We have all said goodbye to Hawaii and safely arrived in the Midwest. At the end of last week, we were fortunate enough to be able to observe in eight different schools on the island. The students were split into small groups and spent two days observing a variety of activities at their school. Students were placed in public charter schools, public schools, and private schools. After these experiences, the student groups were able to present their observations to their classmates. We all thoroughly enjoyed hearing about others experiences and comparing them to our own. There is a large difference between the services and funding available at the public and private schools, with the public schools having fewer resources in most cases. Also, many of the schools incorporate native Hawaiian culture into their daily curriculum, which many of the students found to be vital to the student academic success on the islands. While there is much room for improvement in many of these schools, they do a phenomenal job of empowering their students and encouraging them to learn at their highest potential. 

To end the course, the professors planned a few special activities for the group. We were able to ride a catamaran for a couple hours around the ocean and get a different beautiful view of Waikiki. On Sunday morning we had the pleasure of attending a service at Calvary by the Sea Lutheran Church as a group. Also, on our final evening in Hawaii, we feasted on a large buffet with crab and prime rib. We have all turned in our final papers and are trying to make the adjustment back to the cold Midwest winter. 

Thanks for reading, I hope you have had as much fun as we have with this experience in Hawaii!