This blog will attempt to reveal the many dimensions and cultures of my school's teaching and learning environments. I will break down this critical analysis into three main sections. Section 1 will focus on painting a picture of the multiple cultures within our school community. I will reflect on how these cultures of our communities impact the culture of our school. I will use factual demographic data from several resources then share my personal insights based on my experiences living and working in my community. Section 2 will build from the communities in section 1 to paint a portrait of my school and its culture. I will again include basic factual information and my personal take. Section 3 will introduce the culture of my specific teaching/learning space. I will reflect on how my community and school cultures impact the culture of my classroom. This section will include facts and my deeply personal connection as well.
Section 1: Cultures of our Community - Upper Makakilo, the Top of Kapolei
This link shows the area of Upper Makakilo and my school, Mauka Lani Elementary School.
Now that you know where we are, lets talk some Demographic Data... I tried to break down the information into two main 'cultures:' financial or socio-economic status and racial identity.
The funny thing is, all "official" demographic data from www.census.gov is from 2010. There's nothing more recent I could find from this data set.
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This data is also from this site: From the 2010 Census
Population By Races
| Race | Population | % of Total |
| Total Population | 18,248 | 100 |
| Two or More Races | 5,968 | 32 |
| Asian | 5,587 | 30 |
| White | 4,352 | 23 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,424 | 13 |
| Three or more races | 2,338 | 12 |
| Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander | 1,563 | 8 |
| Native Hawaiian | 902 | 4 |
| Black or African American | 535 | 2 |
| Some Other Race | 210 | 1 |
Here is some data form a real estate website. It may be more current, but it also may not be as accurate... I have used data from this website below.
http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/HI/Makakilo-Demographics.html#Population
Based on the information provided, Makakilo's population has dramatically grown in the past 15 years. I'd like to focus on this data for a minute...
Household Income and Average Income in Makakilotop
| Median Income Under 25 | $44,122 |
| Median Income 25-44 | $76,479 |
| Median Income 45-64 | $98,107 |
| Median Income Over 65 | $82,830 |
| Average Household Income | $96,849 |
| Median Household Income | $93,651 |
| Percent Increase/Decrease in Income Since 2000 | 44% |
| Percent Increase/Decrease in Income Since 2010 | 7% |
| Average Household Net Worth | $965,768 |
| Median Home Sale Price | $427,106 |
| Sales Tax Rate | 4.5% |
| Average Household Total Expenditure | $69,052 |
Personal Insights:
My wife and I moved into Makakilo in October of 2010. We made a conscious decision to try and work where we live for many reasons. We wanted to be more intimately involved in the community where we live. I guess, in our own way, it was our attempt to "inhabit" rather than "reside" in our place. This was back before I learned so much about place-based education and identity. My wife and I are both teachers. I work at Mauka Lani and she works at Makakilo Elementary. We do have an invested interest (personally, financially, and morally) to our place and our community. We have been involved in our association's board of directors for several years to gain a better insight into the priorities of some members of our community.
After seeing all this data, I feel it doesn't truly reflect the sheer diversity of the socio-economic cultures of our neighborhood. We have such a drastic difference in socio-economic status in our area and my school, Mauka Lani, is very unique in our studetnt cultural identities.
What is striking to me is how the average household income is almost $100,000.00 and the median household income is almost $94,000.00. Based on where I live in Upper Makakilo and the neighborhood I live in, I am amazed at the disparity between many Makakilo residents income and household net worth. As a resident of this area, I can assure you, my household Net Worth is nowhere near what this data suggests. I understand how this data is only as good as it's source. I wish there was more current US Census data to compare these numbers to. This does speak to the uniqueness of our area. We have government apartment housing, low-income housing, and multi-million dollar homes in the same area. Typically, the increase in elevation equates to the increase in housing price and family wealth.
My association of Palehua Gardens is located between Mauka Lani Elementary School on Panana St. and Makakilo Drive. There are 4 clusters of 2-4 bedroom town homes; 98 individual residences in all. These town homes are situated in 4-unit clusters with common roofs. All are 2-story units. Our homes range in price from $250,000.00 (2 bed) to over $600,000.00 for the 4-bedroom units. We are a community of mostly 'blue collar' individuals; a mix of young families and older couples. We have a rental rate at approximately 40%. You can see from this information we are at a whole different financial level than what the above data shows. This tells me the homes on the high end of the spectrum in Makakilo are really helping to pull up the average in price and household worth.
What I see in my neighborhood is a mix of education levels, socio-economic levels, religious identities, cultural identities, and employment identities. We have many multiple-race/multiple-culture families (ours included) in our small community. We have a Mormon church in our neighborhood, our school hosts Hope Chapel each weekend, we have a Catholic church, and a Baptist church. There are single-family homes, town homes, and apartments all within walking distance of each other. We have several community parks, a convenient store, gas station, and access to hiking trails. There are many "associations" with their own rules, borders, and dues. I believe our greatest diversity in Upper Makakilo is our socio-economic status. Connected with this data point is level of education and home ownership status. I also see a diverse mix of 'imported' individuals like myself and 'locals' like my wife (born and raised in HI).
Section 2: School Culture - Multi-Layered, Complex, and Diverse
Here is data from the DOE arch.k12.hi.us website. It highlights some facts about our students, teachers, and assessment scores between 2012-14:
Our full SQS can be found here:
Some highlights of the SQS:
Here's what you would see if you searched the DOE website for our information:
I'd like to point out the very first sentence about the importance of literacy, thinking, and problem-solving skills. As a teacher at this school, I can attest to the culture of academic priorities; especially ELA, Math, STEM, and the 4-Rs (Complex initiative for behaviors: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, and Resilience).
OK, facts are great, lets get the Real Perspective: A Cultural Perspective - Reale Style
It was a challenge to think about the multiple layers of culture in our school. I believe there are so many cultural components at play and it's hard for me to summarize them all. I will discuss what I believe are the predominant cultures which shift our school's direction and emphasis. This information is based totally on my opinions connected to my 4 years on staff at MLES. I hope I don't offend anyone.
1. Culture of the Staff:
Culture of Age and Experience: We have a veteran staff with about 12 years average experience. This is, in my view, a double-edged sword. The great news is we have competent, seasoned teachers who can handle the day-to-day rigor of managing and coordinating a classroom. We have teachers who do some amazing and innovative things in class with their students. Many of our teachers have been at MLES for over 10 years! Some have been at MLES for over 20 years! Some of these DOE and MLES veterans are truly inspirational because they seem to constantly challenge themselves to evolve and jump into any new experience. Those are the ones I gravitate to and pick their brains to see what continues to motivate them. Most of our staff is female, this year we have 6 male teachers out of a teaching staff of over 40. It's the most males we've had since I've been here.
The down side is we have a large number of staff (almost half) who are Very slow and resistant to change. There are tones of cynicism, sarcasm, and even moments of downright miserable behavior on the part of some staff. This is not a trend for the school, but I believe these feelings can spread just as quickly as any positive 'vibes' floating around our campus. There is also a resistance to having others come into "their" classroom for any reasons. This can be derived from previous negative incidents, or from a perceived (or real) negative relationship with our administrator. One thing I have heard since being at MLES is our boss will not hesitate to change you to a different grade level from year-to-year. This is spoken with the same tone and intensity just like she will take your first-born child and eat him or her in front of you... I have never bought into this notion of resisting change. I also believe if I hold a K-6 license, I better be able to use it in any grade level I'm asked to teach.
Culture of our Administration: This is from my point of view, and from what I've heard from other staff... I've heard our administration can be difficult to speak to, unwavering and inconsiderate to staff needs, and prone to outbursts. I've seen a person who has a constant open-door policy in her office (when she's there), someone who is constantly visible and mobile around the campus, a leader who speaks with respect and passion but can share honest limitations if needed, and a person who listens to others' ideas while considering what would be best for the school. I have witnessed first hand how willing and open my boss is to change and new ideas. I've been steadily supported and allowed to dream big in my ventures in and out of the classroom. I know my STEMS^2 aspirations will be supported fully as I attempt to literally revolutionize many aspects of what our school is.
Culture of our Families: We have a very diverse mix of families. We have young parents still living with their parents in a multi-generational home. We have families on government assistance living in "section 8" apartments. We have families living in multi-million dollar single-family homes. Our parents vary in age from their early 20's to their 50's. Our parents level of education varies as well; some with a High School diploma and others with multiple advanced degrees. Some of our students come to school with new clothes, cell phones and devices, accessories, and brand-name everything. Others come to school in very dirty and worn hand-me-downs with nothing name brand. We have a moderate Native Hawaiian population, a good local-mix population, a military population, and a white population. All students really do come together and get along with a honest level of respect. I am always impressed with how our kids handle themselves and not get into teasing each other based on their money situation. Many of our kids have 2-3 last names; hyphenated to indicate the scars of divorce and the new-age of 'family.' We are Title 1 and have half our students getting free and reduced lunch... Think about that; our median household income is almost $100,000.00 yet HALF of our kids get meal assistance!
Culture of our Land: Our homes, associations, parks, and schools are fenced-in. There are definite boundaries all over our neighborhood indicating the apartments, from the town homes, the town homes from the parks, the parks from the single-family homes. Our campus is fenced-in all along the back side; the space that is next to many of our homes. We are spread across a hill and have varying hills and steps. It's a small campus that is deceivingly tiresome to walk if you're not in shape. We have grass everywhere; being watered in the dead of the summer and spring day heat. We have Kukui Nut Trees, monkey pod trees, and shaded areas across our playgrounds. Our 3-5 kids use the public park next to our campus for recess each day because we don't have the room on campus to support our 600+ students. There is very little consideration (if any) to where our water comes from or how much it costs in money or otherwise. There is little to no conversation about the grass areas across our back hills. We do not connect to our land in any meaningful ways. We are all 'busy' with teaching Wonders, Stepping Stones, Common Core, Danielson, SQS, PDE3, calling and contacting parents, report cards, and all the other requirements of teaching in the 21st Century.
Culture of Change: I, and a few other open-minded teachers, are trying to use our passions, education, ideas, and connections to slowly create a culture of change in our school. Our administration openly and outwardly supports it yet is not engaged in the activities herself. We have the freedom and autonomy to initiate any number of community-based, place-based, and project-based activities and opportunities. We can and are creating lasting community connections, professional supports, and educationally place-based realizations for our students. This is slow, it is isolated for now, but I know it will keep growing as we continue to work together. Some of our veteran teachers have already shifted their mindsets and some have adjusted behavior and practice in the classroom to allow for more student-driven activities and learning opportunities. Some of our younger teachers are willing and able to get more involved in activities and cultural connections above and beyond the Common Core standards.
Section 3: Culture of my Classroom
Below are two links to my Google Drive Folders. These folders basically give you a glimpse into my classroom priorities for my two teaching and learning opportunities at my school. This information is just the beginning of what I am attempting to create!
Garden Club:
My Classroom:
What I want in My Classroom from ALL who Enter:
- Purposeful Thinking, Acting, and Reflecting
- Connected and Culturally-Related activities
- Mutual Respect, Shared Responsibility, Resourcefulness with Ingenuity, and Resilience with a positive attitude
- A'o with every individual in the room
- Kilo our world and ask questions about our thoughts
- Maka'ala individuals while supporting each other
- Project-Based, Place-Based activities with a purpose
- This is a work in Progress!
- A Hawaiian Culture-Embedded Classroom with purposeful and insightful focus
- Openness to learn and respect ALL cultures
- Willingness to try and F.A.I.L.
- What you do after you fail determines your success
- Collaboration, Communication, and Continued Learning and Growing
I feel like the culture of our Community and our School does support and embrace many of these initiatives and ideas. There will always be some resistance and misunderstanding. I look at the individuals who doubt the most, are the least resistant to change, and who question every intention as my 'target audience.' Some of those individuals will become my staunchest supporters if I can show them my heart in my intentions. Just as some of our most 'veteran' teachers are now on board with the cultural components of my classroom (E Ho Mai at the beginning of every class). I really feel like my school/community culture reflects what real life throws at us all. What I mean is, it is not all good or all bad. Life is a mixed bag of incidents, issues, victories, failures, joys, and conflict. It's how we CHOOSE to deal with these events which define our character and our success. What I see and feel in my community and school allows me to flourish as an educator and challenges me to continue the change I feel is needed.
There are some negative impacts of my school/community culture on what I want to achieve. I think some of our families don't value the Hawaiian culture or the cultural importance of conservation, ecology, community collaboration, sharing resources, and re-defining personal land ownership. I know some will deny the impact money and power have on our 'global economy' and reject the importance or revolutionizing our economic, cultural, and social priorities... I mean, we're basically asking everyone to do a 180 on some really MAJOR ideas here! I would expect backlash!
Ultimately, I hope to demonstrate the value of these ideas through actions with our students. I want to begin creating children who know where they are, where they are from, how they effect their place, and how they can positively change the world around them. I wan them to be culturally aware, socially conscious, and environmentally responsible. I want to continue our human evolution so we will have a 7th generation to come while having all the amazing and diverse life on this planet. I want us to begin reversing the damages done to our planet because we have the INTELLIGENCE, RESOURCEFULNESS, and RESILIENCE to do so! Oh, I also want the Eagles to win the Super Bowl; completely unrelated and totally corporate-centered... Just a childhood dream...
Now, since you've made it through the "War and Peace" of all blogs, go have a drink, hug your kids if you have some, and remember... Change happens one instance at a time...
Mahalo for Surviving til the end!
PS - If anyone asks, Joe and Tara made me do this... ha
Sincerely,
Jr.
