For seven weeks I went from teen deaths, British modern riots-deaths, to Happy Feet in my classrooms! I got so lost in the David Kennedy's theory that I didn't know how to lightened the reality with humanity and it's humulity, until I sat with Kalani Kealoha at the Waianae boat Harbor. We sat close enough to where as we were touching shoulder to shoulder, so that I could hear him struggle through some three syllable words and read sight words with a sense of 'hey I can read.' I get that reaction from my adult students a lot. Teaching people how to read was the reason why I went to college.
Teaching children in a manner of self-directed leads into groupness and in the local-island style that can turn ugly. But, part of our outcomes is working together as a community in the hope of civility. Only in the tenth grade (not 11th or 12th) they're is a benchmark for media which, in fact, I was leading into that mode when I met Kalani Kealoha. In a quandary, I couldn't transition over from realityto objectivity and it took that moments spent with Kalani snacking on hot cocoa, sausage, and cup of saimin (feeding the homeless) and reading about a dog and a cat! Only then could I transition over from photo analysis to cartoon analysis and 'Happy Feet in my media curriculum'. My students snacked on popcorn, chocolate-covered mochi crunch, and drank powerade-lilikoi juice. High on sugar, I connected with feeding the homeless today, and the sanpan Aku boat (that fed 80%) of Hawaii's population during US depression years. The 100 Kula Kai pictures was part of my materials. It's ironically funny that two boat harbors connected Waianae and Kewalo in the setting of this sucide hanging.
The person that tried to save him spoke about how she saw his toes was scratching the ground as if he wanted to stop hanging himeself. She didn't know about my media curriculum and Happy Feet! God Bless you and may you rest in peace for I know you are dancing with the angels somewhere and just being happy. Kalani Kealoha, please say hello to Annie Pau, Mamo Demello and Dwight for me and Uncle Pahinui too.
Replies