Photo By Cpl. Harley Thomas | Navy Lt. Colin Sullivan, the assistant operations officer with Helicopter Maritime...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - Marine Corps Base Hawaii hosted three teachers enrolled in the Hawaii State Teachers Association’s Stacy Nishina Teacher Internship Program, June 23 through 25. The purpose of the teacher’s visit was to expose them to military leadership and installation operations.
Sponsored by the Hawaii Business Roundtable, the internship program helps to support and enhance the professional roles of teachers by providing them with an orientation of today’s workforce. The program also focuses on the essential skills that students require to be successful in college, the workplace, and as citizens in the 21st century.
Amy Solomon, the school liaison officer for MCB Hawaii, said that this is the first year the HBR and HSTA has opened the program up to federal partners, allowing the base to participate.
“We went through training and workshops, learning about the program, and we built this visit’s itinerary around things that would expose teachers to the Marine Corps’ way of life, as well as the various skills needed to perform the Marines’ duties,” said the Washington, D.C., native.
“We were happy to do this because it helps show the teachers what types of skills are needed to inform their students about things they need to know. With this experience, the teachers can go back and translate this into the classroom, letting their students know just what is expected of them.”
Brandon Tanabe, a teacher at Dole Middle School, said it’s important that the students know what they need to accomplish in order to succeed after completing high school.
“As teachers, we need to make sure we’re on the right track,” Tanabe said. “Otherwise, if there’s a disconnect between what we’re teaching and what is expected, we’d be doing a disservice to our students.”
Tanabe, a Honolulu native, said that this program was an eye-opening experience. He said after this, he could share his experiences with his students and give them reasons why they should improve their skills.
“While we are trying to teach our kids to be college and career ready, I think there is already some sort of disconnect between getting them ready for college and what people are actually looking for in the job world,” he said. “This visit gave us insight into what skills are necessary, but it also showed us examples of what we could implement in the classroom, such as a certain idea, belief or ethos.”
Tanabe said that while one of the requirements of the program is to create a lesson for each teacher’s students, it might also benefit the students just as much if they are prepared for life after their education. He said that by visiting the base through the program, he is able to insert real-life elements into his class.
“This internship is one of the most impactful classes I’ve taken,” Tanabe said. “Teachers can take all types of professional development courses, but this one is something real. As teachers, our focus is what’s going on inside our schools, our classrooms. But it’s important for us to know what’s going on in the ‘real world’ as well. I think sometimes we forget what we need to get our students ready for. We emphasize college so much, the students feel like they are failures if they don’t go, and we forget that maybe that’s just not where our students want to end up. This program allows us to see, firsthand, what other options are available for our students.”
Solomon said that not only does this help provide what students need to learn, but why they should learn it.
“This will help to answer many of the questions the students may have,” she said. “(People have) questions like, ‘Why do we have to learn this? Why are we doing this? Why do you always talk about teamwork or communication? Why is math or reading important if I’m not going to need this in my job?’ This will also help develop those skills that aren’t measured by test scores. Maybe you can’t give these skills a grade, but these skills are measured by one’s success as an individual and a citizen.”
Solomon said she’s hoping to host another group of teachers in July and is would like to continue to support the program in the future. She said hopefully this will serve as a model for other internship programs that could possibly be extended to the students.
“By tying together educators and military, we give teachers the ability to use experience to further mentor and guide their students,” she said. “They might not remember every detail, but when they walk away, they will leave with an experience they can use to help teach — one that will stick with them their entire life.”
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.30.2015 15:55 |
| Story ID: | 168649 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Hometown: | WASHINGTON, DC, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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