LIHU‘E — Teacher candidates from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Seminar Class got an opportunity to meet their potential new bosses Tuesday night. Bill Arakaki, Kaua‘i Area Complex Superintendent, and Diane Nitta, Personnel Director for the Dept. of Education,
LIHU‘E — Teacher candidates from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Seminar Class got an opportunity to meet their potential new bosses Tuesday night.
Bill Arakaki, Kaua‘i Area Complex Superintendent, and Diane Nitta, Personnel Director for the Dept. of Education, were keynote speakers at the class.
Kani Blackwell, coordinator for the Elementary Teacher Education program, said the teacher candidates were joined by some of the 2010 Cohort teachers candidates class and listened to the speakers discuss how they could best serve as new teachers and become employed by the Kaua‘i DOE.
“Since the UHM Statewide Program and Dr. Kani Blackwell started in 2003, we have not had to recruit teachers for elementary education positions from the Mainland,” Nitta said. “But there is still a need for recruitment for secondary education, especially in the areas of special education, math and science.”
Blackwell noted that this was the very reason for the establishment of the Growing Our Own Teachers program which is now a community-supported nonprofit scholarship program for future Kaua‘i teachers.
Members of the UHM Seminar Class include Sheri Majewski, student teaching at the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School, Kimberly McKillop, student teaching at Kilauea School, Claire Hirota, student teaching at Wilcox School, Hosanna Saldana Snyder, student teaching at Hanalei School, Leipuaahileuaokalani Lindsay Wann, student teaching at the Kawaikini Charter School, Emily Blackburn, student teaching at Hanalei School, and Ilikeaokalani Handley, student teaching at Kekaha School.
