. Really LOOK for a minute:Yes, that's right. Its a "kitty wig." For $50, you can purrrrchase a wig for your very own kitty. Just imagine! Your kitty in a lovely pink wig. The ad at kittywigs.com says

Pink is the color of fantasy. Our model, Chicken, looks like her mind is elsewhere when she wears this wig -- somewhere in a land of cotton candy and pinwheels where the air smells like sugar kisses.

Wow.

Time for a reality check. Our fellow human beings on this very same planet are starving and enduring pain and tragedy - and we could actually help. We would simply need to sign our name to a check, but instead we sign over $50 for a kitty wig. Why? To torture and irritate our pets? For our own warped amusement?

Ok, it may seem like I'm singling out kittywigs - and I am. But really I'm trying to highlight the frivolity of Western greed. There are many, many more subtle examples of this greed. Kittywigs.com is merely an extreme example that demonstrates some of the many things that our money "says" in modern times: greed, excess, frivolity. To that, I say, "Really?!?" Is that who we've become? A nation of artificial-pink cat-torturing faux hair? God, I hope not. I prefer more grounded values of honesty, loyalty, character, truth, and real beauty.

We've hit a wall in our economy. The endless growth of the past half-century has come to a stop - at least for now. We are at a crossroads. This stage in our journey will no doubt be filled with pain, but it can also be filled with hope and enormous opportunity. Let me explain how.

Earlier this evening I heard many critics on the news stations blaming unions for the impending doom of the Big Three U.S. automakers. Again I say..."really?!?" So, employees of those companies shouldn't have demanded decent wages and benefits? Who exactly are these Big Three supposed to benefit? Wouldn't the employees be about first on the list?!?? Yes, ok, we've turned into a stockholder economy, but really whose personal stake is more intimately intertwined with the success of Ford, GM, or Chrysler than those companies' OWN EMPLOYEES? No one! Just whose economy is this? Let's be honest, while stockholders may have the "ownership" interest in the companies - who actually DOES the work? The employees! The stockholders sit on their butts! They DO nothing! (Ok, well, maybe not nothing, actually, but they are probably doing something for someone else...their OWN employer perhaps).

It's time for a revolution. Its time to apply the "think before we speak" rule to our spending too, because money talks. What do we want it to say? We have so many choices! So many beautiful choices! Before we continue down the same well-worn path of the past 50 years of consumption and greed, let's consider some alternatives:

Alternative #1: We could buy yet another pair of shoes (dress/shirt/tv/gadget/phone) that will end up buried in the closet. A few cents of that purchase *might* end up in the pocket of the grossly-underpaid developing-world worker who made the shoes. The rest will end up split between some resourceful middlemen and some fat-pocketed corporate employees somewhere. In the end, will those new shoes (dress/shirt/tv/gadget/phone) really bring us happiness? Not likely. If they are really high quality shoes, we might have warm and protected feet for a few years. In that case, good. In any other case? How 'bout skip the shoes/dress/shirt/tv/gadget/phone? I mean - how many of those things do we really need? Is one more going to be "the one" to bring happiness? I seriously doubt it.

Alternative #2: We could take that same money and spend it at a local farmers' market on fresh local fruits and vegetables. Yes, the prices might seem high compared to the supermarket, but consider the benefits of fresh, local produce. Nourishment, good health, a thriving local agricultural market, and farmers who can actually make a living in their trade. Good stuff.

Alternative #3: Save your money and buy one of the fuel-efficient Fords that the company will inevitably have to get on the market ASAP if they are to make it even into the next decade. Also a nice choice. You'd be supporting employees of the "new" American automotive market, which I truly hope comes to pass, not to mention saving fuel and reducing your carbon footprint.

Alternative #4: How about dance, music, or art lessons from a local teacher? Bringing music or art into your life is its own reward. Do need to tell you how many happy hours I've spent singing or dancing or playing the ukulele? Bliss. You'd be supporting a small, local business and the livelihood of a local artist and bringing your economy close to home. No CEOs to skim off the top. Woohoo! While you're at it, go to the concert of a local band or orchestra, buy a painting from a local artist, or go crazy and try the local opera company!

Alternative #5: Buy a good book or CD - even better if you can buy directly from the artist or author. Again - you're supporting an economy that values the beautiful things in life: the written word and music.

Alternative #6: ANY local business - non-chain restaurants, cleaners, local independent hardware stores, non-chain bookstores, florists, etc. Skip WalMart. The Waltons are rich enough. And the money that the Walton family doesn't keep, they send largely to China on the stuff they purchase. And they don't pay their employees very well or give them decent benefits.

*-------*-------*

The real word here is that however you spend your money, IT TALKS. Don't let tough times be an opportunity to spend more of our money at WalMart. After all, very little of that money gets to the real workers anyway and dependence on the kind of jobs that WalMart provides in the developing world do very little to improve the lives of those workers. In fact, they may actually stifle development of more sustainable local economies.

The current economic depression gives us lots of challenges. But we can also take the unique opportunities it offers us, too. Let's push the industries that want to survive this crisis to come out of it on our terms. Let's make our money say what we want it to say. The time has come.

*NOTE: Thanks to my Cultural Geography Professor, Huia Hutton, for introducing me and his other students to kittywigs.com. The thoughts expressed here regarding kittywigs are mainly a repetition of Professor Hutton's, with which I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree and feel are worth sharing!

Family Time!

It's been a whirlwind of a month with the election and the craziness at school, but back at the beginning of October, George and I had a really pleasant and relaxing visit with family: George's mom, step-dad and brother Marc. We introduced our family to some of our favorite places on the island. In addition to old haunts, we discovered a few new places thanks to a little curiosity, adventurousness, and a persuasive guidebook. I've posted all the pictures here. We hope our latest guests can come again before we depart this beautiful place we call home.

Dear Mr. Obama, Yes We Did.

[I've been neglecting my blog for a while. Life gets in the way of self-expression sometimes. As do elections. And playing the ukulele. And I promise I will post pictures of our family visit SOON! We had a great time and I will write about it soon. But this is the inspiration of the moment so here goes...]


Dear Mr. Obama,

Actually, may I call you Barack? We've never met, but you seem like a first-name kind of person. Ok, I'm going out on a limb here and I will address you as "Barack."

Dear Barack,

I am very excited that you are going to be our next president. Oddly (or not) the first-African-American-president achievement is somewhat of an after-thought for my own personal excitement. Of course, that is a remarkable thing. We talked about the magnitude of it in my social studies class today, in light the short 40 years that have passed since the civil rights movement and the short 140 years since the end of the Civil War. Its amazing (and wonderful) how much students take race for granted these days. At least out here in Hawaii, they don't seem to think of race as any sort of obstacle. Of course, you know as well as I the beautiful diversity of Hawaii.

Anyway, I heard your speech back in 2004 while I was visiting my parents in my hometown of St.Louis, Missouri. We were watching on our little kitchen TV and I watched in awe and announced to my family that I was absolutely certain that you would be the next president of the United States. I waited in anticipation for the next four years for my dream and prediction to come true. I really should have bought some of that "Obama" stock you can apparently buy. With my "earnings" I'd be able to pay off my 100K student loans...but I digress.

To the point. I am ecstatic that you will be president. Mainly because your life reminds me of my own. Even though I'm 14 years younger than you, our paths have criss-crossed and paralleled a few times. I see my life reflected in yours. Maybe you can see why.

I grew up in suburban St.Louis, Missouri where I was the minority in my neighborhood. Oddly enough, I look pretty much like your average thirty-someting, middle-class, young professional white woman. However, in my youth, I was one of a small number of white kids in my mostly black neighborhood. I remember riding the bus to school with my sister and she and I - and occasionally a few others - were the only white kids on the bus. When I arrived at school, however, the picture was different. I blended in easily with the majority-white student population. Even, there, however, I never felt like I blended in. Not because of my race, but because of my lack of wealth. My parents were not (and are not) poor, but compared to the money many of my classmates came from, I often felt unable to "keep up with the Joneses." So, I tried my hardest, often in ridiculous and unsuccessful ways, to fit in. In the meantime, my parents supported me in my academic life and I participated in school in just about every imaginable way: music, theater, sports. Graduation came and I went on to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

In Ithaca, I studied lots of things, but I majored in music and spent every ounce of spare time singing. It was a time of major personal growth and self-discovery. After college and a very short-lived "career" in musical theater, I headed off to law school. Now here is where our paths diverge a bit. I went to Catholic University in Washington, D.C. - a wonderful school - but no Harvard. And while I was a member of our law review, I was not editor-in-chief material. (As an aside, I wish the non-legal world realized the enormous academic honor of being named editor-in-chief of a law review. Even at "little" CUA law school, the our Editor-in-Chief was an intellectual powerhouse and an absolute workhorse in our class. I can only imagine what that honor would be like at Harvard!)

Anyway, after a bit of wandering in the legal world - a clerkship in D.C. Superior Court, work for a small education law firm in D.C. helping states implement the newly-passed NCLB, I eventually concluded that traditional use of my law degree was not for me. Who knows - maybe I'll get back to that someday, but in 2004 - around the time of your first famous speech - I decided to become a teacher. I went back to school to get an M.Ed. in Multilingual/Multicultural Education. I got married to a great guy in the Army somewhere in there and got stationed your old home state. My first year out here in Hawaii, I taught ELL at Kahuku High and Intermediate School. I loved ELL, but my principal noticed my law background and now I'm teaching social studies: Hawaiian History (ha!), AP Government, and a class on Constitutional Law. Kahuku High School is worlds away from the University of Chicago, but the Equal Protection Clause of the XIVth Amendment reads the same in the Hawaiian Time Zone as it does in Central Standard. Besides, I like to think that I'm giving my students the foundation to go on to a University of Chicago someday, should they so choose.

I doubt I will go on to become President, but I am inspired to let my voice be heard in a way I never imagined before. After my husband leaves the military and we are settled somewhere a little more permanently, I can imagine myself running for public office. If not that, I will proudly continue as a public school teacher doing my part to serve America, by ensuring that the students I encounter understand the importance of their vigorous and educated participation in our democracy. Without our young people, who will pass on the democracy to future generations of Americans?

I've never met you, but maybe you can see why I can relate so well to your life. I like to think I'm the ordinary "Jane" version of your life. I really feel like you are my president. You so beautifully and eloquently put into words the feelings I have about our country and the direction we need. I'm so happy, for the first time in my life, to somehow see my face to wonderfully reflected in the face of our new president. I hear my dreams for our country in your voice. I see my own optimism for America and the world in the sincerety of the expression of your face each time you speak.

For all of this, know that you will have my complete support as proud American who has never been prouder to be part of this great nation than I've been since you became "President-Elect, Barack Hussein Obama."

Many mahalos and alohas,

Lisa Rodvien

The Challenge of Teaching Hawaiian History...to Hawaiians

Only a small fraction of my seventh-grade Hawaiian History students are native Hawaiian or even partly Hawaiian. Still, most of them spent much more of their lives in Hawaiian than I. They've been surrounded by the culture, history, the language, and the traditions. I've only had two years to catch up. One of the toughest aspects of teaching Hawaiian History is the names. I'm going to share some of them with you in order that you can appreciate. The names all can start to all sound the same. They are mostly long and they virtually all are hard to pronounce. This past week, we've discussed the following historical figures:

Kamehameha
Kekuiapoiwa
Naeole
Alapa'inui
Kekuhaupio
Keoua
Kalanikupule
Kiwalao
Keawemauhili
Keeaumoku
Kahekili
Kaiana
Nahiolea
Kukailimoku
Pele
Pai'ea
John Young
Isaac Davis
Captain James Cook
(ok, those last three aren't THAT hard)

Some of the places names include:
Kohala
Ka'u
Kauai
Nuuanu
Waialae
Maui
Lana'i
O'ahu
Moloka'i
Mokuohai
Waimanalo

A few other relevant Hawaiian words:
mamalahoe
haole
ali'i

See why my head can start to spin? I'm actually thankful for the students who politely correct my pronunciation of some of these words they know. I've mostly got the hang of Hawaiian pronunciation, but just look at a word like "Keoua" and there are too many possibilities.

Ok. Back to grading the last of my Kamehameha projects.

Efficient Teaching

I've bit off more than I can chew. I've spent a bit of Saturday and most of my Sunday grading papers and I still have a ways to go. Worse yet, I have no lessons planned for this week's classes. I'm exhausted and the week hasn't even started yet. In fact, I'm exhausted thinking about how much I have to do this week and every week after that. Its only September 7. Somehow I'll muddle through, but please send any ideas for making my job more manageable. I'm really really trying, but its easier said than done. If nothing else, keep me in your thoughts and support funding for public education! I guarantee that in a perfectly-funded world, two people would be doing my job. Not ONE.

Home Improvement: The Backyard Edition

Over the past several months, in addition to the improvements to the bathroom, we've also been working on making our backyard a nice little outdoor haven. With so much nice weather, a comfortable and pleasant outdoor spaces is worth a lot. We've got a ways to go, but there's new grass, three new trees, and a lot of other plants enhancing the space.

Two of the new Manila palm trees with ferns behind.

Plantings on the left side of the yard.

Quincy enjoys a shady spot out back.

Bathroom Remodeling: Part V

While I was traveling at the end of the summer, George got a lot of work done on the bathroom remodeling project. He got more bead board up on the walls, put the trim (framing) around the window, and built the little wall between the sinks and the toilet. The wall will have little shelves and cubbies for storage on the side facing the toilet. Just yesterday, we started putting down the floor. Its a little bit like piecing together a puzzle. We're hoping to make more progress on the floor today. We're on the homestretch!

A Whirwind Weekend in DC

I never have enough time in DC to see all the people I want to see and do all the things I want to do. Nonetheless, I think I did a pretty good job considering I was only there for 3 full days. I had a dinner with Mzzzzzz. Torrillo French, had brunch with Rachel, picnicked, went dancing at Glen Echo, watched the Olympic opening ceremonies with old pals, saw a concert in the park, had lots of time with my favorite "niece", had a nice girls' lunch, and went to the National Mall with my sis (twice!) to see the Muppets/Jim Henson exhibit and our founding documents. Whew! No wonder I'm so tired. :-) Anyway, the pics are all here.

"We The People" National Institute in Boston

This school year, I am teaching a course called We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. I had the privilege of attending the We the People National Teacher's Institute in Boston with 50 or so teachers from across the nation. We the People is a curriculum used nationwide that is developed and funded by the Center for Civic Education. Students participating in the course study the philosophical roots of the Constitution (Locke, ancient Rome, Greece, classical Republicanism, the Magna Carta, etc.) They continue on to study the constitutional convention of 1787 and the subsequent amendments and evolution of the Constitution. The culminating project for students is a simulated congressional hearing in which students speak about and then answer challenging questions about the Constitution, its history, and their thoughts on modern interpretation.

Even after studying Constitutional Law in great depth in law school, I learned many new things at the Institute, which is designed to aid teachers with content knowledge and curriculum ideas for implementing the course. It was an intense week of study, but I have so much to take back to Hawaii and share with my students. Not to mention, the Center for Civic Education provided us with several texts to add to our classroom libraries for the course. The week consisted of lectures by leading scholars and jurists on the subject of Constitutional Law. As teachers, we also got the opportunity to try participating in mock congressional hearing ourselves.

It was awesome to spend a week among other enthusiastic teachers, each of whom brought unique knowledge and experience to the Institute. We had many thought-provoking discussions and I learned much from the vast and broad experience of my colleagues.

We didn't have a lot of time to see Boston, but we did manage to take in a few sites. I also got to see college friend, Kathy, and her adorable daughter, Meg. My roommates at the Institute and I trekked up to the North End and had a delicious Italian feast in Boston's Italian district. Yummmmmm! Here are a few of my pics from the week in Beantown.

LOST Beach

This summer, Gabe and Leo got me complete hooked on the TV series LOST. It is filmed almost completely in Hawaii, so you can visit many of the filming locations around the island. One of the frequently filmed beaches is in Hale'iwa, Hawaii on the North Shore. The beach is not popular with tourists as it is a little difficult to access and it is rocky and not the best for swimming. Still, it is beautiful and is a popular hang-out for the Hawaiian Sea Turtles. And the past few years, it has become a primary filming location for LOST.

So, seeing as we've become a family of LOST junkies, we visited this beautiful beach along with some of the LOST "set" that stands there. For the record, I am only partway through the first season. No spoilers please! :-) The rest of the pics and a mini video tour are here. Enjoy!

Hiking Madness

During our last week with Gabe and Leo in town, we took on two challenging hikes. We headed to the Southeast corner of O'ahu for both. The first hike was to Makapu'u Point. Makapu'u Point is the Eastern-most point on the island. From the Point you can actually see the islands of Moloka'i, Lana'i, and Maui on a clear day. In the winter, Makapu'u Point is also a great spot to watch the migrating great blue whales. On any day, however, there is a beautiful view of the channel, the mountains, and the valley below.
Our second hike, to the top of Koko Head Crater, was one of the most grueling hikes I've undertaken. I usually think of myself as fit and able to tackle most any physical challenge, but Koko Head reminded me that I have room for improvement! Gabe decided he didn't want to do the whole hike, so he and George headed back down mid-way. I wonder if I should have joined them!.The path to the top was no joke. In some parts, it was more of "climb" than a "hike". The whole trail is an old railway path that was formerly used by the military to hoist supplies to the top of the mountain. The old wooden railroad ties still remain and serve as steps along the path. Despite the mild heat-exhaustion I suffered, the views from the top were amazing. The top of the mountain also provided a great resting and recovery spot before undertaking the trip back down. After the hike, we grabbed lunch at one of our favorite spots, Kona Brewing Company, and headed over to Hanauma Bay to cool off with some well-earned snorkeling and swimming.

Pictures of our Koko Head hike can be seen here. Pictures from Makapu'u Point are here.

A Great End to a Great Visit with the Chessons

George and I had a great visit with the Chessons. You would too if you'd been in such nice company for two weeks straight, not to mention eating all of Yvette's delicious cooking! I hope I retained a thing or two that I can use in my own cooking.

Anyway, our last days together took the "oldest kids" (me, George, Yvette, and Jehu, Sr.) to a dinner cruise on the Ali'i Kai. We celebrated Jehu's birthday aboard the boat with dinner, drinks, and dancing.
The next day, we hit Sharks Cove and Sunset Beach one last time with the whole crew. Pics of the cruise are here, our last beach day pics are here.

The Waikiki Aquarium

A fun aspect of having visitors is that you inevitably make it to one or two places you've never been before. At the instigation of the Chessons, we visited the Waikiki Aquarium. It is different from other aquariums that I've been to (Chicago, Baltimore) in that the focus is tropical sea life. There was a whole section on coral, which is an important feature of tropical waters. The aquarium also featured many sea creatures endemic to Hawaiian waters, including the adorable - and endangered - Hawaiian Monk Seal. As usual, a picture is worth a thousand of my poorly-strung-together words. See them here.

The Rodviens and the Chessons Go Riding at Gunstock Ranch

Going horseback riding at Gunstock Ranch was one of the true highlights of our summer. Gunstock is a working cattle ranch on O'ahu's North Shore, very near my school. They offer trail rides for visitors on "retired" and working cattle-working horses. All eight of us saddled up for a trail ride through the foothills of the Ko'olau Mountains. We found spectacular views, unusual plants, remnants of the sugar plantation that preceded Gunstock, and overall fun times. For everyone (except me), this was the first time on a horse. Our group turned out to be a bunch of natural riders, however, and we made great friends with our horses. George has been day-dreaming ever since about how we can get our own horses someday. Ya know, Maryland is right up there with Kentucky in terms of being horse country! Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Click here to see 'em all. Aloha!

The Chessons and the Rodvien Boys Take on the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, Hawaii

Pictures of our latest adventure are now posted here.

July 2008 Family Time

I'll write in more detail later, but I thought I'd share some pictures in the meantime. We've been having a great time hanging out, relaxing, and enjoying summer vacation with the boys and the Chessons on O'ahu. The beach has been the most frequent hangout and we'll probably be there again tomorrow enjoying some waves and sunshine. Miss you all! The latest pics are here.

A DC Visit and Cary and Kyle's Wedding

I had another great trip to Washington, D.C., which once again reminded me that I have the greatest friends a human could ask for. I am truly blessed. If only George could have come with me! I feel so much love and caring between the people that I know there that there is no doubt in my mind they are simply the finest bunch of friends! During my week, we had lots of nice meals together, silly late-night antics, touching moments watching two of our bunch tie the knot, and special time with the newest and youngest member of our little patchwork clan, Miss Claire, and her 'rents, Shelly and Andrew. The week was filled with chats to catch up on the news, playing cards, watching the Muppets, being the Muppets, making fruity cocktails, exploring new places, splashing around in the hotel pool, eating pancakes and omelettes, taking the long way home, drinking milkshakes in the country, having beers in the city, and dancing, dancing, dancing. I hardly took any pictures, due to my neglect on charging my camera's batteries, but here are a few. Rita took LOT of nice pictures, although our visits didn't exactly coincide. You can see her pics here. The sets dated 6.12.08 - 6.20.08 are her DC photos.

To think that was only the beginning of a wonderful summer! More soon, including an update on the bathroom remodeling project. :-)

My New Digs: Classroom P-15

Instead of getting all my end-of-year wrap-up tasks completed this week, I spent nearly all of my non-classtime packing and moving. I am moving classrooms from one side of my school's large campus to the other. I was sad to leave the room that contained so many memories of the start of my teaching career and and memories made with my wonderful students who helped make it home. Still, the move was necessary. As I will be teaching mainly 7th graders next year, I needed to be closer to the other intermediate grade teachers.

My new classroom will be very similar to my old one, but it is a bit nicer in a few ways. It is a bit larger and I have more bulletin board space. The location is a bit better, too. I'm closer to the computer lab, the front office, the registrar, and the cafeteria. Maybe I can actually make it to the teacher lunchroom once in a while this year! Anyway, here is a picture of my new room. I have a LONG way to go in terms of unpacking and making it home, but the new school year is nearly 2 months away, so there is time. I'm excited to think of all the things that will happen in my new room.

Little Chinook in the Sky

I see these on my commute home several days each week as I pass Wheeler Army Airfield. Cool chopper! If only I had Rita's camera. :-)

'Cause We are Living in a Material World

But I'm SO tired of it! I saw the new movie Sex and the City this weekend and while overall I really liked the movie, I was really bothered by the excessive materialism in it. A $300 pillow? BLECH!

One of the best lessons I've learned from living in Hawaii and from the students at my school is that "more" isn't always better. Its amazing how focusing on the simple beauties of life (love, family, friendship, nature, laughter, etc.) can really bring a person closer to true happiness. I love how many students at my school don't really care about fashion. For a few students, they're not into fashion because they genuinely can't afford it. Many other students, however, come from families and cultures where most of the time a t-shirt, gym shorts, and the same beat-up pair of "slippahs" (aka flip-flops) that they've worn as long as they've fit is just fine. No need for fancy hair-dos and make-up. And a beat-up backpack or bag will do the job just fine. Really, they have it better. Their wardrobes may be a little older and less fancy, but students still wear clean, functional clothes. And they are free from worry about keeping up with the latest trends. What else does anyone need? Once every year or so, I go through my closet and donate a few large grocery bags of clothes to Goodwill. Its really silly. I don't usually get new stuff because I need it. I get it because it meets some short-lived desire such as "its cute!" or "it minimizes my butt!"


So, inspired by my adopted culture and community, I am declaring "No more!" I am challenging myself to the following and I'd be happy if any of you want to join me:

As of June 1, 2008, I will no longer buy clothes. That's right: NO MORE CLOTHES! (Or bags, or jewelry, or accessories, etc.) And I will avoid accepting gifts of these. I really have enough, so I'm going to stick with what I've got. I am allowing myself a few small exceptions:

1. I will permit myself to replace any garment that is genuinely worn-out (incl. shoes, socks, "slippahs", undies, etc.)
2. I will allow myself to buy new clothes with three unspent gift certificates that I have. I plan on doing this in the near future so I can really begin my "year without clothes shopping."
3. Gifts for OTHERS: I will allow myself to buy clothes as gifts for other people, but I will avoid accepting gifts of clothing. Please support me by NOT buying me gifts of clothing. :-)
4. Precious stones: Seriously, if George (or anyone else!) is wants to buy me fancy jewelry with rubies or diamonds, I'm not passing it up. Is that hypocrisy? I don't care. :-)

Anyway, that's it. That's my challenge. Please wish me luck. I know it will be hard for this occasional shopoholic. On June 1st, I had to drag myself away from the cutest pair of shorts ever. (Yes, ever.) But really...who cares? Will those shorts bring me happiness? Can't I live without them? Yes, I can. And I will.

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)