KAPA‘A — The Hawai‘i State Teacher’s Association has appointed Kapa‘a Middle School art teacher Dr. Michael Hurst to coach a new, statewide Early Leadership Institute that aims to educate new teachers in the state and improve teacher retention.
While Hurst is a new Hawai‘i educator — this is his second year teaching in the state — he comes to the state with decades of experience teaching and coaching teachers in and out of public schools.
His teaching career spans “every subject you can imagine,” Hurst said, but he has specialized in art and technology dating back to the ‘70s, when he taught community education for a darkroom center in Bellingham, Washington. Since then, he has taught students from kindergarteners to adults in several states and internationally.
Hurst hopes that by giving teachers more tools to be successful in their careers, teacher retention will improve.
“We lose so many teachers off of this island, and fairly quickly,” Hurst said. “I’m listening to several teachers just on my own campus who have reached exasperation.”
In Hawai‘i, just over half of teachers stay in teaching for more than five years, according to state Department of Education data.
Teachers often leave because they do not feel supported, according to HSTA’s Instruction and Professional Development Specialist Diane Gibson.
The Early Leadership Institute is hoping to change that by helping teachers in their growth and giving them the tools to make an impact that goes beyond their classrooms.
The program is designed so that teachers who see opportunities for improvement in their schools and complex areas are supported as they meet with community leaders who influence education. They will then work together with Hurst and small groups of educators to develop action projects.
ELI is also an opportunity to build community among teachers who are either new to the profession or new to the islands.
“We are looking to support the whole teacher as best we can without being intrusive,” Hurst said.
Being new to the island himself, Hurst knows first-hand some of the challenges that come with moving to Kaua‘i to teach, including finding stable housing and transportation and making friends. Having a group of teacher leaders to turn to is one more way the program can be a resource base for teachers, one that goes beyond their day-to-day activities in the classroom.
The institute is not just for teachers interested in administrative roles. It also aims to build leaders who want leadership roles in their buildings as classroom teachers or coaches and within the union.
“Leadership’s not always an easy role to take on,” Gibson said. “If teachers have opportunities in the early years of their career to start to develop those skills, it’s going to help them feel more comfortable taking on different roles.”
HSTA is currently accepting applications for the first cohort of the program, which is expected to be between 12 and 15 educators statewide who will be coached virtually by Hurst.
He holds degrees in visual communication from Western Washington University, a master’s degree in technology from Oregon State University and his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix.
If the program goes well, it could be expanded in future years to reach more educators, according to Gibson.
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Laurel Smith, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0424 or lsmith@thegardenisland.com.
