"When I was in kindergarten and everyone was talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up, I said that I wanted to be a teacher."

Hometown

Kailua, HI

Department

School of Teacher Education - M.Ed. in Teaching

Related Degrees

• MEdT, Teaching - Elementary, Secondary & Hawaiian Language Immersion

What is your current position and how long have you been there?

I am in my internship semester at Waipahu High School. Last semester, I taught 10th grade U.S. History.

Describe your road to becoming an educator.

I feel like I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. When I was in kindergarten and everyone was talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up, I said that I wanted to be a teacher. Along the way in high school, I took psychology with a really great teacher. I would eventually go into psychology as my major with the intention of possibly becoming a psychologist. In college, however, I had some really amazing professors who reignited my passion for teaching. That is why and how I am at where I am today.

A letter from one of Karly’s students:

Dear Miss Kanehiro,
For the first time, someone had actually motivated my heart to do well in school. I am so glad you are my teacher this year. I am glad that you encourage me with small messages and I get happy for that. I think you are pretty, funny, lovely, caring to everyone. So happy Thanksgiving and love you miss.

*The MEdT Cohort 37 partners closely with Waipahu High School and is made up of teacher scholars and teacher interns working and learning at various DOE, private, and charter schools. The focus is on building strong communities with and within schools and utilizing giving back as a means of scholarship. Please contact Dr. Jon Yoshioka at jonyoshi@hawaii.edu or Dr. Vail Matsumoto at vail@hawaii.edu for more information.