Part II: Ma ka Hana, ka ʻIke (in doing, one learns): Student Leader to Student Leader Mentorship in ka Papa ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi ʻEwalu

The work of DreamHouse student leaders highlighted in this small project remind us of the ʻōlelo noʻeau, “ma ka hana, ka ʻike” (in working, one learns). By taking the risk of stewarding a class of their near-peers, eighth grade student leaders embodied the hana (work) needed to produce ʻike (knowledge), setting an example for what applied learning and teaching can look like.  But perhaps more importantly, they remind us that knowledge comes not only from tests, textbooks, and essays, but also from mentorship, creativity, and, ultimately, visions of the future that our ʻōpio (youth) create. 

As another student leader explained further, “it felt good to be a mentor; you're setting an example of who [the sixth grade student leaders] can be in the future.” In centering student voice, choice, and leadership through near-peer mentorship, our classrooms at DreamHouse are spaces where student leaders draw insights into perspectives that they might not otherwise encounter at a traditional Department of Education public school. 

DreamHouse classrooms aspire to be places where student leaders see beyond merely individual notions of success and recognize themselves as a part of a world much bigger than themselves, a community that needs their wit, kindness, and leadership urgently. Through the work of student leaders like those highlighted here today, we can catch glimpses of other possibilities beyond the status quo. Through student leadership, snapshots of what school could be emerge, forever shifting our understanding of what classrooms should be.