"...I take pride in encouraging students to be the best they can be and helping guide them..."

Hometown

Hilo, Hawai'i island

Department

Special Education

Related Degrees

• BEd in Special Education

Why did you choose to become a teacher, in general?

I chose to become a teacher after working in the Special Education department as an Educational Assistant for 23 years. I found myself doing many of the duties of a teacher as an EA. It was also through the encouragement of my schools SSC, SPED Dept. Head, and my school principal that I decided to take the leap of becoming a teacher.

Why did you choose to become licensed in special education?

I have worked in the special education department at Keaau High School for many years and I enjoyed helping students become confident, successful learners through the years. Many of the students that I have the pleasure to work with do not feel like they can be successful in school or have confidence issues about not being a good learner. I take pride in encouraging students to be the best they can be and helping guide them on their educational journey through high school.

Why do you feel it is important to have diversity in the classroom?

I feel it is important to have diversity in the class to broaden their perspectives of other cultures. This in turn creates greater understanding and acceptance of different cultures and their practices and social norms. We learn a lot from each other and having a broader picture of what’s out there creates greater compassion and acceptance of each other. Being that Hawaii is such a culturally diverse state, having a diverse classroom will only help to serve my students in the future when they will be interacting with other people of varying cultures. It prepares them to be culturally responsive and connected to others.