Award recipient's focus is on 'the kids'
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer
At a school where about a quarter of the students are just learning to speak English as a second language, Queen Ka'ahamanu Elementary teacher Diane Murakami knows she has to try to reach them from several angles.
Rather than rely on classroom work alone, the English as a Second Language Learner teacher tries to bring in parents and the community to help these children reach fluency in English.
Murakami
Recently she organized an ESLL Parent Fair that gave parents from around the Roosevelt complex the chance to meet one another, as well as talk to representatives from various agencies, such as the Department of Human Services, the library, Civil Defense, Fire Department and the police.
"I do this for the kids," Murakami said. "We've got to have their parents as our partners."
Murakami, who has taught for 26 years, has been named the Department of Education's ESLL teacher of the year for her efforts. The award comes with a $1,000 prize.
"She has many initiatives and creative ideas of how to make ESLL more palatable for students and parents and the community," said Gerry Madrazo, an education specialist for the DOE's ESLL program.
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Other programs include bringing parents into the school for culture and community days that give them time to interact with teachers.
"Our job is to actually show them how to help their children and if possible, help them with resources," Murakami said.
"We have to empower parents to be leaders," she said.
Teaching ESLL presents a special challenge these days, as students have only a year to learn the language before they are subjected to the same battery of standardized tests given to native English speakers. If ESLL students cannot perform at proficient levels on the high-stakes tests, the entire school can be sanctioned under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
But as Murakami points out, the children have to learn English, then catch up with the content standards they are expected to master. "We have to give them time," she said. "It takes time for them to learn the language, then they have to learn the content. It just takes time."
Ultimately, it's not test scores she's worried about. As she put it, "We still have to think of the children, what's in their best interest, what they need."
Reach Treena Shapiro at 525-8014 or tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com
