A Day in the Life of: A HAAS Student, Teacher and a Principal
Today we visited HAAS school which is a charter school. This school is very liberal, and very integrated with art in all curriculum. The students are autonomous for their learning and are able to represent there learning in several different methods. The different grades have several different campuses. In the fifth and sixth grade classrooms the students are located in a store at a shopping center. There are two classrooms. The first class students were very free and there was little teacher control. The students were extremely advanced for their age. We were able to read to read the stories that they have written in their yearbook. The writing showed advanced levels of writing evidence. The students wrote their stories and were in the editing process. The students were native to Hawaii and had both been in the HAAS school system since kindergarten. They stated that they loved HAAS because they were given the opportunity to do things they loved and were in charge of their learning. The students demonstrated responsible behaviors toward each other even though it was free time. The teachers depicted that they loved working for HAAS because they have academic freedom and are able to be as creative as they want. The teachers expressed that they were focused on developing the student learner rather than the content.
The kindergarten and second grade students performed a song for us by John Cruise called Island style. The students were very excited to perform for us and were excited by seeing older students. The kindergarten students were doing yoga when we first entered the classroom. The students were very proud of their work of writing letters to John Cruise. The teachers expressed that the students joined the performer on stage and sang together. John Cruise is a legendary Hawaiian singer who has won grammys. Both teachers of the grades expressed they loved the freedom to teach how they want and what they want.
We then moved on to a third grade and fourth grade class campus. They were were located in a small building. There were two teachers and two TAs. Both teachers had expierence teaching for the DOE. Both stated they loved teaching with HAAS. They loved teaching because they can be the teachers they want to be instead of being shaped into a teacher who is scripted and teaches to the test.
The principal had inidcated that his school philosophy is built on developing good students because good students develop smart people. We spoke to the principal and he stated that students are selected to attend the school through a lottery system. He stated that its hard to teach students without the arts integrated. He stated he developed the school around his own son because he was so dissapointed in the lack of arts and student innovation. This was the first charter school that most of us have seen. It was such a different way of looking at education. It certainly have us another lens for how education should be taught to students.
The kindergarten and second grade students performed a song for us by John Cruise called Island style. The students were very excited to perform for us and were excited by seeing older students. The kindergarten students were doing yoga when we first entered the classroom. The students were very proud of their work of writing letters to John Cruise. The teachers expressed that the students joined the performer on stage and sang together. John Cruise is a legendary Hawaiian singer who has won grammys. Both teachers of the grades expressed they loved the freedom to teach how they want and what they want.
We then moved on to a third grade and fourth grade class campus. They were were located in a small building. There were two teachers and two TAs. Both teachers had expierence teaching for the DOE. Both stated they loved teaching with HAAS. They loved teaching because they can be the teachers they want to be instead of being shaped into a teacher who is scripted and teaches to the test.
The principal had inidcated that his school philosophy is built on developing good students because good students develop smart people. We spoke to the principal and he stated that students are selected to attend the school through a lottery system. He stated that its hard to teach students without the arts integrated. He stated he developed the school around his own son because he was so dissapointed in the lack of arts and student innovation. This was the first charter school that most of us have seen. It was such a different way of looking at education. It certainly have us another lens for how education should be taught to students.
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