Bonnie Fujii

I am a passionate and dedicated teacher offering thirty years of experience in English Language Arts education, who provides students with exceptional learning opportunities and support of educational endeavors. I am also a skilled implementer of diverse instruction methods for cultivating a fruitful learning environment for all. I work to positively motivate students with individual guidance and empathetic mentorship.

As a standards-based educator certified in English Language Arts, I am able to successfully teach any subject based in Language Arts, like Newswriting or Journalism. I am one who learns and integrates new technologies and teaching strategies as part of leadership and classroom management. For every year that I have taught Reading/English LA at KMS, I have realized consistent improvement in test scores year after year.

My multiple summer AVID training sessions have prepared me to implement various "AVID strategies;" I also understand how this literacy-based program helps "level the playing field" so that underprivileged students may have an opportunity to be prepared for college. Many students in the Kalihi ahupua'a fit this profile.

In addition to being a full-time classroom teacher, I have always advised some sort of after-school club: at Castle High, I advised a hiking club, under the High-school Hikers multi-school umbrella organization; at King David Kalakaua Middle, I have advised a book club most every year, and also a Hiki No club for a few years.

My teaching philosophy has changed and evolved and transformed over the years.

It used to be that I enjoy youngsters and reading and literature, so what could be better than introducing young people to the joys and excitement of literature.

But now, my teaching philosophy has evolved to something more holistic:  I believe that in addition to improving students' communication skills,  I can use literature, and the reading of and writing about it, as a vehicle to help young people learn more about themselves, to help them move towards a greater and deeper understanding of the following questions:  Who am I?  What is this place?  Who are these people?  What can I do here?  This focus on the student, and her/his real life goals and dreams, ultimately improves and enhances student engagement and motivation.

This focus seems to be aligned with Farrington High School's motto:  Enter to learn; go forth to serve.

I also love working with and on teams.  I am very much a team player.  I believe I thrive on well-running functional teams; and I also have a lot to offer any team that I work with.  It is my personal opinion that every player on a team has strengths to offer the teamthis applies to students in a classroom, as well as teachers at a school.  It is up to the leader(s) of the team to draw out those strengths and help each team member develop their natural abilities and skills, so that they can shine.

I believe that the wealth of experience and skills that I have will allow me to successfully teach any Language-arts based class, Journalism, or Newswriting, for example.

“News literacy is the acquisition of 21st-century, critical-thinking skills for analyzing and judging the reliability of news and information, differentiating among facts, opinions and assertions in the media we consume, create and distribute. It can be taught most effectively in cross-curricular, inquiry-based formats at all grade levels. It is a necessary component for literacy in contemporary society.”  schooljournalism.org