Armed with new A.A. degrees and ready to continue their academic journey towards a B.A. are five Ni'ihau teachers: From left, Cindy Kaohelauli'i, Bettylou Pahulehua, Lulubelle Kelley, Jennifer Kaohelaulii, June Sekioka, Judie Shintani, and Laurie Pahulehua. Sekioka, second from right in the front row, is the faculty coordinator for the program. Shintani, right in the back row, is not in the cohort – she works with the teachers as an educational assistant at Ni'ihau School. - Photo courtesy Kaua'i Community College

By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola Loa

Like many older adults enrolled at Kaua'i Community College, Laurie Pahulehua needed to juggle homework and housework, though for her this kuleana was especially intense, since she is from close-knit Ni'ihau, where caring for 'ohana tops the daily to-do list. "My grandmother always stays with me. I take her back and forth to doctors' appointments. So when it was time to study, she comes to the library with me, even if I am there until 11 p.m.," said Pahulehua.

Needless to say, it was a happy occasion when the grandmother came to KCC graduation in May, where Pahulehua and two other Ni'ihau women received their A.A. degrees in liberal arts. This summer, two more of their colleagues from Ni'ihau have done the same, giving way to plenty of jubilation, since Ni'ihau residents rarely get a shot at college.

On the tiny island, 'ōlelo Hawai'i dominates like nowhere else in the world, and Hawaiian values are lived to the fullest. As much as Ni'ihau residents treasure this way of life, there is this drawback: no Internet access and costly or infrequent transportation to other islands combine to create a major barrier to higher education.

At least that's been an assumption until now.

"If you can believe, you can achive," wrote Bettylou Pahulehua in an email. She joins Laurie Pahulehua as one of the recent KCC grads from Ni'ihau along with Jennifer Kaohelauli'i, Cindy Kaohelauli'i and Lulubelle Kelley. "As I write this, (Ni'ihau) families are trying to take classes. They told us that when they saw us at graduation, they imagined themselves walking onto stage and getting a degree in whatever field they wanted. This has shown the community they can do what they set their minds to," added Bettylou Pahulehua.

The completion of the A.A. program at KCC is actually just step one in an innovative Bachelor of Education program designed by University of Hawai'i at Mānoa College of Education, where the women will turn for the next leg in an unique academic journey that will culminate with the five Ni'ihau natives becoming the first fully certified and college-trained faculty at Ni'ihau's school under the state Department of Education.

The five already teach at the school. Cumulatively, they've racked up nearly a century of teaching experience at the school, the very one they attended until 12th grade. None had credentials beyond high school, however.

Then in 2002, the federal No Child Left Behind Act began requiring public school educators to have college degrees and teaching certification. Failure to comply with the mandate could have led to replacement of faculty or even the shutdown of the school.

But the Ni'ihau educators came together with representatives of KCC and DOE to request that the 2006 deadline for NCLB compliance be moved forward. Then the partners went to work on a unique plan that would provide the veteran classroom teachers course work on videotapes and classes at KCC during summer, winter and spring breaks. The plan received an outpouring of support. KCC faculty provided teachers with living accommodations; the Robinson family – owners of Ni'ihau Island – pitched in with support for transportation to Kaua'i; Waimea High School faculty offered special tutoring sessions; and Kaua'i media technician Patrick Watase produced videotapes of KCC curriculum as study aids for use on Ni'ihau. Funding for the venture came from an OHA grant, which paid for tuition, books and other KCC fees.

"The amount of kōkua extended to this initiative has been tremendous," said June Sekioka, a faculty coordinator for the Ni'ihau teachers program at KCC. Sekioka also said credit goes to the extended 'ohana of Ni'ihau. "They supported the many days and nights the teachers spent on coursework—even if it meant being away from home. Without so much love and support, we never would have reached our goals."

The newly graduated Ni'ihau School faculty members say the support has motivated them and made any sacrifice of personal time worthwhile. "Everything we've learned at KCC makes it possible to give back more to the community. There were times when it was tough, but knowing we would share what we learn with Ni'ihau made any sacrifice worthwhile," said Jennifer Kaohelauli'i.

The five are excited about bringing new curriculum to the K through 12th grade Ni'ihau School, where enrollment now numbers 46. For the first time, they will be teaching algebra and botany. The latter will come in handy for Ni'ihau students who are cultivating a school garden. "Now we can get students interested in different species of plants. We have knowledge that the community will really use," said Laurie Pahulehua.

One surprise for the women was the DOE emphasis on classroom management aimed at helping teachers deal effectively with bad student behavior. The students are very respectful on Ni'ihau and generally don't give their teachers any problems, they agree.

With an eye towards keeping it this way, they say that they don't miss having Internet access in Ni'ihau, even though they use computers in classroom lessons and teach computer literacy. "We have our culture on Ni'ihau and we don't want the Internet to bring in too much from the outside that will stand in the way of keeping our culture," said Laurie Pahulehua.

The five are accustomed to giving classroom instruction in 'ōlelo Hawai'i, even if the standard DOE textbook curriculum is in English. At the same time, they look forward to the prospect of classroom instruction becoming available in their Hawaiian language. This may soon become a reality as their academic journey continues.

The Ni'ihau teachers will officially transition this fall to a Bachelor of Art program under UH Mānoa's Ho'okulāiwi 'Aha Ho'ona'auao 'Ōiwi (Center for Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Education), funded partly with a one year grant from OHA. The program is tentatively planned to include internship opportunities for the teachers at DOE schools in Nānākuli and a partnership with the faculty of UH Mānoa's Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, which supports translation of English texts into 'ōlelo Hawai'i.

Concurrent with their KCC studies, the five enrolled in two Ho'okulāiwi classes last year. Ho'okulāiwi teachers have been traveling to Ni'ihau and Kaua'i to work with the group of five educators, who have also been putting in time on coursework at UH Mānoa in O'ahu.

Bettylou Pahulehua speaks for her colleagues in expressing her gratitude for the many people who have made a formerly impossible dream come true: "I just want to say that I will be forever grateful to KCC. I pray the Lord blesses all those who have helped us."

The goal is for the Ni'ihau teachers to receive their official accreditation by 2012.

"We need more teachers, doctors, nurses and professionals of all kind on Ni'ihau, so we want the children to have the opportunity to learn many new skills," said Jennifer Kaohelauli'i, also adding, "And we also want them to (be able to stay) on Ni'ihau, where they are needed."