KALAHEO — The “taro-patch teacher” whose field trips to his family’s Hanapepe Valley taro fields inspire young minds in science thought yesterday’s Kalaheo School assembly was to honor an outstanding teacher other than himself. Possibly his wife, or sister, who
KALAHEO — The “taro-patch teacher” whose field trips to his family’s Hanapepe Valley taro fields inspire young minds in science thought yesterday’s Kalaheo School assembly was to honor an outstanding teacher other than himself.
Possibly his wife, or sister, who are both teachers there, won some kind of award.
But yesterday was Clyde Hashimoto’s day, and he was surprised by the announcement that he had won a national Milken award and the $25,000 prize that comes with it.
Other Kalaheo School teachers were unsure why Principal Erik Burkman asked them all to wear their Kalaheo Centennial T-shirts to school yesterday. They were also unclear why state Department of Education Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto was making an impromptu visit to their school.
“Maybe it has something to do with the electronic report cards,” someone ventured, referring to a workshop held for the state’s Reinventing Education Act pilot program that Kalaheo is part of.
When everyone was situated in the cafeteria awaiting the superintendent’s speech, third-grade teacher Clyde Hashimoto calmly leaned against a window sill halfway back.
Burkman opened the assembly: “We don’t work to get acknowledgment. We work because we know it’s the best thing to do, because it’s the right thing to. And when we do excellent work, we do sometimes get acknowledged,” he said.
Hashimoto realized someone would be honored this day. An educator for 21 years, he has denied nomination to other teacher-recognition programs. But the Milken Family Foundation’s National Educator Awards are chosen by an independent committee, without the teacher’s knowledge.
Winners show exceptional classroom instruction and practices; outstanding accomplishments and strong potential for professional and policy leadership; and, by engaging, inspiring, motivating and impacting students, colleagues and the community.
When Hamamoto took the stage, she tried to have students tell her why people win awards. “Because they accomplished their goals,” one student said. “Because they do good things for people and good things for the school,” another shouted.
Hamamoto had one thing to add: “Because they do things very well, they do things with excellence.” No one could guess which teacher she spoke of, until she said the magic word: “mister.”
Kalaheo School is home to just a few male educators, so students naturally knew the answer. They started chanting: “Mr. Hashimoto, Mr. Hashimoto!”
Amidst a roar of applause, Hashimoto looked around the room stunned as he realized the award was for him. He made his way to the stage, where Hamamoto headed up a line of fellow educators who eagerly greeted and praised him. He later said he thought the award would be better suited for his sister, first-grade teacher Hazel Fujimoto: “The amount of time she puts in” makes her a worthy candidate, he said.
Up to his ears in strands of maile and mokihana, ti leaf and orchids, Hashimoto thanked the lot, which included his parents, Toshio and Lois Hashimoto of Hanapepe Valley; Kaua‘i’s three previous Milken Award winners: Cheryl Shintani (1992), April Shigemoto (1992) and Sandra Haynes (1993); Kaua‘i district DOE Superintendent Daniel Hamada; and state Board of Education member for Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, Sherwood Hara.
“This award goes out to the whole staff, because there’s no better staff than Kalaheo School,” Hashimoto said to the crowd.
“The first thing is I’m going to give some to the staff,” he said of the $25,000 award.
To actually receive the money, Hashimoto will travel to Washington, D.C. for the Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference.
Hashimoto began teaching on Moloka‘i in 1983, and started at Kalaheo in 1990. He wanted to become a firefighter, but decided to become a teacher after volunteering at The Early School in Honolulu. The University of Hawai‘i graduate also attended Kaua‘i Community College, Waimea High School and Eleele (elementary) School.
“You know, my favorite part was the kids. They kept cheering and cheering and cheering. And they wouldn’t stop cheering,” Burkman said to former Principal Diane Nitta.
“We’re so proud to have Clyde on board with the Milken Award winners,” added Shintani, now a Title I coordinator. She presented Hashimoto with the new children’s book, “Kaipo & The Mighty ‘Ahi,” written by 2002 Milken awardee Leonard Villanueva.
For 14 years now, Hashimoto has invited his third graders who do all their homework on annual excursions to his family’s Hanapepe Valley taro patch. The hands-on science lesson has students and parents learning about the taro-growing process, catching frogs with nets, and describing the differences between frogs and toads — after dinner at Kalaheo’s Brick Oven Pizza.
Of students who are long out of school, he says: “They all remember the taro patch.”
Glenn Minami and Linda Morikone, Milken Award winners in 1993 and 2000, respectively, were on hand to videotape the presentation for Honolulu TV news casts. Minami is a DOE telecommunications specialist, while Morikone is a media and technology educator at Noelani Elementary School on O‘ahu.
The Hawai‘i Milken Award winners have formed a fraternity of sorts, 60 in the group since 1990 when the state DOE joined the program.
The Milken Educator Awards program was established by the Milken Family Foundation in 1985.
Kendyce Manguchei, lifestyle reporter, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226) or mailto:kmanguchei @pulitzer.net.
