An Interview with HTA West Hawaii K-5 teacher, Tina Flower

Tell the HTA Ohana a little bit about yourself, Tina:
I was born and raised in western New York state. I traveled and lived overseas for several years as a young adult before eventually settling in San Francisco, where I remained until about eight years ago, when a job opportunity for my spouse brought us to the island of Hawaiʻi.

Will you share a bit about your academic background?
I graduated from New College of California with a B.A. in Humanities, then earned a teaching credential in elementary education from San Francisco State University. I later went on to earn an M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies from the University of Montana.

What made you interested in teaching?
My own experiences as a student in a traditional classroom environment throughout K-12 were unremarkable, unchallenging, and uninspiring. Even as a young child, I remember feeling that there must be a better way to teach and to learn, and I think that was what set me on the path toward teaching.

What is your first memory associated with teaching?
The mixed emotions of excitement and terror in the minutes before that very first day of school in my first classroom working as a teacher. No amount of training or advance preparation could quite prepare me enough to feel that I was truly ready and that this wasn’t going to be a complete disaster.

What do you find most challenging and rewarding about being a teacher?
In my current position, the greatest challenge is trying to juggle multiple grade levels and attempt to adequately meet the wide range of needs of all my students. What I find most rewarding is when I see students surprise themselves as they discover they are capable of accomplishing what they thought they couldn’t do.

Favorite Five:
Hobby? Outrigger canoe paddling
Song? Love’s in Need of Love Today (Stevie Wonder)
Book? Tender at the Bone (Ruth Reichl)
Travel Destination? Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan, Indonesia (one of few remaining habitats for wild orangutans)
Quote? “The cure for anything is salt water—sweat, tears, or the sea.” ~Isak Dinesen

If you were to summarize “YOU” in only one sentence, what would that sentence be?  I have the heart of an idealist and the mind of a pragmatist.

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