So why not?
Doing things differently creates push-back. Good, it probably means you're doing something right. Let's address some potential issues with including a text like Lāʻieikawai in the classroom and see about some possible solutions.
My school won't buy copies of the text.
You could try to share with them the rationale that I have provided to try to convince them (add your own reasons too!). Furthermore, there is money out there to get Native Hawaiian texts into classrooms. Applying for grants of course takes work, but this is quite common of worthwhile ventures. Stay tuned for more information on grant information.
My school has a prescribed curriculum.
This is a difficult problem. First, please advocate for a change! We must take risks and put ourselves out there for the changes that we believe in, changes that we have confidence will benefit not only our Native Hawaiian students but all our students. Next, I suggest guerrilla indigenization of curriculum :) If there is flexibility in your curriculum, take full advantage of it. Start small and use mele, oil, or short moʻolelo whenever you can. And when you use it, document the student success. This documentation in turn could strengthen an argument for inclusion of Native Hawaiian texts as legitimate and permanent fixtures of a curriculum. Also, consider a compare and contrast model where you teach moʻolelo alongside the texts of mandatory curriculum.
My school is strict about teachers using the Common Core State Standards.
That shouldn't be a problem. Check out the Lesson Plans under the Resources tab. I have demonstrated how lessons based off a moʻolelo can be directly linked to the Common Core.
I don't know the text well enough to teach it, or I am not Hawaiian and do not feel comfortable or knowledgable enough to teach a Hawaiian text.
Now is a great time to become comfortable with this text. Reading through the material I have provided on this website will help you become more comfortable with the vocabulary and cultural context. If pronounciation scares you, there are resources to help! Here is a website that gives a pronunciation guide and some recordings of common words for your reference: http://hawaiian-words.com. Yes, it will take practice, but it will be worth it. And learning pronunciation of Hawaiian words is an invaluable skills to have if you are going to spend any amount of time in the islands. If you are not Hawaiian, it is valuable that you acknowledge your feelings of discomfort and communicate with your students that you too are learning and can learn from them.
You could try to share with them the rationale that I have provided to try to convince them (add your own reasons too!). Furthermore, there is money out there to get Native Hawaiian texts into classrooms. Applying for grants of course takes work, but this is quite common of worthwhile ventures. Stay tuned for more information on grant information.
My school has a prescribed curriculum.
This is a difficult problem. First, please advocate for a change! We must take risks and put ourselves out there for the changes that we believe in, changes that we have confidence will benefit not only our Native Hawaiian students but all our students. Next, I suggest guerrilla indigenization of curriculum :) If there is flexibility in your curriculum, take full advantage of it. Start small and use mele, oil, or short moʻolelo whenever you can. And when you use it, document the student success. This documentation in turn could strengthen an argument for inclusion of Native Hawaiian texts as legitimate and permanent fixtures of a curriculum. Also, consider a compare and contrast model where you teach moʻolelo alongside the texts of mandatory curriculum.
My school is strict about teachers using the Common Core State Standards.
That shouldn't be a problem. Check out the Lesson Plans under the Resources tab. I have demonstrated how lessons based off a moʻolelo can be directly linked to the Common Core.
I don't know the text well enough to teach it, or I am not Hawaiian and do not feel comfortable or knowledgable enough to teach a Hawaiian text.
Now is a great time to become comfortable with this text. Reading through the material I have provided on this website will help you become more comfortable with the vocabulary and cultural context. If pronounciation scares you, there are resources to help! Here is a website that gives a pronunciation guide and some recordings of common words for your reference: http://hawaiian-words.com. Yes, it will take practice, but it will be worth it. And learning pronunciation of Hawaiian words is an invaluable skills to have if you are going to spend any amount of time in the islands. If you are not Hawaiian, it is valuable that you acknowledge your feelings of discomfort and communicate with your students that you too are learning and can learn from them.