By Amber Strong Makaiau

An important part of the Hanahau‘oli School Entering Teacher Collaborative (previously featured in this blog) is the opportunity for new teachers to visit the school archives to learn more about the school’s history and progressive education philosophy. To prepare for our time together, new teachers read about the history of Hanahau‘oli on the school’s website, select and read an additional piece of writing from a former head of school (e.g. Palmer, Mills, Hurley, Peters, Pohl), and generate questions about what they want to know more about related to the school's history and culture. On the day we gather in this special place, the teachers have time to journal, learn about key documents and artifacts, and most importantly use the objects in the room to reflect on their own progressive education practice and explore questions about the school’s history together.

Located on the second floor of the Kulāiwi classroom building, the Hanahau‘oli School archives contain a wide array of treasured objects, documents, photographs, and artwork that span the school’s 105 year history. Mostly maintained by staff from the school’s development office and a small group of volunteers, the school archives are also loved, cared for, and curated by Pat Ho. Pat is a former Hanahau‘oli parent, teacher, and Director of Development, and not only was she instrumental in helping to establish the archives, she continues to give generously of her time by meeting with each Entering Teacher Cooperative cohort to share about key artifacts and documents that tell the ongoing story of the school’s progressive education mission. 

When asked to share more about how the Hanahau‘oli School Alumna and Elsie Chun Archives would be utilized upon their establishment, Pat explained that they would be used to:

…preserve and make accessible collections of materials important to the school’s history over time for the students, alumni and extended community of Hanahau‘oli. A repository for school records, memorabilia and artifacts, this room will also serve as a place for alumni to gather. Items to be housed in the archives room: School scrapbooks and class photo albums; Alumni records; Historical records, brochures, publications, and books; CDs, DVDs, slide and videotape records; Historical photographs (originals and digital copies); and Selected student artwork. The focus of the archives is to preserve the institutional history of Hanahau‘oli as represented by its campus, its students, faculty and staff, Board of Trustees and curriculum. A key aspect of the school’s history are its many traditions: school events (Makahiki, Holiday Program, Stepping Stone Day), community events (Children’s Fair, Malama Nā Keiki), and items unique to the school (school bell, stepping stones, and birthday books). (Ho, 2023)

Pat also identified what she believed to be some of the most important objects in the archives: the Red Books (containing student enrollment information dating from 1918), bound Ka`aos (a student publication showcasing class projects), Stepping Stones publications (currently sent out to the entire school community), brochures, Louisa Palmer materials, and woodblock prints (created in shop and art, and used to make the school calendar). She elaborated saying, “being able to touch and feel ‘old’ materials that tell stories about the school's history is invaluable. I believe paper still has worth and certainly black and white photos are striking!”

As a facilitator of the Entering Teacher Cooperative, I look forward to and attend these annual meet ups in the archives with Pat. I have found that in my ongoing construction of the school’s progressive education mission and my overall interest in progressive philosophy and pedagogy, I have come to see school archives as a critical resource for continuous improvement. The preserved artifacts and documents provide me with hands-on materials that spark my interest and curiosity in unique ways about the “why” behind our progressive education tradition. I have found that the archives can be a concrete foundation for stimulating and advancing both the self-study of the school in general and my personal progressive education practice.  

When I was a high school social studies teacher, I found that object-based learning often helped to create more profound learning experiences for my students.

Object-based learning (OBL) is a form of active learning that uses artworks, artifacts, archival materials, or digital representations of unique objects to inspire close observation and deep critical thinking. Wonder, awe, curiosity, and engagement are central to this approach. Unique or rare objects serve as testaments of creativity, evoking a connection between the past and the present. It is a powerful idea for students to realize that as they examine the object, they are standing in the same proximity as the person who created it. This connection can inspire curiosity among learners, which influences how they use discovery as a learning tool. (Unversity of Miami, 2023)

For faculty in a school, the objects contained in archives can prompt similar experiences. Combined with the opportunity to engage in a “personal, constructivist, and collaborative” approach to “self-study”  (Beck, Freese, and Kosnick, 2004, p. 1256), school archives can help a school community not only document progress, but also learn from the past, reflect on current practices, and plan forward.

To follow up on these ideas, I reached out to former Hanahau‘oli Head of School, Dr. Robert G. Peters. Peters worked with Pat Ho, Tod King (former junior kindergarten teacher), Lenore O’Brien (former teacher and principal), Suzanne Case (former librarian), and Pat Ekstrand (former art teacher) to launch the permanent home of the Alumna and Elsie Chun Archives at Hanahau‘oli School. I asked him to explain why having archives might be especially important to a progressive school. Here is what he shared:

I have spent the past week giving some thought to your question about [the possible relationship between school] archives and a progressive education.  It sent me to look at “Democracy and Education,” particularly Dewey’s references to the study of history but also some other observations offered as well. I also revisited Little and Ellison, “Loving Learning:  How Progressive Education Can Save America’s Schools” to see if they referenced archives and archival materials. While I don’t know if there is any direct link between school archives and progressivism per se, I do think one can extrapolate from Dewey that there is a natural connection:

The past just as past is no longer our affair. If it were wholly gone and done with, there would be only one reasonable attitude toward it. Let the dead bury their dead. But knowledge of the past is key to understanding our present. History deals with the past, but this past is history of our present. (Dewey, 1964, p. 214)

To apply this method…to history as if it meant only the truism that the present social state cannot be separated from its past, is one-sided. It means equally that past events cannot be separated from the living present and retain meaning. The true starting point of history is always some present situation with its problems. (Dewey, 1964,  p.214)

Two particular ways to look at collecting archival materials that tell the school’s stories is that doing so helps us to avoid the pitfalls of presentism and futurism, while also giving meaning to our current situation. Focusing too much on the present–particularly the current world of the individual’s immediate wants, needs, interests without any context (Summer Hill perhaps?)–denies the meaning that derives from its connected past: how did we get to where we are and how did that past inform our current condition–what does it teach us that helps to develop the needed dispositions to deal with our present. Too much focus on the future (as in, learn this in preparation for an unknown future utility) fails to consider the present condition from which interest stems and connecting it to past conditions from which it originates, both of which will influence and help us learn and, in turn, guide action in the future. Basically, it comes down to no present situation is absent a past and the future’s past is the current present. It is a continuum of relationships which once connected allows for meaning to develop. It is not merely a body of factual information absent a context. 

And, when I think about my own writing of the Hanahau`oli Centennial book and a review of Tom Little’s and Katherine Ellison’s “Loving Learning,” I am struck by how much both they and I utilized the legacy of progressive thought, tradition and educative values as sources of affirmation about continuing connections to past basic principles about learning, human development–particularly character–the democratic tradition, social responsibility and the purpose of education (improve the quality of life), and respect for children (thinking, voice, contributions), all to ground future decision-making and to address problems faced in the moment. Without archives as historical records, the story and connections to founding principles may be lost no matter the form, digital or hard copy. (Peters, 2023)

When I asked him to share more about his personal experiences with the Hanahau‘oli School archives and how they supported his work as the Head of School, he elaborated:

From my perspective, the range of items (photos, children’s work, teachers’ and subject matter materials, historical records such as the brochures and school traditions, etc.) combine to reveal the story of Hanahau‘oli, both its development/growth and its abiding historical connections to Progressive principles. It houses the ‘stuff’ that makes what one reads about real, and demonstrates so much about what is the essence of the school. 

Archives also serve as a physical vehicle for continued connection and relationship-building with alumni and past families. They, along with stepping stones, are concrete, physical connections to a place that has meant a great deal and allows people to visit and ‘relive’ a past that informs who they have become.

They also provide the research materials that help people to understand the school’s philosophical perspective, its origins and continuity over time. It is historical connective tissue. (Peters, 2023)

Last January, the time I spent with the Entering Teacher Cooperative and Pat Ho in the Hanahau‘oli School archives became that connective tissue between my professional curiosity and the school’s history. Pat was sharing what she believed to be some of the most interesting objects in the collection. Among the artifacts was the original Hanahau‘oli School brochure that was published in 1919, just one year after the school’s founding. She gently removed the brochure from its protective container and passed it around for each of us to look at. The brown cover was lightly worn, conveying the many hands that had held this book with the same interest that I now possessed. I wondered, what might it tell me about the unique qualities of this now 105 year-old progressive school? 

I opened the book to find one of the first few pages titled, “References” and underneath the title a list of names. They read: 

HONOLULU

• Vaughn MacCaughey, Superintendent, Public Instruction, Territory of Hawai‘i

• Arthur L. Dean, President, University of Hawai‘i

• Harriet Castle-Coleman

LOS ANGELES 

• Augustus F. Knudsen

CHICAGO

• George H. Mead, Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago

• Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen, Teacher, Francis Parker School

NEW YORK

• John Dewey, Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University

• Mrs. John [Alice] Dewey 

My spirit of inquiry was ignited! Some of the names were obviously familiar to me, such as John and Alice Dewey, while other names were unknown. I instantly knew that I wanted to know more about this core group of references who were apparently instrumental in shaping or at the very least endorsing Hanahau‘oli’s progressive philosophy and pedagogy.

In the series of blogs to follow I will share more about where this inquiry has led me. This will begin with an overview of the historical research I did about the eight individuals listed (above) as references in the 1919 brochure. I’ll then share how this fact-finding mission helped me rediscover and take a deeper dive into the legacy of Inspector General H.S. Townsend (1896-1900), who was a major champion of progressive education in Hawai‘i in the late 1800’s. Finally, I’ll explore the ways in which the book Schools Of Tomorrow (1915), authored by John and Evelyn Dewey, was used to build Hanahau‘oli School’s progressive philosophy and pedagogy–another discovery that I made while leafing through the 1919 brochure on that special day with Pat and the Entering Teacher Cooperative in the school archives.

To close this blog, I want to share some final thoughts gathered from Dr. Peters. Curious about the future relevance of school archives I asked Peters, given our digital age, are there reasons why schools should continue to have “physical” archives? Peters responded:

I think that a repository of ‘real, physical items’ of historical significance retains importance as long as the objects are useful. From my perspective, alumns who come back still appear excited to see items from their years here and touch their scrapbooks as they look at photos. My wondering for the future is if the importance of feeling and touching physical items will diminish in light of our digital age. My inclination is to think that people may always want to ‘touch’ and certain types of items may continue to be collected for inclusion in the Archives while others will be more suitable for digital preservation. 

Coincidentally, I recently caught the end of a PBS special entitled "Objects and Memory."  The documentary focused on 9/11 and the actual objects collected and contributed as part of the memorial museum.  It concluded with a statement that, to me, sums up the value of school archives:  Objects hold memories that matter. (Peters, 2023)

I strongly agree with Peter's inclination that “real, physical items” matter. Based on my experience, they have the power to elucidate unique questions and new knowledge that could not be generated by other means. For me, it was the opportunity to personally handle and investigate the 1919 school brochure. Drawn in by the allure of the physical object, the discovery of its inner contents moved me to learn more, reflect on, and plan forward my ongoing construction of the school’s progressive mission in unexpected and important ways. I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned on this journey with you in future blogs! I am also hopeful that more educators will find ways to archive treasured objects from their school’s history, to not only document and preserve them for future generations, but to stimulate self-study in the present. Echoed and reinforced in the words of Dewey, “knowledge of the past is key to understanding our present, but this past is history of our present” (Dewey, 1964, p. 214).

Works Cited:

Beck, C., Freese, A., & Kosnick, C. (2004). The preservice practicum: Learning through self-study in a professional setting. In J. J. Loughran, M. L. Hamilton, V. K. LaBoskey, & T. Russell (Eds.), International handbook of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices (pp. 1253–1259). Dordrecht: Kluwer.

Dewey, J. (1964). Democracy and Education:  An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education (pp. 207-218). The Free Press, New York

Ho, Pat. Interview. Conducted by Amber Makaiau. 2023.

Little, T. & Ellison, K. (2015),  Loving Learning:  How Progressive Education Can Save America's Schools. W. Norton & Co., New York, London

Peters, Robert G. Interview. Conducted by Amber Makaiau. 2023

University of Miami Information Technology Academic Technologies. (2023, September, 11). Object-based learning. https://academictechnologies.it.miami.edu/explore-technologies/technology-summaries/object-based-learning/index.html#:~:text=Object%2Dbased%20learning%20(OBL),digital%20representations%20of%20unique%20objects

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is a Specialist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Director of Curriculum and Research at the Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education, Director of the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center, and Co-Director of the Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy MEd Interdisciplinary Education, Curriculum Studies program. A former Hawai‘i State Department of Education high school social studies teacher, her work in education is focused around promoting a more just and equitable democracy for today’s children. Dr. Makaiau lives in Honolulu where she enjoys spending time in the ocean with her husband and two children.