Classroom experience an eye-opener for guest teachers

By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Education Writer

Community leaders across Hawai'i swapped their business meetings for chalkboards yesterday, learning just what it takes to be a teacher for a day.

Randy Hitz, dean of the College of Education at UH, sat in on the kindergarten class of Clair Kau at Queen Ka'ahumanu Elementary School in Honolulu as part of the Back to School program in which government, community and media celebrities become teachers for a day. Hitz taught preschool children ages 3-4 in Oregon and Indiana. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

For many, it was an eye opener.

"I'm exhausted," said real estate consultant Stephany Sofos after a day with Nate Gibbs' fifth-grade class at Waikiki Elementary. "They don't get paid enough for what they do."

"I'm born and raised here, and I have been real critical of the school system," Sofos added. "So when this opportunity presented itself, I knew it was probably a political maneuver of the (HSTA) to show us what it was like, so I jumped at the chance. I have an image of teachers being lazy. ... I saw within 10 minutes, I was overwhelmed by how hard they work."

Kalihi Kai Elementary teacher Judy Suan said she also jumped at the chance to share.

"I just thought it was a great opportunity for community members to realize what the job of teaching is," she said. "So many people, if you haven't experienced it, they say, 'Well, they get the summers off; it's a peach of a job.' I love doing it. I love educating others as to how demanding it is and how spontaneous you need to be. It does take a lot of energy."

The HSTA held a similar back-to-school day in the early '90s and spokeswoman Danielle Lum said the union now hopes to make it an annual event.

Many of yesterday's volunteers said they'd do it again.

Carl Hennrich admitted to a few nerves at the outset of his day teaching Shakespeare to Roosevelt High ninth-graders. But by day's end, he was talking about a latent ambition to join the teaching profession.

The business solutions adviser at Marsh USA brought in his family's 150-year old copies of Shakespeare to help introduce students to a discussion on "Romeo and Juliet."

"It was a very enjoyable, rewarding experience for me, and it renewed my faith in the kids," he said. "I guess I'm a frustrated teacher at heart."

For Randy Hitz, the dean of the University of Hawai'i's College of Education, yesterday was a chance to reconnect. Hitz brought along his guitar to Queen Ka'ahumanu Elementary and became an instant hit with Claire Kau's kindergarten class. A former teacher who has some children's music albums to his credit, Hitz had the students clapping and singing through the day as they learned about patterns and numbers.

"Just being reconnected with 5-year-olds was an absolute joy," Hitz said after he had returned to his real job for a string of afternoon meetings. "To get a sense of their wonder of the world, their curiosity, their energy. It's so easy to get isolated from kids in this society, even somebody like me who's in education."

And in amongst the lessons that were exchanged yesterday, the teachers-for-a-day also learned some more basic facts of teacher life: Being in sole charge of a classroom of young children means no toilet breaks or leisurely chats by the water cooler.

And Sofos admitted to another lesson: "I got told off by the principal for chewing gum."

Reach Alice Keesing at akeesing@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.