Schools need Librarians

 (note: yes, I have worked at a school library, and would like to work at one again. But this is much more than just "please, I want a job")

Earlier this week, a news website Honolulu Civil Beat had an article noting that many schools in Hawaii don't have a librarian. 

Terrell, Jessica. “School Librarians Are Becoming a Thing of the Past in Hawaii. Here's Why That's a Problem.” Honolulu Civil Beat.  August 17, 2022.

https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/08/school-librarians-are-becoming-a-thing-of-the-past-in-hawaii-heres-why-thats-a-problem/

Some schools do have a staff member that is listed as "library assistant" but not a "librarian". (both jobs have different qualifications, with the school librarians having higher qualifications). Some schools don't even have either.

There was a time when Hawaii public schools were required to have a librarian, but that changed in 2004 with Act 51.

Some people have the attitude that libraries are obsolete because we now have Google.

But Google is NOT a God! 

Google is a business!

Google is about getting ad revenue to boost its profits. 

Google is not a substitute for a well-trained research assistant!

Librarians are trained to assist students in finding the right resources for their research.

You actually have to go to college and major in Library & Information Science (LIS) to become a librarian.

Becoming a librarian is more than just shelving & scanning books.

It's about knowing the best resources that will help the people you serve.

While books are the most well-known library resources, libraries also have  magazines, audio-visual and digital resources.

School librarians not only offer physical books but also e-books for the students.

School librarians are essential for younger children who need interesting materials for which they can practice their reading skills.

Even for the older students, librarians are beneficial in teaching the students about information literacy beyond just searching Google and Wikipedia.  They teach about BOTH analog AND digital resources.  They teach about how to find well-research materials on both the physical shelves AND on educational databases. 

I even remember one adjunct professor (who was also a student in the LIS program at the time) mentioning telling a student you're not going to find this article on Google, you have to use the online databases your university provided for you to use.

At a mentorship at a local community college, I watched as a librarian showed the students how to use a database to find articles that are related to research that their professor assigned them. 

And as I witnessed as both a student and a former library assistant at a middle school, libraries can be a refuge for students during non-instructional times (before & after school, morning & lunch recess), They can read books & magazines, use the computers, or just use the tables to do their assignments.  We even had student volunteers for whom volunteering gives them a sense of belonging at an age when they need it the most.

One of my favorite moments when working at the school library was showing one of the student volunteers the World Book encyclopedia, and I could tell from her response that it was the first time she has ever seen one.   This is what librarians do, share their knowledge of library resources. 

Also at the middle school that I worked at as a library assistant, we also worked with the teachers in providing books for their classrooms.  When classroom books arrived on campus, the library staff will add barcodes on the books,  put the book in the inventory's databases, and deliver the books. I even assisted some of the teachers in doing the classroom book inventory.

So yes, I did more than just shelve & scan books. 

And as the article noted, having a school librarian does have an impact on the student's academics.

At Campbell High School, Sandy Park used to hold a freshman orientation for more than 900 students at the start of the year, using games like a scavenger hunt to help kids learn what was available to them in the library. 

Park, who was the librarian at the Ewa Beach school for more than two decades, said she could tell the difference between freshmen who came from middle schools with a librarian and those who had not. Some of those students struggled to put together a basic bibliography for a research paper. 

“I think you’re losing a lot of the higher thinking skills, because the kids aren’t learning how to do their own research,” Park said. 

Park retired in 2020 and has not been replaced. The state’s largest high school is now relying on a library assistant to meet the needs of more than 3,000 students. 

Now that is heartbreaking! For a school with 3,000 students and only one staff member in the school's library? To serve 3,000 students?

As far as I'm concerned, every school with 500+ students should have at least 2 library staff members.

For a school with 3,000 students, there should be at least 4 library staff members. 

=======

And also this, I know of another middle school (located near multiple public housing complexes) that went a few years without a librarian or even a library assistant.  Because of that, the school didn't buy any new library books for 3+ years.

Do you think rich families would put up with that kind of nonsense?  Of course not, they either donate to their neighborhood school or they send their kids to a private school with all the latest library resources. 

It is heartbreaking when schools in lower-income areas don't provide their students with the latest in library resources. Students deserve access to nonfiction books with updated information, as well as engaging fiction books that satisfy their interests. 

And who is trained in selecting the best books and other resources to keep the students engaged?

It's the librarians, of course!

I hope that whoever wins the upcoming governor's election will take the initiative to get EVERY Hawaii public school a librarian.  And for every school with 500+ students to have at least 2 library staff members. 

While fulfilling that number may not happen overnight, getting there needs to start NOW!

in memory of Suzanne Murakami

 Suzanne Murakami was my 12th grade English teacher when I was at McKinley High School (should be renamed Honolulu High School). This was in the 1998-1999 school year. Just before the new millennium. 

That class focused on British literature. While I felt (and still feel) that high school English classes should focus more less on literature and more on  having us refine our writing skills and grammar, I did like Ms. Murakami as a person.

Her impacts went far beyond what we learned from literature.

In the beginning of the semester, she did ask us to each mention what made us happy. Toward the end of class, someone asked "can we now say what makes us mad", and she responded politely that we wanted to emphasize positivity and we tend to focus too much on the negative

The most impactful moment in her class was when we (the students) asked what the opposite gender wanted the most from our gender. Me being the brash know-it-all said "girls just wanted guys with status" and noted Mike Tyson still had groupies even with his allegations (this was in the 90s).  When I mentioned that, the boys cheered on what I said, the girls jeered at what I said. Then, at the end of the class, Ms. Murakami said that what we all wanted the most was to be loved and respected. Now, I started to feel some level of guilt for what I just said to the whole class about girls just wanting a guy with status.

-----

I did see Ms Murakami a few times after I graduated when I came back to campus to watch the new generation of Tigers graduate from our school. We did have a brief chat about where I was in life.

But eventually, nearly all the teachers from my generation retired and I haven't heard from her in years.

Earlier this summer, she passed away. The cause of death wasn't announced.

You may read her obituary at https://obits.staradvertiser.com/2022/07/06/suzanne-yuriko-murakami-06072022/

2022 Hawaii Primary Elections

 Another Primary Election in Hawaii is now in the history books.

image from  https://portal.gudangnya.com/hawaii-primary-election-results-3686.html 

As usual, most of the action is on the Democrat side, though there were some interesting developments on the Republican side too.

I'm not going to go over all of the races in the primary, just the highest profile ones that interest me. 

Governor

 On the Democrat side, current Lieutenant Governor Josh Green (like most lieutenant governors running to be governor) was the front-runner from the start.

Josh Green is a medical doctor and that brought major credibility during the pandemic when attention to public health was at its peak. 

People loved when Green went to local talk shows to explain the latest on the coronavirus crisis.

This was a contrast to the current governor David Ige who had a reputation for not making quick decisions and isn't the best communicator out there. 

Yes, Green had some competition in the primary.

 There was Vicky Cayetano, an entrepreneur and wife of former governor Ben Cayetano.  She had some business insights into improving Hawaii's economy. 

And in the nearly last minute, Kai Kahele joined in the race. He was a one-term US representative that just didn't like being in DC. He was absent from Capitol Hill a lot (just like the previous person Tulsi Gabbard) and it was becoming obvious his heart wasn't in it. He decided to come home to run for governor.

Kai Kahele had a lot going for him. He has charisma and can speak with authority! He was a military officer who felt the military took too much advantage of Hawaii (especially when it came to Red Hill, Makua Valley and Pohakuloa).  People can feel his sincerity when he speaks about the lack of affordable housing in Hawaii.  He promised not to take money from special interests.  And being a former UH volleyball player didn't hurt either. 

But it just wasn't his time. I think he gave it his best shot considering he joined the race late. But he was up against an opponent that was just too popular.

And now on Twitter, some activists are claiming Kahele's lost was due to "racism".  These are the activists who act as if modern-day Hawaii is like Mississippi in the 50s or like Soweto in the 70's. It isn't. 

But here's Exhibit A from pualalea who acts as if Green's 64% win over Kahele is due to racism

https://twitter.com/pualaleapanaewa/status/1558699021840945157

 My response

Josh Green wouldn't get 64% of Hawaii Dem vote if only "his own kind" voted for him! Plus, "whites" more likely to support Repubs (the party that chose Duke Aiona 3X including now!)

and

 plus, most of Josh Green voter older than 34 (would've been at least 18 in 2006) probably voted Akaka for US Senate at least once in their lifetime.

And for another activist who claimed Kahele's loss is due to "racism" is Jamaica Osorio 

(note: the "abuser" refers to BJ Penn, who will  be mentioned later this post)

But to claim that Kahele lost because "Hawaii hates Hawaiians"?

Nevermind that the people of Hawaii voted for John Waihee (governor) and Dan Akaka (US senator) MULTIPLE TIMES in my lifetime!

Here's what I wrote on Twitter about all this

https://twitter.com/PabloTheMdTgrWr/status/1559074137506603008

In my lifetime, Hawaii had a Japanese governor, Native Hawaiian governor, Filipino governor, Jewish governor, Anglo governor, Okinawan governor. But if a candidate who joined the race last-minute didn't win a primary, that's a sign of racism?

Even if the winner won because he's a doctor in the pandemic era, and in this era, expertise in public health is what people want in a governor?

Kai Kahele didn't lose because of racism. He gave it his best shot, his opponent was just too popular!

I can definitely see him winning political office again in the near future.  It was timing, not ancestry, that's the reason for the latest result

also, not a denial racism exist in Hawaii, but it's not why Kahele lost in a state which voted Waihee governor, Akaka senator, and  Aiona as LG in my lifetime.

I'll keep you updated if there's response to my tweets

=======

On the Republican side, there was Heidi Tsuneyoshi (currently on Honolulu City Council), BJ Penn (UFC fighter) and Duke Aiona (former lieutenant governor).

Duke Aiona, like Kai Kahele, did join in nearly the last minute. 

But the difference is that in Aiona's case, he had opponents with too many red flags.

Especially BJ Penn!

Penn has a devoted fan base from his MMA days.  He also sparked some attention when he loudly denounced vaccine mandates, mask mandates, and other public health measures in response to the coronavirus crisis. He was the voice for those who wanted to act as if the coronavirus doesn't exist. He also excited those who thought the average politician was too boring.

But he also had a problematic past. His violence wasn't confined to the ring. He had past allegations of domestic abuse as well as assault on police officers. He got into multiple fights outside strip clubs. He yelled out misogynist, homophobic and racist slurs when he is angry. He threatened a farmer with a machete. He also had multiple DUI arrests.

see video of all that at https://www.facebook.com/HIRA808/posts/pfbid02otmMQEhRcUuHMmuC11QAFUKvjiPfanfNuscMcV5jmQNyHa1J5TmWgUi3pnYdPy8Hl

Most Republican voters decided that BJ Penn was more trouble than he's worth, and decided to go with the experienced, level-headed Duke Aiona!

=========

Lieutenant Governor

Not much to say, except that the voters on the Democrat side wanted experience and therefore chose long-time state legislator Sylvia Luke. I was hoping for  Keith Amemiya(former high school sports executive, currently a bank executive) to win, but it wasn't meant to be. He also lost in the 2020 race for mayor. Not sure if he wants to keep running for office or just stick with the private sector.

========

Congress

Incumbents Brian Schatz (US Senate) and Ed Case (US House - D1) won easily over lesser-known opponents.

The action was on US House D-2, which was held by Kai Kahele who left to run for governor.

Jill Tokuda, a former state senator who was originally planning to run for lieutenant governor, decided to join in the race for D-2 when it was becoming obvious Kahele's heart wasn't in Congress.

Tokuda's main opponent was Patrick Branco, another former state legislator.

The problem with Branco was his very desperate tactics.

He decided to accuse Jill Tokuda of being too aligned with the National Rifle Association (NRA), which he thought would work when the Uvalde school shooting was still fresh in people's minds.

But NOBODY believes Jill Tokuda wants everyone to get an Uzi. 

Tokuda's stance is your typical center-left stance of background checks for anyone interested in getting a gun. 

But that wasn't good enough for Branco who wants to ban all guns.

US House D-2 includes a lot of rural communities where pig hunting is a tradition. Anti-gun hysteria isn't going to work. Sure, people there want background checks, and sure they don't want people to have AKs, ARs, and Uzis. But Branco's anti-gun hysteria went too far.

Branco relied on special interests from the continental US to run negative ads against Jill Tokuda. He even instructed them (via his website) on the definitions of common Hawaiian terms like keiki, kupuna, and ohana.

Jill Tokuda focused her campaign on the local people who already knew what those words mean.

Yes, negative ads can work in Hawaii. But you have to KNOW HOW to do it in order to be effective. Branco just didn't get it.

My prediction is that Patrick Branco's political career is over. He might try again, but at this point, nobody trusts him. 

State Legislature

I'm only going to comment on my district and note that I'm satisfied that incumbent Dale Kobayashi lost to Andrew Takuya Garrett.

Kobayashi basically coasted to office in the past based on his mother's last name (Ann Kobayashi, former city councilwoman), and he turned off many people with his speeches at antivax rallies. 

I think Garrett's mail ads pointing out Kobayashi's antivax statements were an effective use of negative advertising BECAUSE IT WAS TRUE! It didn't reek of desperation (unlike Patrick Branco). 

Garrett also balanced it out with positive mail ads noting his service to the community and the policies he wants to implement.  His positive mail ads outnumbered the negative ones. 

 

Associated Press on the McKinley/Honolulu High School name controvery

 A few days ago, the Associated Press (AP) published an article on my alma mater's name controversy.

My alma mater's official name is currently McKinley High School, but it was AND SHOULD BE AGAIN named Honolulu High School

You can read the AP article at 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hawaii-school-named-for-us-leader-muddles-alumni-identity/ar-AA10faTx

here's a brief summary of what the name controversy is about from that article

But for some, answering that question gets complicated when the school bears the name of President William McKinley, who many Native Hawaiians disdain for his role in the annexation of the Hawaiian Kingdom to the United States. And now a proposal to change the name of Honolulu's McKinley High School has sharply divided graduates, often along generational lines.

 

I was actually contacted by email to interview for this article. I did the interview via phone but my quotes didn't make the final draft.

But I did record the interview with my webcam. I did it just in case if I quoted out of context.

Anyways, I posted the video of the interview, which you can watch at 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e7262z_cGo

"Associated Press phone interview on the McKinley/Honolulu High School name"

In that interview, I basically said that the school's original name was Honolulu High School and that it was given the William McKinley name as a middle finger toward those who opposed the annexation of Hawaii into the USA!  I noted that it was common imperial practices for the conquerors to force their names on the already existing places they have conquered. It's like "yeah, we put our names and statues on your place, what you're gonna do about it?"

I also mentioned that we are now watching Russia invade Ukraine in real time and that there would be outrage if the Russians start imposing the name of Vladimir Putin on the schools and other locations within Ukraine.

It would've been nice if all of that was quoted in the article. But then again, the reporter couldn't fit quotes from everybody into an article that was probably given a word limit by the editors.

When it comes to those who support keeping the McKinley name, here is the most ridiculous one quoted in the article. 

But even talking about changing the school’s name makes 1979 graduate Suzanne Chun Oakland cry.

“It was like stabbing me in the heart,” the former state lawmaker said of hearing about the effort. “It’s like going into your family and saying you have to change your family name.”

Excuse me? Suzanne Chun Oakland likes to identify herself as a liberal Democrat (she's a former state legislator), but it would make her cry and feel "stabbed in the heart" if the school no longer has the name of the man who is like Donald-Trump-on-steroids? 

Do you know who really feels stabbed in the heart and have a legit reason to cry? The Native Hawaiians when their nation was stolen by outsiders in the 1890s! 

And yet, this alleged liberal (who used to represent the district I grew up in) wants to attach her identity to a man who, like Saddam Hussein and Vladimir Putin, took over lands without the consent of the people who were living there?

I don't want to attach my identity to a maniac madman who not only took over Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines without the consent of the people, but also betrayed & inflicted brutality on the Filipinos who fought to be independent from both Spain and the USA. 

I want to identify with the name Honolulu High School. After all, my high school is in the center of Honolulu. 

And it shouldn't be so difficult for anyone from our school to start identifying themselves as Honolulu Tigers! 

To learn more about why McKinley High School should be renamed Honolulu High School, check out this blog post from 2018!

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/05/put-tiger-statue-on-oval.html

=======

The following was a written testimony I sent in March 2022 about the proposed resolution to change the school's name.

To the members of the Hawaii State House of Representatives,

My name is Pablo Wegesend, a 1999 graduate of the school currently known as McKinley High School. I bleed the school colors Black & Gold. I am a major fan of the school's Tiger spirit. The school is the home of some of my very wonderful memories. I have organized the 15th & 20th year reunions for my classmates. Nobody can question my school spirit.   However, I believe it is time to give the school back its original name of Honolulu High School.

McKinley High School was named after  William McKinley, who was the US president when Hawaii was annexed into the American empire without the consent of the Hawaiian people.

Imagine how it feels to have your country taken over, and to have the conquering leader have his name and a statue on the high school located in the urban center where everyone can see it! The name & the statue is like a middle finger towards the Hawaiians who protested against the conquest and annexation of Hawaii. We as the people of Hawaii should no longer accept that white supremacist imperialist middle finger in silence. 

In 2022, we are watching in real time as Vladimir Putin has sent Russian troops into Ukraine against the will of the Ukrainian people. If Vladimir Putin had force schools in Ukraine to be named after him, the world would be outraged at this attempt of forcing the people of Ukraine to accept Russian control.  We need to have the same exact outrage towards having a school in Hawaii named after a Putin-like character William McKinley who imposed American colonialism against the will of the Hawaiian people.

It is time for Hawaii to take a stand against white supremacy, racism, colonialism and imperialism. It is time for Hawaii to stop with its inertia that tends to allow the status quo to go unchallenged! 

 It is time for Hawaii to be an inspiration to the world with a powerful example of peaceful change that corrects the wrongs of the past. Removing the statue of William McKinley from the school will be that powerful example of peaceful change. Removing the William McKinley name from the school and renaming it Honolulu High School will be that powerful example of peaceful change. 

And may I suggest that after the McKinley statue is removed, that we can replace it with a statue of the school's mascot : The Tiger. That statue will be a major boost of school spirit for the students and alumni of the school.

Place have the honor and  bravery to approve HR24 and HCR26! It's the right thing to do.

====

BONUS PICS 

Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq, maniac madman who sent troops to invade Kuwait to satisfy his lust for power & empire.

William McKinley, president of the U.S.A., maniac madman who sent troops to invade Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico &Guam to satisfy his lust for power & empire.

And to to top it all off, McKinley conquered more land than Saddam Hussein ever did! 

And yet, people insist we continue to have a public high school in Hawaii named after him? 

-------------------------

Vladmir Putin, Russian dictator who sent troops to invade Ukraine to satisfy his lust for power & empire.

William McKinley, American president who sent troops to invade Hawaii, Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico to satisfy his lust for power & empire.

It it's insane to rename things in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin, THEN IT'S ALSO INSANE to rename an already established high school in Hawaii after William McKinley. 

 

which is better for your kid: private or public school?

The school year is beginning in Hawaii! 

As of now, I'm not working at a school!

But I was working as a substitute teacher for 13 years in both public & private schools. 

As for the question: "which is better for my kid: private or public school?" ............. I'm going to need more information before I even dare attempt to answer that question.

There is NO SUCH THING AS "a school that's a perfect fit for everyone"

Sure, some school administrators try their best to make their school a good fit for everyone that's enrolled.

But it's nearly impossible to be all things to all people.

-----

Earlier today, I saw this advice column by Carolyn Hax from a mother who wants to send her child to a private school, but the father is adamant about sending him to public school.

Here is a part of Hax's response

https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/08/01/carolyn-hax-private-public-school-dad/

Which fit is best for your kid? The “better” private school would be heaven for some, and a torture chamber to others. Is it sports mad and you have a theater kid? Is it four AP classes a semester or else and your kid wants to be a firefighter?

Yes to this!

Some students would thrive at a preppy private school like Punahou or ʻIolani!  But others would burn out there

Some would benefit from smaller class sizes provided by smaller private schools like ASSETS.

Whereas for others, they need access to more school activities that are available at larger public schools. For someone like me, being at a large public school was exciting, others felt overwhelmed & lost there!

Some who had trouble in a mainstream public school have benefitted from transferring to a more culturally relevant charter school (for example, Halau Ku Mana or Ka Waihona)

And if your son is the hyper-masculine type, being at Saint Louis School would be a perfect fit. And you can drop off your daughter at nearby Sacred Hearts Academy!

But you can't just rely on stereotypes.

If you think a private school will be a bully-free environment for your kids, IT IS NOT! Some of the private school students I've dealt with are rude & sassy as hell!

And there are some very wonderful students & teachers in public schools located near public housing complexes. That was definitely the case when I was working as a Library Assistant at Kalākaua Middle School! (I'm just glad the head librarian I was working with is now gone)

Also, your child could benefit from being at the same schools as the friends they already have. They need a layer of protection, and good friends are that layer.

It was why I insisted on attending the high school my friends were attending even though my parents moved out of the district right before high school. Though using my grandma's address was a pain in the rear! Which was why I turned against my parents for moving out!

This is why you need your child's input!

After all, it's your child who has to deal with the teachers, peers, and the whole school environment all day, NOT YOU!

They know the conditions on the ground, you most likely don't (unless you work at the same school your child is attending)!

You can encourage your kids to consider a private school, even take a tour. But if they're adamant about attending the same public school as their peers, let 'em! Unless it's the same group that gets your kid in trouble, then pull 'em out!

Sometimes, you may have to try different schools if the first one doesn't work out!

Again, there's no easy answers!

new video: in defense of affordable housing in Hawaii

Earlier this year, I had  a blog post titled "Thoughts on Affordable Housing in Hawaii"

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2022/04/thoughts-on-affordable-housing-in-hawaii.html

And now, I followed up with a video speech where I take on the NIMBY fanatics who oppose affordable housing units in the community. 

I also take on the xenophobes on the left & right who blame "outsiders" (ie. European-Americans, Micronesians) for the scarcity of affordable housing in Hawaii.

It is NOT the outsiders who are to blame for the scarcity of affordable housing in Hawaii, it's the Local NIMBYs who are to blame for the scarcity of affordable housing in Hawaii.

Learn more by watching this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEZ3tvMPkEc

"In defense of affordable housing in Hawaii"

thoughts on Supreme Court decision on abortion

 Earlier today, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the 1973 decision to require all states to keep abortion legal at least for the early stages of pregnancy.

It is now up to each state to decide what its abortion policy is going to be.

Some states already had a law banning abortion as soon as Roe v Wade is overturned.  

Abortion appointments had to be canceled in many states today. 

Some people thought this day will never come.

On my Facebook news feed, I've seen MULTIPLE people expressing thoughts like this

Veterans for Libertarianism

11h  · 

I have to admit that I was one of those people who said things like, "Calm down, they're not going to overturn Roe v Wade and 50 years of established precedent."

Clearly, I was wrong, and I apologize to those who I accused of overreacting when they were worried about Trump's Supreme Court picks.

And that's the thing, people underestimated how badly the religious fanatics wanted to ban abortion!  

Too many people were complacent!

They looked at polls claiming that most people want some form of legalized abortion. This gave them a false sense of security. 

But the religious fanaticss DON'T CARE how unpopular their agenda is, they'll implement it any chance they get.

Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas already stated that he is ready to overturn previous Supreme Court decisions on contraception and same-sex marriage.

This is a declaration of war from the Religious Right!  They're out for blood! They're in it for the long-haul. 

--------

This might be a boost for Democrats if they know what to do with the opportunity.

Democrats got lucky in 2020 because Trump mishandled the coronavirus crisis in his last year in office.

But they've been struggling for momentum since due to inflation and high gas prices.  

If the Democrats are disciplined, they can use the recent Supreme Court decision to constantly remind voters that Republicans are beholden to religious fanatics who will stop at nothing to ban abortion, contraception, or even basic LGBT rights.