Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2008 — Utah teacher from Lāʻie wins national educator award [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Utah teacher from Lāʻie wins national educator award

By Lisa Asatū Public lnfurmatiūn Specialist Growing up in Lā'ie, Jennifer Puakela VanHaaften learned from her parents and teachers to honor soldiers and others who serve our country. For the past 13 years, that's a message she's been passing on to her students in Utah, where this year she heeame one of 75 teachers nationwide to win a nahonal educator award and its $25,000 prize. On March 30, VanHaaften and her husband, Martin, will be in Los Angeles for the Milken National Educator Awards presentation ceremonies, a gala event dubbed "the Oscars of teaching" by Teacher magazine. "They told me I have to buy a formal dress," said VanHaaften, from her home in Clearfield, Utah, where she teaches history and English to eighth graders at Butler Middle School. Last year, VanHaaften was also named a District Teacher of the Year, so in November when the Milken folks surprised her with the national

award at a school assembly, she was overwhelmed. "You walk down the aisles and everybody's snapping pictures and you're wondering, 'Is somebody famous here?' because they can't all be taking pictures of me," she recalled. "It was a really good day." A 1989 Kahuku graduate, VanHaaften said she has two goals as a teacher: to have students enjoy the subject and for them to learn to think for themselves and be able to defend their positions. "I want them to leave my classroom with tools they ean use later on," she said. VanHaaften, a mother of three boys age 2 to 8, also credited teachers in her life for her success: her mom, Claudia, who teaches at Kahuku High, her dad, Sam, who taught at Roosevelt, as well as her own Kahuku teachers Alan Awaya, Miehelle Lemone and Linda Smith, a past Milken Award winner. "All those teachers believed I could do whatever I wanted to," VanHaaften said. "They had faith in me, taught me

how to think, figure out answers for myself. They taught me how to argue and think and compare." Now a teacher herself, VanHaaften leads Butler school's social studies department and was part of a team of teachers that helped Butler earn a $36,000 First Amendment School grant - awarded to only 1 1 schools nationwide. She also implemented a Success through Citizenship program that rewards things like contributions to the school. Her students also compete in a critical-thinking statewide competition called Future Problem Solving, and they often advance to honors, advanced placement and other upper-level classes in high school. The Milken Educator Award recognizes teachers for their talent, aeeomplishments and long-range potential. It comes with a $25,000 prize that teachers may spend in any way they wish. Among VanHaaften's plans for the prize? Her first trip home in about five years. □

HO'ONA'AUAO • EDUCATION

Jennifer VanHūūften celebrotes her AAilken National Educator Award and $25,000 prize. - Photo: Courtesy of KSL5