We give depending on what we grow in our hearts. If we are selfish, our actions and words will reflect it, but if we cultivate selflessness, that will come out of us, too. For Afa Tualaulelei, being a Kealakehe High School educator is an opportunity to give what he received at home.
Like many of us, Afa didn’t always know his calling. His first major was education, but he soon changed it to sports and recreational management. He earned a football scholarship to attend school in Nebraska. Then, he returned to the Big Island to become a personal trainer and later a security guard.
In 2017, one of his middle school teachers, Dayle Yokoyama, asked him to consider teaching PE and Polynesian Culture and Dance at Kealakehe intermediate. As he missed having a community around him, he accepted.
“I got thrown into it. Some good colleagues and friends helped me navigate throughout my first year. After that, I redefined myself and ended up teaching the high school’s Alternative Learning Program,” Afa says.
This hands-on program is aimed at students with learning difficulties. It was started in 2019 by Richard Kamoku, who partnered with organizations like the Queen Lili’uokalani Trust and the Kohanaiki Foundation to give students access to their properties. This initiative removes the four walls setting and approaches every day as a field trip outside the classroom.
His group of friends growing up in Kona inspired Afa to work with such cases. Although his family structure encouraged learning, most of his close friends were in single-parent homes or raised by their grandparents. Naturally, they gravitated toward Afa’s ʻohana, who was always there for them.
“They accepted and wanted me to be a part of their lives because I didn't judge where they came from or what was happening at home. I learned that I could help people feel comfortable, and then I took that as a skill and continued it through education,” he shares.
Growing up, whenever Afa didn't understand a concept, he would simplify it. He related with those struggling with learning because he knew the information didn't make sense through their eyes. So, he would explain it differently. He not only applied this reasoning for subjects like math, English, or social studies but also for his passion.
“My dad is a fire knife dancer. He would take me to the lūʻau shows when I was four or five. I would sit with a spotlight guy and watch him. I got inspired, so I started fire-dancing,” Afa says.
This unique skill has become one of the connecting points with students. When school counselors refer them to the Alternative Learning Program, Afa can influence their daily lives. “Fire knife is something you must be a little courageous to do. Students who have a rough background tend to be the ones who want to fire dance.”
With a zero dropout rate, since he joined the Alternative Learning Program, the youth found in Afa new inspiration to keep learning. He also started the Kona Polynesian Club with the help of Joseph Mikaele, uniting Kealakehe and Konawaena High School students. This past summer, he took eleven of those students to New Zealand. However, they didn’t represent their individual high schools; instead, they represented the whole Kona community.
However, Afa is not alone in this endeavor. Uncle Reggie Lee and Uncle Walter Wong, facilitated the collaboration to re-thatch the hale at Kohanaiki. This partnership integrated social studies of Hawaiian culture, science through growing and harvesting palm leaves, and math when the students calculated the correct amount of leaves they could stick, following precise patterns and rotations.
Afa always respected Uncle Reggie for his knowledge and dedication to the community. Being Hawaiian and Samoan, Afa also shares the same ethnicity as Uncle Walter, but what he admires most about him is how he makes people comfortable enough to open up to learn. This is the type of environment he wants to create for the youth on our island.
The Alternative Learning Program encompasses all subjects, and under Afa’s leadership, his class is exposed to various perspectives on which to apply their knowledge. “One day, we’re up the mountain or down at the ocean. One day, we help an organization. And the next day, we're getting our lifeguard certification,” Afa shares.
Yet, the journey is not always smooth. Sometimes, teachers hit a wall, and the stress of the daily routine makes them want to quit. In those moments, Afa reminds himself not to focus on the result but on the little breakthroughs, like when a student shows appreciation. “What keeps me going? Small wins turn into big wins at the end of the year. The micro growths are attendance. It's the mood and behavior from the first time I observed them (the students).”
Afa warns educators not to be tempted to solve other people’s lives immediately. He advises pouring into the relationship first. “At school, we talk too much. But no one's gonna listen to me if they don't trust me. They're not going to internalize what I'm what I'm saying. Just give it time. When they start trusting you, then they start following you. If everybody respects you, they're going to learn from you. After I do that process with them, it's just continuing to show up every day.”
At age 33, this man’s work doesn’t end when his shift ends. He goes home to his wife and two little daughters and continues pouring into other people’s lives.
“Teachers here in Kona: you're doing a wonderful job. Where you're at is because you're supposed to be there. You're probably not going to get it right now, but at the end of the year, you left a legacy, and you don't even know you did,” Afa says.
Learn more on the Instagram account @he.alo.a.he.alo
At school, we talk too much. But no one's gonna listen to me if they don't trust me. They're not going to internalize what I'm what I'm saying.
Teachers here in Kona: you're doing a wonderful job. Where you're at is because you're supposed to be there.