If you’ve ever asked your child, “What did you learn today?” and gotten a one-word answer like “nothing,” you’re not alone. Many classrooms still focus on memorizing steps and getting the right answer quickly. But here’s the thing. Real learning doesn’t always look neat or immediate. It looks like thinking. That’s the idea behind a “thinking classroom,” and it’s woven into my program across all subjects. Instead of passively listening and copying notes, we engage students in

The question I get asked the most at all our Open House is this: “What exactly is differentiated learning?” Here’s what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean students are all learning about different things, which would create division in the classroom. It also does not mean that kids who learn differently are pulled out to learn in a different place, which, especially in middle school, could be socially stressful. Now imagine walking into a classroom where every student is workin

Welcome to my blog, and to the Hale Kula Learning Center! I opened this program to combine my love of student-driven education with my passion for teaching, in a model that supports homeschooled students and students who need direct academic instruction. I know what you’re thinking. What does all of this even mean? The best way to describe it is to start with the name. The words Hale Kula loosely translate from Ō’lelo Hawai’i, the native language of Hawai’i, to “Schoolhouse.