Jami Muranaka is Teacher of the Year
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
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The new 2007 Hawai'i State Teacher of the Year, Jami Muranaka, a science teacher at Kaimuki High, runs her classes like a "mini-CSI," Kaimuki-style, using mock murder scenarios to have her students analyze evidence and scientifically find a solution.
"You plan out a mock murder, plant the evidence and they analyze the evidence," she said yesterday after accepting her award at a meeting of the Board of Education. Also at the meeting were the six teacher runners-up.
Muranaka's lessons are modeled after the popular television series "CSI," which focuses on crime solving through forensic science.
As a biology teacher, she also involves her students with the mock murders used by the Chaminade University of Honolulu criminology program, letting her high school students learn alongside college students.
Muranaka, who has taught at Kaimuki since 1999, planned to be a pharmacist but fell in love with teaching during a year she taught at her alma mater, Kaiser High, as she waited for acceptance to pharmacy school.
So instead of pharmacy school, she earned a master's degree in education at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and returned to the classroom.
Muranaka said she treats each student the same way she treats her own children — with love and respect.
"I think a lot of our students don't get a lot of support at home," she said.
"They need somebody to believe in them, which they don't always get elsewhere. ... But those are the ones who succeed the most."
She is married to Garett Muranaka, a structural engineer for Hawaiian Electric Co. They have two daughters, Emi, 6, and Misa, 3.
Muranaka, the Honolulu District teacher of the year, was chosen from among these other district winners:
As part of the honor, Muranaka and the other six district teachers of the year all received one-year leases on new cars from the Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association, one of the sponsors of the program.
Here is the list of the cars awarded to the teachers:
Muranaka received use of a new Volkswagen Jetta, compliments of The Hawaii Volkswagen Dealers.
Locke received use of a new Scion, compliments of the Hawai'i Automobile Dealers Association.
Carveiro received use of a new Toyota, compliments of Servco Toyota.
Nakagawa received use of a new Honda Accord Hybrid, compliments of Big Island Honda.
Horii received use of a new Honda, compliments of Pflueger Honda.
Gamurot received use of a new Mitsubishi Gallant, compliments of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association.
Kewish received a new Toyota, compliments of Servco Toyota.
Hawai'i's franchised new car dealers have been awarding free cars (use for a year) to the State Teacher of the Year and the state's District Teachers of the Year since 2000.
This year, with the presentation of "7 Cars for 7 Teachers," the state's auto dealers will have completed the awarding of 50 new cars to public school teachers.
As well, Muranaka received a check for $1,000 from co-sponsor Polynesian Cultural Center.
Each of the other six teachers received checks for $500.
Finally, Muranaka walked away with $14,000 in computer software and educational equipment to enhance her teaching from the final co-sponsor, the SMARTer Kids Foundation of Canada.
Her school, Kaimuki High, received $1,250 in educational software as well.
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.
