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That turn over is extremely high, but does a lot of that have to do with trying to make it on a teacher salary? My wife will also make more money than she currently makes in Virginia.
I'm sure salary and cost of living are factors for some.
No AC in the classroom
Oversized classrooms
Remote locations
DOE bureaucracy
Not adjusting well to Hawaii - friends can be difficult to make - missing family on mainland - the simpler life wasn't all what is was cracked up to be - coqui frogs - fire ants - rain......
I'm sure salary and cost of living are factors for some.
No AC in the classroom
Oversized classrooms
Remote locations
DOE bureaucracy
Not adjusting well to Hawaii - friends can be difficult to make - missing family on mainland - the simpler life wasn't all what is was cracked up to be - coqui frogs - fire ants - rain......
This 50% return rate about squares with overseas expats, which relocating to Hawaii seems to emulate, sort of. It is so, so different from the mainland.
I spent a lot of time in Hilo and Puna, and while gorgeous, it does rain all the time. I ended up going to the Kapoho tide pools every day where the sun shines. That is a fabulous little place, and I ended up renting there for several months. Rents are pretty reasonable and the snorkeling, WOW.
We wanted to buy there too, but after renting a few months, decided against it. Rent FIRST!
I'm sure salary and cost of living are factors for some.
No AC in the classroom
Oversized classrooms
Remote locations
DOE bureaucracy
Not adjusting well to Hawaii - friends can be difficult to make - missing family on mainland - the simpler life wasn't all what is was cracked up to be - coqui frogs - fire ants - rain......
My wife doesn't like being cold. She hates using the AC.
Her classroom is already oversized. Virginia for whatever reason is a hard state to staff teachers. Probably has to do with their pay and no union. The turn over in her school is crazy.
We are older and don't mind remoteness.
DOE bureaucracy is everywhere. It all comes down to teaching to pass a test and all the nonsense that goes with it. The education system has become nationalized. I do think my wife won't like being in the union though. She believes a teacher needs to be held accountable and in Virginia, if you don't hold your weight, you are out. In Virginia, you can be fired without cause.
She really doesn't have any friends now, just acquaintances. She doesn't let herself get too close to anyone. She is a bit of a loaner. I'm all the friend she needs and she is all the friend I need. We also have no family other than my sister and her mom. We really just keep to ourselves and enjoy our own company.
Rain might be an issue. She rather more sunny days than rainy overcast days.
Depending on where you end up, there may be some challenges that you cannot easily overcome. I live in Ka'u, so I can only speak about that area. I know that teachers come and go with great regularity and we have a lot of teachers who do a one year stint (I think, or it could be two) through Teach for America. I think a lot of turnover is dissatisfaction with the Way the local schools are run.
Additionally, I've heard that a lot of kids speak pidgin in the classroom, and that is not something that your wife can just learn in a week or two.
No AC in the classroom can be a major factor if the school is someplace where the humidity is high and there are no trade winds. Maybe that oppressive heat doesn't bother your wife, but it probably affects how the kids in school perform.
Depending on where you end up, there may be some challenges that you cannot easily overcome. I live in Ka'u, so I can only speak about that area. I know that teachers come and go with great regularity and we have a lot of teachers who do a one year stint (I think, or it could be two) through Teach for America. I think a lot of turnover is dissatisfaction with the Way the local schools are run.
Additionally, I've heard that a lot of kids speak pidgin in the classroom, and that is not something that your wife can just learn in a week or two.
No AC in the classroom can be a major factor if the school is someplace where the humidity is high and there are no trade winds. Maybe that oppressive heat doesn't bother your wife, but it probably affects how the kids in school perform.
You live in DH, right? I checked out the Ka'u schoool system website. So I checked out their staff. There look to be three secondary english teacher positions available because there was no assigned teacher for that position, but only said TBD.
Kids can speak slang all they like, but my wife will teach them the best of their ability to know English. Pidgin is slang, not a language. Every language has pidgin.
Whether it's hot in the classroom or not, she will challenge her students. Her classroom management is very good and she will handle it.
The point is will she fit in there as a teacher? She is no nonsense strict, but fair. She also has no issue telling an administrator how it is. She will speak her mind and be real. If she gets an interview, she will be upfront with her teaching style and she has the attitude of take it or leave it. She will not compromise. Kids who hate her respect her. Even children who struggle love her. You try in her class, you will do well. If your a punk and don't try, too bad.
Her intuition is in tune and she will know with an interview. She will know right then and there if teaching in Hawaii will work.
Last edited by Nyfinestbxtf; 06-22-2017 at 06:25 PM..
You live in DH, right? I checked out the Ka'u schoool system website. So I checked out their staff. There look to be three secondary english teacher positions available because there was no assigned teacher for that position, but only said TBD.
Kids can speak slang all they like, but my wife will teach them the best of their ability to know English. Pidgin is slang, not a language. Every language has pidgin.
Whether it's hot in the classroom or not, she will challenge her students. Her classroom management is very good and she will handle it.
The point is will she fit in there as a teacher? She is no nonsense strict, but fair. She also has no issue telling an administrator how it is. She will speak her mind and be real. If she gets an interview, she will be upfront with her teaching style and she has the attitude of take it or leave it. She will not compromise. Kids who hate her respect her. Even children who struggle love her. You try in her class, you will do well. If your a punk and don't try, too bad.
Her intuition is in tune and she will know with an interview. She will know right then and there if teaching in Hawaii will work.
Your wife may be ok with no AC, but apparently the Governor of Hawaii doesn't agree. This news article today:
HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige signed HB 957 (Act 57) – authorizing the Department of Education to borrow money, interest-free, from the Hawai‘i Green Infrastructure Loan Program for heat abatement measures in Hawai‘i’s public school classrooms.
This will expedite the cooling of classrooms across the state while decreasing energy usage and electricity costs.
“I ordered the cooling of 1,000 public school classrooms about a year and a half ago. The state and the DOE have worked very hard to achieve this goal. Although the process hasn’t always been easy and it has taken more time than we would have liked, I am happy to say that we expect to have 1,000 classrooms cooled off by the end of August,†said Gov. David Ige.
The DOE is expecting significant decreases in energy use and electricity costs. The use of LED indoor lighting in public school classrooms is expected to result in a $4 million drop in energy costs annually. Such reductions in energy consumption and the lowering of the kilowatt load may enable the installation of AC units in classrooms without expensive and time consuming electrical upgrades.
The governor’s Cool the Schools initiative and the DOE’s Heat Abatement program have resulted in:
The installation of 456 classroom air conditioning units
The installation of 201 photovoltaic AC units
The distribution of 402 portable AC units to the hottest classrooms across the state
Ordering of 1,062 AC units
In addition, 461 portable classrooms have been covered with heat reflective material; trees have been planted to shade buildings and minimize heat; awnings have been installed on at least four buildings; ceiling fans have been installed in 139 classrooms; and large diameter fans are being installed in cafeteria dining rooms.
“A big mahalo to our state legislators for their support of our efforts to cool the schools. Thank you also to the DOE for its hard work and for helping us to achieve our goal of creating a learning environment in which our students and teachers can thrive,†Ige said.
Location: Southernmost tip of the southernmost island in the southernmost state
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My daughter has gone to schools in Ka'u and Kea'au for three years. My impression is that many of the schools suffer from the same afflictions I experienced in the village schools I attended in Alaska. These are economically depressed schools where many of the students come from families where education is not necessarily valued. Pair that with social hierarchies not readily apparent to malahini (such as with the standing of Marshalese), and a culture that values and encourages scrapping and it can make for a challenging teaching environment.
I will say though, that I see a lot of teachers here, that once ingrained in the community seem to become truly beloved and respected by the students.
This may run a bit in opposition to your comments about keeping to yourself. In my experience, in Hawai'i, the more rural the area, the more imperative it is that you become part of the community. Rural Hawai'i is not really a good place for loners.
I don't have the experience of a local; just things I've read on the forums. My recollection was in zones 1 and 2 you weren't likely to be able get a mortgage loan and the only insurance was through Lloyds of London, which was pretty pricey.
But I haven't tried buying a house there so hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in.
I live in lava zone 3, and had no trouble getting insurance.
Actually, had a little trouble; we had USAA renters insurance, but they wouldn't cover homeowners in lava zones 1, 2, or 3. We had to go with...um, Farmers, i think.
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