So...here it begins.
The first real step towards my career; it is not so much a future anymore as it is definitely within my grasps.
It has officially been over a month since I began my Observations and Student Teachings at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Ānuenue in the awaawa of Pālolo. And I must say, it's been a great experience so far.
Of course, the beginnings are always full of nervousness, adrenaline, and tiredness. I've never stepped foot into a Hawaiian Immersion classroom prior to this semester so I did not know what to expect at all. As I sat in my first class, I remembered my freshman year at Roosevelt High School and the student teachers that sat in our classes and I remember thinking, "who the hell is that?" As terrible as it sounds, I believe it to be quite normal from the mentality of a typical high school teenager. Although, this is not your typical high school and these are not entirely your typical teenagers.
At my first Piko, Kaʻaimalani introduced me to the entire student body and high school kumu, and from that moment the students were more welcoming than I thought they would be. Within that first week, some of the students would tell me good morning and how I was doing. We definitely did not do that to our student teachers in my high school.
Fast forward four weeks later, and I have been blessed with students who appreciate my company and my assistance in their education. I just hope and pray I get hired there after I complete and successfully graduate from the Hoʻokulāiwi program. For the past week, I have already begun brainstorming in my head what lessons I want to teach and how I will teach them. I've even gone as far as to wonder what new classes and programs I can contribute to the school that I have yet to see.
I have found my niche and my kuleana in life.
ʻO au iho me ka haʻahaʻa,
Kaipo
