Throughout your time at school, teachers are bound to leave or retire, which can be disheartening to those who looked up to those teachers. When Mid-Pacific's band teacher Mr. Lawi left in 2024, many members of the school band felt very distraught about his departure, which is a common Mid-Pacific. But on the other hand, many teachers have stayed at Mid-Pacific and continue to enjoy being a part of this close community.
Mid-Pacific also offers teachers a more flexible teaching environment. This is a big part of teacher retention as this environment encourages them to be more creative designing projects and assignments.
“I saw (Mid-Pacific) as a way to kind of expand my horizons as an educator and to experience something different than what is normally what my normal was when I was teaching at a DOE school. I feel like for a DOE school (we are) often constrained by the expectations of their administration, and it saps a lot of the creativity you can have in the classroom when you're just focusing on skills,” High School English Teacher Toby Kawamura said.
Mid-Pacific’s teachers find the experience of teaching different compared to the linear model of learning in DOE school. This environment is in part due to the Mid-Pacific community continuing to develop and grow thanks to the responsive ear of the leadership.
“So there have been a lot of great changes. I am hopeful about the direction in which we're heading. I think that our leadership works hard to make our school feel welcoming and inclusive and I think that that's a great environment for kids and faculty members too,” high school English teacher Maya Garcia said.
Mid-Pacific's Administration is trusted by many of the teachers, who believe they are fair in their decisions and they help foster a good community within the school. This strong sense of community is only furthered by the welcoming faculty.
“The valley itself is a beautiful place, Manoa, but the only thing that matches that beauty is the people that are here in Mid-Pacific,” middle school social studies teacher Mr. Oh Young said.
The appreciation and love within the community is also translated to the classroom, where teachers share their love for the school by connecting with the students.
“one of the things that keeps me working here is that it is fun. I have fun, wild teaching. And if I couldn't do that, I wouldn't keep doing the job. I think about your guys' period in math class, and it was hilarious sometimes the things that happened. And then the math and the learning will happen eventually, but those moments of joy, that's why I stick around.” said High School Math Teacher Raymond LaFluer.
At its core, teaching is the student and teacher relationship. Working at a school like Mid-Pacific has allowed teachers to make those connections and learning fun. The students can see the passion that the teachers have for the school, their fellow faculty, and the success of their students.
“I think one of the big things for me is that I'm an alumni, so to come back to a school like this is, you know, like coming home for me.” high school teacher Raymond LaFluer said.
