Educators' commitment lauded
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer
Elden Seta, the music director at Moanalua High School, was stuck in traffic yesterday morning, late for what he thought was a meeting with an unhappy parent.
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By the time he reached the school's gym, though, he knew something was up. Parent-teacher conferences don't usually happen in front of the entire school. When Pat Hamamoto, state schools superintendent, announced that Seta had won a national teaching award and a $25,000 prize, students shrieked and gave him a standing ovation.
Elden Seta, Moanalua High School's music director, thought he was meeting with a parent. Instead, he found out he won the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award and received a hug and lei from his mom, Arlene.
Dewey Gottlieb II, a math teacher at Pearl City High School, was surprised when Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto announced he had won the award. He called it a "testament" to the school's teachers.
"When you teach, you give it your best. You don't do it for this," said Seta, who has taken Moanalua students to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl parades.
A few hours later, at an overflowing assembly at Pearl City High School, Dewey Gottlieb II, an advanced placement calculus and pre-algebra teacher, was surprised to learn that he also won the national award and the big check.
"I love this place," said Gottlieb, who graduated from Pearl City. "This is really a testament to all the teachers here."
The Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award is being presented to 100 educators nationwide this year. Teachers do not know they have been nominated, and school administrators typically go to great lengths to preserve the mystery and drama until the final moment.
The foundation has given the awards since 1987 to promote teacher excellence and, since 1990, 60 educators in Hawai'i have been honored. Seta and Gottlieb won't receive their $25,000 checks until the foundation's national education conference next year in Washington, D.C.
Pearl City students like to call Gottlieb "Mr. G." and say he creates a relaxed, patient atmosphere in the classroom and makes math interesting and relevant.
"If you don't understand something, he takes the time and goes over it with you," said Francis Quibilan, a ninth-grader. "He puts things into detail. You never miss anything in his class."
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Gottlieb, also the Leeward district's nominee for state teacher of the year, said he likes to show students how math applies to real-life situations. Recently, he had students collect temperature data from cities worldwide and brought in a University of Hawai'i expert to discuss global warming, so students could see how local weather patterns may fit into larger theories.
"I love this place," Dewey Gottlieb II said of his Pearl City High School.
"When you teach, you give it your best. You don't do it for this," Elden Seta said.
"It's easy to just give them things to memorize,'' he said. "I look for things that allow them to make a connection between math and their lives."
Gerald Suyama, Pearl City's principal, said students relate to Gottlieb, as a graduate of the school and for his disarming personality. He's also quick to reach out. A while back, after having hearing-impaired students in class, Gottlieb learned sign language.
"He's very creative in the way he teaches," Suyama said. "He's willing to take risks."
Seta, who plays clarinet, has brought national attention to Moanalua's music program with a philosophy that every performance counts, whether it's a high-school football game or Carnegie Hall.
Jaymie Tamashiro, a former Moanalua student who plays clarinet for the University of Hawai'i band and is studying to be a teacher, said Seta brings out the joy of music. "He taught us to place emphasis not just on the notes on the page, but to put our heart and soul into it," she said.
Darrel Galera, Moanalua principal, said Seta gets students to reach for excellence. "He's a committed and tireless educator," he said.
Unlike other teachers, who may have students in class for a year before they move on, Seta often gets to spend four years with students, watching them blossom musically and as people.
"You get to know them a lot more," Seta said. "You get attached and it's harder to let them go."
Reach Derrick DePledge at 525-8084 or ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.
