It’s the first-ever gathering organized by public school students for their peers
Posted: November 3, 2023
More than 130 students from seven public high schools interested in teaching and other public education careers gathered Friday at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu for the first-ever Dive Into Education event organized by students to encourage more of their peers to enter classroom professions to address Hawaiʻi’s teacher shortage.
Friday’s event, supported by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Education Association, was the first of its kind organized by students aimed at motivating their peers to become educators. The event offered advice from a veteran teacher and current education students along with information about college and university teaching programs in the islands.
Two high school seniors, Hailey Rodgers and Arisa Yazaki, who plan to become teachers, organized the event. Both girls are enrolled in the Teaching as a Profession program at Pearl City High School and they planned the event as their capstone senior project.
“We wanted to organize this event because it is important to have homegrown teachers,” said Rodgers.
“I wanted to get more homegrown teachers because in Hawaiʻi, there aren’t that many people who want to be teachers, but even if there are, they end up moving to the mainland or they end up moving away because of so many different factors. And I just wanted them to stay here in Hawaiʻi and become teachers and have their careers here in Hawaiʻi.” Rodgers added.
Yazaki said, “This is important because there is a teacher shortage here in Hawaiʻi and all around the state. And bringing awareness to that is very important and having all these students here is preparing them for the future and once they get into the classroom, we will have more teachers who are prepared to guide students to the right path.”
As of Friday, the state and charter schools had hired about 1,355 new teachers out of 13,700 teaching positions this school year. But HIDOE reported it still has 200 teacher vacancies as of this week, three months into the school year, for a teacher vacancy rate of about 11%. Constant teacher turnover and a chronic shortage mean public and charter schools have to hire at least 1,000 new teachers every school year.
Their Teaching as a Profession teacher at Pearl City High, Tammy Yoon, said, “We are excited about this opportunity for aspiring educators to network and connect. It’s a way to exchange new perspectives and ideas that will shape the future of education.”
Joan Lewis, president of the Hawaiʻi Education Association, one of the featured speakers at the event, added, “It’s exciting to see the next generation of educators taking charge of the future.”
“Their enthusiasm is infectious and reminds all of us, including veteran educators, to always be open to new ideas to shape our profession,” said Lewis, an instructional coach at Kapolei High School.
The Hawai‘i Education Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 that strives to improve education in Hawai‘i. HEA brings together educators from public, private, and charter schools, professors, and supporters to inspire improvements in education for all educators and students statewide.
Lisa Rollins, national director of outreach and partnerships with Educators Rising, facilitated student breakout sessions. Educators Rising is a community-based movement that collaborates with state departments of education across the nation to support students pursuing teaching as a career.
Students from the following public high schools attended the event: Campbell, Farrington, Kapolei, Leilehua, Nānākuli, Pearl City, and Waipahu.
Colleges and universities represented at the college fair included Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Leeward Community College, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo- Kahuawaiola program, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu. UH West Oʻahu and its Hoʻopūliko Kumu Hou, a Title III grant that supports the middle secondary education pathway project, provided financial support to host the event on the campus.
