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10 All-Time Favorite Albums

An interesting survey has been circulating on Facebook. “What are your 10 all-time favorite albums?” A fun, but difficult question to answer. Record albums were a part of a very different era. An album was a collection of songs by an artist (at a particular point in time) that took you on a magical journey. The vinyl LP combined with cover art and liner notes was a delightful package of creativity & artistic expression.

I grew my vinyl collection from stores like Tower Records, DJ’s Sound City, House of Music, and Records Hawaiʻi. Here is my feeble (and nostalgic) attempt at a Top 10. (Intentionally omitting “greatest hits” from this list.)

1. Kalapana‘s first album. This was the soundtrack to my high school years. The reason why I picked up the guitar. I wanted to be like Mackey Feary.

2. Boston‘s first album. Music to cruise to. And more than a feeling…

3. Earth, Wind & Fire “All ‘n All” My fave band growing up. “They play so beautiful, don’t you agree?”

4. Climax “Climax Featuring Sonny Geraci” Precious & Few, Life & Breath, played over & over.

5. Journey “Escape” Another one from my high school days. Worked at the Blaisdell concession during their record-breaking sellouts.

6. Police “Zenyatta Mondatta” A different sound. So many good tunes.

7. Stevie Wonder “Songs in the Key of Life” Stevie Wonder is a genius.

8. Michael Jackson “Off the Wall” First heard it while working at Holiday Mart. Every song a hit.

9. Spyro Gyra “Morning Dance” My introduction to jazz music.

10. Chicago “II” The first album I ever bought. Special.

Left out so many fave records from my collection, but a fun time revisiting good memories.

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It’s Great to be a Teacher in Hawaiʻi

And it was great being a panelist at the 3rd Annual It’s Great to be a Teacher in Hawaiʻi event at Leeward Community College. This event celebrates teaching and tries to recruit prospective teachers to enter the field. There were resources from all of the local colleges.

Keynotes were Christina Kishimoto, Superintendent of Hawaiʻi public schools, Phil Bossert, Executive Director of HAIS, and Sione Thompson, Executive Director of Hawaiʻi Charter Schools.

After introductions, our panel participated in two Q&A breakout sessions. I especially enjoyed talking to current high school students who are interested in entering the field.

I was surprised by the attendance of my sister, and friends Jason, Christine, and Lilia. Nice seeing familiar faces in the audience.

It was an inspiring day with passionate educators. Always nice to reflect on why it’s great being a teacher here in Hawaiʻi…

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“Just figure out what’s next.”

The Kealaʻula Innovations Institute Cohort 2.0 just returned from a very inspiring R&D trip to the Bay Area. We visited the Stanford d.school, Google, Apple, and a host of innovative K-12 schools from Oakland to Menlo. The purpose of the trip was to glean ideas, inspiration, and resources to bring back and to hopefully transform our campuses.

Takeaways
Naming: Names imply and have parameters that are unintentional, subconscious, and  subatomic. The word “teacher” means something. Schools here call faculty “collaborators.” Grade levels are called “bands” and “stages.” A word makes a world of difference. We do similar things (i.e., SEL,) but they are undefined at our campuses.

Identity: The schools that we visited were very mission-driven. School leaders could draw a picture on a sheet of paper describing exactly who they are and what they do. Everything is aligned.

Our mission is incredibly noble, to preserve a culture, a language, and a people. It is our strength.

Attention to Detail:
Every detail is intentional. Every square inch of space has been analyzed. Every resource has been maximized. (We have a mountain full of  native plants and hiking trails that is considered off-limits.)

Conclusion
It was a dream-come-true to visit the Stanford d.school. I pretty much esteem the d.school as the greatest thing since sliced bread. During the visit, I desperately looked for that “magic box” to unlock all of its hidden secrets. I couldn’t find it. Either it is hidden underground, or it doesn’t exist. What I saw were amazing things that we could emulate here at Kamehameha.

I believe that we have amazing potential to do amazing things. To be “world-class.”

My Hope
I noticed that these innovative schools that we visited were all small schools. I hope that we would launch an alternative/innovative school in Kakaʻako. (How many schools own/manage 9 city blocks like we do?)

We can transform our current campuses by revisiting & reimagining everything that we do. It is doable. I am filled with hope. Imua Kamehameha…

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South By EDU

Blessed to have attended SXSW EDU in Austin, TX. South By was intellectually stimulating. It was about epistemology and world views. You don’t go to South By to learn how to reformat a Powerpoint slide. South By is about changing the world. Here are a few of my takeaways:

Mission-Driven
Accomplished people here are so passionate about their calling/purpose. Michael Sorrell said that his university is not a “school,” but a “movement.” Their mission is to end poverty. They are changing their community.

Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes wants to create a school in Guatemala that is so engaging that it keeps kids off the streets. He is up against the drug lords. When asked, “How do you account for different student levels?” he replied, “That’s an American thing. We respect everyone as human beings. We will work with every child.”

Then I thought about our mission at Kamehameha. Our mission is just as noble. We are trying to preserve a culture, a language, and a people. How often do I think about our mission when I’m at school? I bet that there is not a moment that goes by when they are not thinking about theirs…

Parallel Universe
I’ve always suspected that there was a “parallel universe” to these conferences. That the “real” conference starts after 6pm. It was definitely confirmed. Casey Agena asked me, “What are you doing tonight?” I replied that I signed up for the opening party. Casey said, “Me too. And I signed up for five more parties. Wanna come?” I said, “Shoots.” Apparently Google, Apple, etc. were all in town and had these meetups. I didn’t see any of it in the conference listings. Casey said that they’re not officially part of SXSW. They’re not “underground” events, but more like “parallel” events.

Casey introduced me to everybody. I got to hang out with David Ross from DC and Emma Peng from Beijing. David created PBL World. He even paid for my Voodoo doughnut. Got back to the hotel with a pocket full of business cards and a bunch of great memories that I can now barely remember.

The Ugly Stepsister
South By EDU might be the best conference that I’ve ever been to (both before and after 6pm.) That being said, it fell far short of my expectations. I was hoping that it would be more like the SXSW Music Festival. High energy, raw, cutting edge, in-your-face, etc., etc. Instead, South By EDU was an improved version of your traditional education conference. It was “hipster,” but not “gangster.” Wish I could stay in Austin for just one more week…

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POW! WOW! Hawaiʻi 2018

“POW! WOW! HAWAIʻI IS A GATHERING OF CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS THAT ENGAGES WITH THE BROADER COMMUNITY IN THE PROCESS AND CREATION OF ART.”

Each February, I look forward to POW! WOW! Hawaiʻi. It’s one of the coolest events here in Kakaʻako. One of the cofounders is a friend who worked at Kamehameha, Kamea Hadar.

After an early lunch at Karen’s Kitchen (baked spaghetti,) I started to explore the neighborhood. Here are some of the new ones…

This one is in the parking lot of the former Fresh Café on Queen Street (currently Waikiki Brewing Company.) POW! WOW! first started at this exact location in 2011.

Here’s a nice backdrop to a Biki Station. This is at the Fitted Hawaiʻi warehouse on Pohukaina Street.

This mural is on Cooke Street near Honolulu BeerWorks. There are also a few new ones across from Mother Waldron Park.

This one is near the entrance of Lana Lane. The artist is from Vietnam. This event truly is a global collaboration.

This one by Tokidoki is in Lana Lane. Lana Lane is where all the action takes place. (Click to enlarge.)

Be sure to visit POW! WOW! headquarters at Lana Lane Studios. You can pick up the passport and some merch here.

Had an amazing time checking out the murals and meeting a few of the artists. Highly recommend visiting. You can also stop by at one of the many cafés in SALT at Our Kakaʻako. Cool vibe there.

This is one event that I will always support…