Acoba Seeks To Learn

Carla Acoba first started teaching science in the Philippines for six years and then taught in Maui for a year before finally coming to McKinley to teach physical science and biology. Acoba came here part of a teacher exchange program, with her objective to share Filipino culture at McKinley then share what she learned here back in the Philippines.

“If you see me sharing my culture in the classroom and outside the classroom, that’s because that’s one of the program’s purposes,” Acoba said.

When in Maui, Acoba taught 6th grade STEM. She needed to switch schools to teach her major subject, science, because she wasn’t an expert at STEM. Acoba said she heard there was an opening McKinley, so she applied for an interview and luckily got in.

“I’m enjoying my life here as a teacher in McKinley,” Acoba said.

Acoba said when she was young she always had a tendency to teach others. Whenever someone wanted to learn something, she found that she was pretty good at explaining what to do and helping them understand. Acoba leaned towards teaching because she likes helping other people understand things, especially how the world around them works.

“Explaining things about the natural world is just so fun for me,” Acoba said. “And seeing kids, or people understand the things around them-it’s a delight for me.”

Outside of teaching, Acoba likes exploring new places, trying new types of food, watching movies and cooking Filipino food. Some foods Acoba enjoys cooking include sinigang [sour soup] and pork steak. Acoba said she is excited for the activities McKinley has to offer, particularly homecoming. However, Acoba said she is nervous about being the Freshman class advisor as it is her first time doing it at a new school.

“I’m relieved because everybody in the student body is really helpful and offers their help every time,” Acoba said. “It’s a good balance of excitement and nervousness, but I know that I’m gonna be fine.”

Hamamoto Finds Joy In Teaching

Shawn Hamamoto had worked a variety of jobs before teaching SPED Biology, SPED Health, SPED Study Skills and SPED Vocational Skills. Hamamoto started off teaching English in Japan from 1999-2002 before becoming a part time teacher from 2008-2012 for McKinley Community School for Adults, where he teached basic computer skills and GED Math. Hamamoto also has over 23 years working in government such as the Honolulu City Council, Hawai’i State Senate and the Department of Health.

Hamamoto said even though his previous job at the Department of Health had good pay and a good title, it did not feel like it was a good fit for him. Therefore, last year, Hamamoto left his job to do soul searching to figure out what’s going to make him happy.

“Never mind about salary or title, I just have to think about what I can do that’s actually going to make me happy with what I enjoy doing,” Hamamoto said.

Looking back at his career and all the stuff he did, Hamamoto said what he enjoyed most was teaching in Japan and working in the community school.

“That told me I needed to be in a classroom and so that’s why I started off as an educational assistant (at McKinley) in the fourth quarter of last year, just to get my foot in the door,” Hamamoto said.

Hamamoto said he learned about a program where he could get his teaching license, which would have put him back in school. He added that hopefully in a year he will have his teaching license.

“I was fortunate enough to be hired as an emergency hire here at McKin-ley,” Hamamoto said. “I had a really big career switch, but so far so good. I’m very happy here.”

Hamamoto said that being a new teacher is challenging as he tries to learn all the different rules, regulations and procedures. His first week was overwhelming. Thankfully, Hamamoto has a good supervisor, good coworkers and other teachers who helped him.

“I really enjoy working with students. It’s very rewarding to see them grow and learn,” Hamamoto said.

Kowalski Moves From Mainland to Hawai’i

Brooke Kowalski first taught history for two years in Cleveland, Ohio—where she is originally from—before moving to

Oahu at the start of the school year. Now she teaches 10th grade History, Photography and Sociology to Juniors and Seniors at McKinley.

Kowalski said she liked the location because she didn’t know much about the island at first, so seeing that it is in the heart of Honolulu was a big thing for her.

“I looked through the website and [McKinley] seemed like a great community to be part of. I was really excited,” Kowalski said.

Kowalski said that it is different from the previous school she taught since she used to work on the mainland, where it was just one building and three straight hallways, opposed to McKinley with its open campus. Outside of school Kowalski does triathlons, and she plans to do a half Ironman in Hawaii next May. Kowalski said she did her first one in 2022 with her sister on a whim.

“We didn’t train a lot, so it was a rough race, but I was hooked, and so I’ve done five since then,” Kowalski said.

Kowalski’s drive to teach comes from wanting to spark curiosity in younger minds while also sharing her passion for the subject of history.

“It’s really my favorite thing to get to share all of that information with students and really see the growth of
everyone over the course of the year,” Kowalski said.

Kowalski is excited to continue to meet everyone at McKinley, to grow in the community and learn about Hawaiian culture, while also coming to watch the sports games such as football and volleyball.

“Show up to school, work hard and make connections. Because if you connect with other people, even if it’s teachers, that can get you far in life. It’s often about who you know rather than what you can do. But once you know those people, you have to work hard in that position.”

Trout Joins the McKinley Family

Kristin Trout has taught English for 20 years at three different schools on Oahu before coming to teach 11th and 12th grade SPED English here at McKinley. Trout is excited to be teaching in the DOE as it’s been 12 years since she had any girls in her classroom. Her last teaching assignment was at St Louis High School which is an all boys school.

“I’m very nervous because it’s my first year doing special education, there’s a lot I have to learn,” Trout said. “I’m nervous that I might make a lot of mistakes, but mistakes are always things that help me grow.”

Outside of school Trout enjoys reading, knitting, hiking, watching movies and crocheting. When it comes to crocheting, Trout loves making bags.

“One of my friends taught me how to knit, I really liked it,” Trout said.

Trout enjoys teaching, while also liking the skills you need or use to teach special education. Trout said she has a learning disability so it is important to her that her students don’t feel like they cannot be successful in a classroom if they have a learning disability.

Trout said an important skill is knowing how to make a lesson plan that is not just the teachers talking and that includes visuals, and putting things into students’ long-term memory by accessing things they already know so they can make connections.

“Learning how to show students how to make connections and how to get better at reading and learning skills allows them to be more successful in other classes and not just mine,” Trout said.

Zarella Goes From Being the Taught to the One Teaching

Sofia Zarella first did tutoring in college while having a background in summer camps, before coming to McKinley to teach 9th Grade English. Zarella did student teaching under Freshmen English teacher, Jordin Carmichael.

“I actually went to school downtown, not at McKinley, but at a school near here, so downtown is really familiar to me,” Zarella said.

Zarella said she enjoys reading and writing while also going out with her friends, trying out new dining spots. A particular thing about reading and writing that Zarella enjoys is how ingrained into humans that there are
always stories to tell.

“The stories we tell and how we choose to tell them show us what people value,” Zarella said. “[It also] tells us a lot about the culture and environment.”

Zarella said that her reason for teaching is because she enjoys helping people out. Zarella is aware that English isn’t going to be everyone’s favorite subject, but it’s an important skill to have in your everyday life. Students may not be writing essays in their everyday life, but the organizational skills and public speaking skills help you get jobs.

“One of the things I find cool is seeing people discover their passions,” Zarella said. “It’s freshman year, it’s new, and so a lot of people find a place that they click over the course of the year, and I think that’s really special.”

Zarella said she is excited for the Lighting of the M and the various events here at McKinley. Zarella only taught a couple days a week when she did student teaching along with other classes, which led to her missing some of the events. While student teaching she learned a lot, finding it nice to be able to come back to a place where she knew people.

“Like any new environment, it’s always challenging sometimes. But because I’ve been here, I kind of already know the expectations. It [comes] full circle,” Zarella said.