We are rebroadcasting this episode of the Hawaii-based “What School Could Be” podcast featuring Oahu Hawaii agriculture teacher Jackie Freitas because there is such a strong connection between the content and our work at the SOW project. Josh Reppun, brother to Paul and Charlies Reppun who are long-time Oahu farmers, is a friend of the SOW project and when he completed this interview, thought of us and kindly offered that we could share this podcast with our ag producer audience. We thank Josh for thinking of us and hope you enjoy it.
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We are rebroadcasting this episode of the Hawaii-based “What School Could Be” podcast featuring Oahu Hawaii agriculture teacher Jackie Freitas because there is such a strong connection between the content and our work at the SOW project. Josh Reppun, brother to Paul and Charlies Reppun who are long-time Oahu farmers, is a friend of the SOW project and when he completed this interview, thought of us and kindly offered that we could share this podcast with our ag producer audience. We thank Josh for thinking of us and hope you enjoy it.
Associated Links:
Find out more about us:
The views information or opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, our funders or any of the organizations affiliated with this project Welcome to a Seeds of Wellbeing special guests podcast. Seeds of Wellbeing or SOW podcasts are made possible by a grant from the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, also known as CTAHR, and is supported by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
Jackie:Being from Central Oahu, they're starting to do a lot more agriculture technology, we're getting a value added center. Ag tech is pretty much the new word that everybody's saying. They don't want you to only think that agriculture is traditional farming in the soil. You can grow things hydroponically, you can do vertical towers, there's something called farm bots, there's drones. There's all this technology that encompasses agriculture that I want my students to understand. I want them to know if they can code, they can run a robot that can go ahead and farm for you. If you can check pH and TDS, then you can do your hydroponics. If you understand cooling temperatures, your greenhouses, you can run the fans, you can get everything running, all at your computer. You don't technically need to be there. You can have machines that go ahead add water fertilizer for you, spray if you're doing non-organic, but just giving them those ideas and those options of what's out there. What they can do and not just think that agriculture is the pineapple fields
Jim:You're about to hear the 93rd episode of The Hawaii based"What School Could Be" podcast. It features Hawaii agriculture teacher, Jackie Freitas and was originally produced and released by Josh Reppun for the "What School Could Be" podcast series. Josh is a friend of the SOW project and created and produces this very popular podcast every month, and it is perhaps worth noting that he is also brother to Charlie and Paul Reppun who are longtime ag producers on Oahu and featured on another of our SOW podcasts. After Josh interviewed Jackie he reached out to us because he saw the strong connection between the content and our work with the SOW project and offered that we could share this podcast with our ag producer audience. We hope you enjoy it.
WSCB Announcer:This podcast is funded by Ted Dintersmith, the executive producer of the acclaimed film most likely to succeed and the author of the best selling book "What School Could Be."
Josh:This is Josh Reppun and you're listening to the "What School Could Be" podcast. Before we start the show please consider joining the rapidly growing What School Could Be global online community. Simply install the What School Could Be app on your smart device or go to community.whatschoolcouldbe.org. I look forward to seeing you there. My guest today is Jackie Freitas, an extraordinary natural resource teacher at Leilehua High School, which she also graduated from. Leilehua is on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii. One of the most famous chefs in the world, Alan Wong, after observing Jackie's work, wrote that her students had "taken to her," which is truly a special compliment. Jackie grew up and attended elementary, middle and high school in her home community of Wahiawa, which is in the Central Plains of Oahu. For well over 100 years this area was the source of two of Hawaii's primary exports, pineapple and sugarcane. Today, Jackie is part of the greater Hawaii movement to diversify agriculture and make the Hawaiian Islands self sustaining, and a place where some of the most cutting edge work in agriculture happens. In addition to graduating from Leilehua High School, where she now teaches Jackie has a bachelor's in elementary education from the University of Hawaii, West Oahu and a master's in secondary education, with an emphasis in science from the University of Phoenix. Jackie's CTE teaching line includes the foundation of agriculture, small animal systems, principles of food production, and natural resources and wildlife management. Grant Toyooka, one of Jackie's mentors, a complex area public school resource teacher and ag tech. project manager said the following about Jackie, "Jackie Freitas is the natural resource at Leilehua High School embodying agriculture in every facet, being an alum, her roots run deep for the students and the greater Wahiawa community. Her desire to provide opportunities for her students and visiting students to successfully grow produce, while enhancing their leadership skills paves the way for the agriculture leaders of tomorrow who create a sustainable future. Her dedication to agriculture's ability to thrive in central Oahu drives her to literally and metaphorically cultivate the landscape so that both the fields and the students are ready to grow. Being a beacon of leadership, humility and service, Jackie Freitas brings agriculture to life and top of mind for the benefit of students and families in central Oahu." Thank you Grant for that awesome accolade. And now, here's my conversation with the innovative, creative, and imaginative Hawaii Public school educator, mentor, guide and coach Jackie Freitas. Jackie, welcome to the What School Could Be podcast.
Jackie:Thank you for having me.
Josh:So Jackie, your growing up story is very, very compelling. And I bet we could spend an hour just on the many stories of your youth and your family. But for the purposes of today's conversation, I want to focus on just a few. So you talked about your father as being a workaholic, oftentimes gone all day every day. And you also talked about spending time with him outdoors, and how that shaped your early life. So we in education, talk a lot about kids finding their passion, but I don't think we talked enough about where passions might actually come from. So it sounds like your passion for agriculture. And the land started with time with your father. So what do you remember about that time with him? And your discovery of a passion for the fruits of the land?
Jackie:Yes. So growing up, my dad was never home. He was always working. He was a heavy equipment operator. So I never got to see him. He would work day in day now. If it was raining outside, I thought he'd be home but he would go and do a side job on another side of the island. That wasn't raining. He would constantly be working. So in high school, he had retired from heavy equipment and started volunteering here at Leilehua High School with the previous agriculture teacher, Mr. Wong. I had just become a freshman in at Leilehua, and I found this moment to be a time where I could spend with him. So I had a lot more electives I wanted to take, but I decided to take agriculture just so I could spend time with him, hang out with him, talk story with him. I never thought it would be a career pathway for me. I just thought of it as a time that I can be with him. Just spending the time with him seeing how he works with his hands in the ground. Yes, we were constantly yelling at each other because we are very stubborn. But just seeing him out there working with other students it made me proud to call him my dad and my father is very, is on the older side. He had me when he was 50. So I always thought of him as my huge role model. So so being able to do taro with him and then going in and picking the taro and then making poi and then selling the poi that was our bonding. When we could do Thanksgiving imu for the school, digging the hole together, putting things in the ground, doing our vegetables and learning hydroponics together. It was rewarding for me. So I was just, me not thinking anything about my future, I just thought it was spending time with my dad.
Josh:Wow. That's so awesome. Jackie, you know, and it's really funny how when I do these interviews with educators, inevitably I find these alignments between our lives. It's so amazingly you know, I mean, I went to high school, I really did not like it. I didn't want to be there. And mostly I just wanted to get home in the afternoon to the other side of the island to Kaneohe where I was, you know, where I grew up. And, and a lot of that time, my dad had already gotten home. And we lived on a pretty big piece of property and my dad was a rock wall builder and we used to build rock walls together. And that was the same thing, right? It was time with my dad. And yes, we used to yell at each other as well, because we were both really you know, super stubborn. But I think out of that what's so compelling is that out of that comes this kind of love of what you're doing and of the work that you're doing with your hands. But it's so important to think about it as doing it with somebody that and somebody that you care about. That's very cool. So your life story so far is tied closely to your home community of Wahiawa. So what was it like growing up in the small rural community in Central Oahu.
Jackie:It's amazing Wahiawa is still amazing. We're very tight knit. Wahiawa is an older community, you still have your Mamas and Papas all living up the heights and just being able to ride your bike to school, knowing everybody here and then now having my students here and I'm like, "I went to school with your mom." I went to you know, it's we're very tight knit. We're very supportive for athletics. We're very supportive for any type of community event, Wahiawa shows up. And that's what I love about it. When we have farmers markets, any type of activity, a lot of Wahiawa community members come out to support, even when I just was outside of the school to sell vegetables, everybody will stop to purchase because it's coming from Wahiawa it's coming from that network.
Josh:I've had conversations with other guests about the idea that it takes a village to raise a child and it sounds like Wahiawa was the village that raised you. Is that a fair statement?
Jackie:Yes, I was born and raised never really left Wahiawa. I still currently live in Wahiawa. I live up the road from the school. I'm trying to find a house even closer to the school. So I can barely just walk across the street now, be at work.
Josh:Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. And so in addition to your high school participation with the National Honor Society, and your love of volleyball, you got involved in an organization called The Future Farmers of America, which frankly, I'd never heard of. So how did that happen? And what are your memories of those first events, those classes or activities associated with the FFA? What was that like?
Jackie:In high school FFA had to do with agriculture. So it was an after school program. So I would come here after school before volleyball practice, at least stay an hour before practice. And we would do competition, whether it's agriculture demonstration, creed recitation, parliamentary procedure, we would stick together as that class and we'd practice different things to compete against other schools districtly as well as States. Once you pass States and you get first place, then you would go to Nationals, which is usually in October, and you would compete nationally in different contests in the agriculture field. I loved those contests, I got really into them because my dad was a future FFA member. And he really pushed that on me because and it really helped me with public speaking, it helped me really open up my eyes to agriculture being more than just soil. You know, agriculture is technology. Agriculture has a lot of leadership, career development events that you can prosper as a student that really builds your self esteem, build your resume, and makes you more noticeable towards hiring companies because you have experienced different things that this organization has provided.
Josh:What's an example of a competition in agriculture? Like what are you competing for? What is that all about?
Jackie:So one of the competitions would be creed recitation. You had to memorize five paragraphs, which is a creed, what you believe it as an agriculture student. I believe in the FFA, what the organization stands for. And it's all memorized, you're asked one question from any of the five paragraphs, and you have to be able to answer that question to these judges. But you have to say it with meaning, you have to say it with enthusiasm, your questions, your answers have to come up fluently. So it's all really prepare you for prepared public speaking, any type of speaking event, how you present herself. You'd have to be in official dress, which is a corduroy jacket, a black pencil skirt to your knee, black panty hose, black heels. And when you see those blue corduroy jackets all over, it's amazing. And these kids, very proud to wear those blue corduroy jackets.
Josh:And this was an opportunity for you to meet other Future Farmers of America.
Jackie:Yes, so I was State President, State secretary. I never read for nationals. That was a very, very honorable thing to go ahead and do but I did get to become State President and State Secretary for two years.
Josh:Wow. That's so amazing. I feel proud all of a sudden. Because again, you know, I grew up I grew up on the windward side, and it was just a very much kind of a life on the land. And all of my preparation, Jackie for today really brought up a lot of memories for me of time that I spent with my own family, my brothers who are farmers on the windward side, and all of that. So it was very, very cool memories that were coming up. So kind of along the same lines. In the summer of 2007. Some 15 years ago, you served as a team leader at Kupu, which is a remarkable, award winning nonprofit program based in Hawaii, whose name means to sprout or to grow, and whose mission is to preserve the land and empower youth. So what was your relationship to the high school students who served in this program and what did you do each day? And what can you tell our listeners about the value of programs like Kupu, which I'm sure are all over the world, very different. each one I'm sure, to the lives of the kids that they serve?
Jackie:Kupu is an amazing organization. It really is. It really gives the students an outside perspective on our environment all over the islands, not only on Oahu. They focus on all the islands. I was a group leader. So I had I believe, 10 students. I was in college and every day I would have a pickup spot and we'd all load up into our 15 passenger van. And I would drive them to different locations every day to either do eradication of invasives. We would be planting natives, we would be camping up the mountains looking for native plants, restoring native plants, working in the waters, taking out any invasive aspects. We did CPR training, we were able to go to Kaho‘olawe. It was an amazing experience being able to work with these students. And it was an all day, not just a couple hour a day thing. It was from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon, five days a week. If you went camping, sometimes you went seven days a week. It was very intense, but very fulfilling, very rewarding experience. I recommend it to all my high school students now every time when I get the Kupu flyers. I'm "Please go ahead and try for this." And a lot of my students have applied and have gotten positions. So it was just a really good experience during the summer for them to go ahead and do. They were able to get a stipend, or they got college credits, if they continue to do like the paperwork part of the Kupu program, which I also do so I could reward and get some college credits for it.
Josh:And what are some of the specific skills and habits and dispositions that that kind of experience helps build in kids that will ultimately be lifelong, you know, that they'll carry with them in their, in their suitcase, if you will, as they go through the the arc or the journey of their lives.
Jackie:That experience really gets you to do teamwork. There are days when it is so hot, you do not want to walk up a mountain to be cutting down strawberry guava. But your team pushes you and your you become a family you work hard together and you're like, "Okay, this is the job we need to get that we put our minds to it, we can accomplish this goal today." Every day, we set goals for each other, okay, this is our goal, this is what we have to do, maybe we're not able to do the full 100%. But our goal today is at least to get 75% of this area completed. And just being able to set goals for yourself. Being able to work as a team, motivate each other. Some days, it was just okay guys, if we finish this, we're gonna go to McDonald's and get ice cream. Because for the amount of work that we had to do at that mountain, we had to climb to get all that we're gonna go get a ice cream cone after this. And I take them down to McDonald's after and it was just a way for us to sit down reflect about the day knowing Oh, we may have to go back there tomorrow. So how are we going to improve? So it's always about reflecting and being able to talk to one another, prepare ourselves mentally as well as physically, because it is a lot of physical labor that your body just needs to get used to.
Josh:Wow, that's so awesome. So you referenced this a second ago, but I actually want to follow up with a specific question. So as part of your work for Kupu, you did land reclamation work and planted trees on the island of Kaho‘olawe, in Hawaii, which is a small island that for decades was used by the US Navy for target practice, but became the center of the Hawaiian Renaissance, which saw the reemergence of the Hawaiian culture. So I wonder if you can share with our listeners the meaning of that experience, like how did that moment back in 2007 shape you and possibly influenced the development of what would eventually become teacher Jackie?
Jackie:Bad experience was very rewarding. We were able to catch a boat to get to the island, then we have to swim into the island, the boat was not able to dock. So you're pretty much going on to an island that is bearable. You're just looking at a flat surface. There's not a lot of trees, it's just dirt. And you still see remnants of, they haven't where we camped, of the shells and the missiles and everything all there. But then you're able to go out together in pods and you're driving up to these areas where they're starting to get greenery and you're starting to see it flourish. And just one section of the island slowly but surely, because they weren't able to go up for a little while they were only able to take up so many kids at a time. And when you're going up with students you only can do so much because the students need to be able to understand what they're doing. You can't just be okay we're planting we're planting we're planting. They need to understand what their planting, how to plant it, how we're going to take care of it, because these native trees are not easy to come by, especially in the type of soil that Kaho‘olawe has. So being able to understand that aspect and starting small okay, we're going to plant these areas, we're gonna water, we're really going to take our time with this area, and slowly work. Really made me organize it, okay, as a teacher that I want to become because I was in the education field, I need to really slow down with my students, let them know, okay, we're going to slowly this is how we're going to take care of this plant. We are going to nurture it, there's different things we can do to help it, but really taking the time to slow down, talk about it, have the students understand what they're doing, not just do it. And then when you ask them, What do we do? And they're like, "I don't know, you told us to do this." No, you want them to be able to reflect and be able to understand "I did this, because it helps this and it's gonna make this bigger." so they see the big picture.
Josh:And we also want our listeners to know that while you were doing that, Kaho‘olawe still has live ordinance underneath the surface of the land of the soil, and that all of the work that you have to do is done in that heightened security, where you have to be really careful about where you are, and what has already been reclaimed already, and so on. So, you know, there's that, I was there in 1999, with a group of land conservationists. And it was a remarkable experience for me, but there was that heightened element of like, you really got to be kilo, you really got to be paying attention to what's going on around you. Right? Yes. Yeah, amazing experience. So Jackie, as I did my research for today's conversation, I learned a great deal about agriculture in Hawaii that I did not know. And the complex ag issues, the 50th state faces. So my enquiry got me thinking about all sorts of questions related to young people in agriculture and about the Future Farmers of Hawaii, and the problems they will need to solve in the future of ag that they will shape. So given your perch, directing Leilehua's CTE Ag and Natural Resources pathway, here are a series of questions that I think our listeners would want me to ask. Okay. So, first one is what are the jobs of the future in agriculture and natural resource management that you're talking to your kids about?
Jackie:Bring from central Oahu, they're starting to do a lot more agricultural technology, and we're getting a value added center. Ag tech is pretty much the new word that everybody's saying. They don't want you to only think that agriculture is traditional farming in the soil. You can grow things hydroponically, you can do vertical towers, there's something called farm bots, there's drones. There's all this technology that encompasses agriculture, that I want my students to understand, I want them to know if they can code, they can run a robot that can go ahead and farm for you. If you can check pH and TDS, then you can do hydroponics. If you understand cooling temperatures, your greenhouses, you can run the fans, you can get everything running all at your computer. You don't technically need to be there, you can have machines that go ahead and water, fertilize for you, spray if you're doing non-organic, but just giving them those ideas and those options of what's out there what they can do and not just think that agriculture is a pineapple fields. That's what being so close to Dole, I have a feeling that's what a lot of my students mentality is like, I don't want to be a pineapple picker, you know, but that's where we all started. And that's where we're growing from.
Josh:So along the way, while you're doing this like, and again, you've kind of alluded to this before when you're talking about Kupu. But what specific skills, are you coaching up with your students as you expose them to all of these different ag tech variations that really represent opportunities for them in the future.
Jackie:My real thing that I like to have my students do is I want you to be personable. You need to be hardworking, and you need to be able to communicate. That is the main thing. In any job that you do, doesn't have to be agriculture, but I just want you to know, if you're able to communicate with somebody, you're a team player, and you're able to have work ethic, I keep stressing, work ethic. It doesn't matter, you can learn things on the way, but if you do not have a good work ethic, you are not desirable for any job that comes your way. You have to be able to understand that these jobs need to get done, and you need to have the mindset to be, okay, "I can get this done. I'm going to do it to my fullest potential and not half-okole it. I'm going to work hard to do it. I'm going to start it I'm going to clean up and I'm going to leave my work area cleaner than when I started this." That is what I keep stressing to my students. I don't care what you folks do as long as you as you're successful, what you want to do. I just want to give you the soft skills and the skills that will make you viable person in our community.
Josh:Yeah. Wow, that's so cool. And so in what ways do you hope your students will shape the future of Ag in the state of Hawaii? Like, how much of this shaping do you leave to them to work out later and how much of it are you actually addressing now?
Jackie:With my students, I'm very open. I keep up with how ag is constantly changing and I tried to bring in as much of the things that they could use on the outside into my classroom. So we're bringing in farm bots, where we have hydroponics, we do traditional, we're doing organic, we're doing Korean Natural Farming, we have a tunnel house that they can operate with machines. And we are having a solar powered greenhouse, I'm giving them all these options. These are what you can do in the agriculture field. This is how technology is changing. It's constantly changing. I'm giving you guys the opportunity to explore and see if this is something that you want to pursue. I'm just giving them touches of it, you know, so they see that it's out there, and they can, is this really a job? Yes. And then I would direct them. If you want to do this, you can go to this agency, and this is what they focus on. You can go to this school to get this degree, this is what they focus on. I just like to give them the experiences that they can grow upon.
Josh:Wow. But you, it sounds to me like no matter what, you're with them along the journey, right?
Jackie:Yes, I'm, a lot of them call me "mama Jackie." I am. I treat them as if they were my own student, and if they're my own personal children, I am very connected to the students. And I think that's why our program has grown. When I first started, we only had 60 students in my program. Now we're up to almost 200.
Josh:Wow, that's just, and all of a sudden I'm having, Jackie, these flashbacks to again, when I left high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do and I've never had anything like this when I was in high school, it was just chemistry, biology, history, you know, whatever. Just marching from one class to another without any sense of relevance. But I came very close to deciding to go into kind of landscaping, right? Because there was a, there was an academy on Kauai that I was super interested in. And I'm just thinking back to that, you know, if I'd had somebody like you, the pathway of my life might be different, you know, just have those moments. So okay, so one more question before we go to break. And this is again, related to the work that you're doing with your students. And I think this is a perfect segue to something that you mentioned a second ago. So this seems crazy to ask maybe. But let's say I give you Jackie a blank check, meaning a full ride to spend the next year, a sabbatical year, traveling the world possibly with some students to learn more about agriculture, ag tech, and the great issues people face on the various continents related to food sustainability. So, where would you go? And what would you be looking for? What would you want to explore and know more?
Jackie:Japan, I could say that is on my... Japan is constantly doing remarkable things with ag tech. They're known for the best strawberries, the best mangoes, all in their greenhouses, and just being able to go there, go to the farms, seeing how they do it. That is a dream that I would love to take students to go and see. Just being there and being able to explore, seeing how these, these old farmers are able to do these things. And they're still kind of doing it the old fashioned way. But with a little bit of technology. Just knowing all their manaʻo that they gave. Just being there to communicate talk story to see how what they're doing up there, I can bring home into here. But that's what I would love to do. But Japan is my number one spot, I would want to go to.
Josh:So, I may, this might sound kind of I mean, a negative note before we go to break, but are you also exposing your students to some of the agricultural practices that we see perhaps in the United States on the continent or in Europe, possibly even in South America, that you know. Big ag that ultimately results in some destruction of the land or a lot of destruction of the land. Like is that also part of what you're opening them up to is what those issues are?
Jackie:Conventional farming, I'm thinking is what you're talking about? So here we are not allowed to spray any type of pesticide that is not organic. I am in the process of being 100% organically certified, which is a three year process. So previously, yes, we were doing conventional, meaning I was putting in like conventional fertilizers, triple 20, but now I'm I'm pulling away and we're doing a lot more sea kelp and all that. But I do give the students the option. I do tell them but we do not practice those things here. That's why we do more Korean Natural Farming. Other practices, they know about it, I talk about it, they compare and contrast and they make the ultimate decision. But here at Leilehua I'm in the process of converting to 100% organic.
Josh:And so, so definitely, they know about what these other practices are, you know, around the world, but you are taking them in a direction that is very definitely about Planet Earth and sustainability.
Jackie:Yes. And when GMOs was a very hot topic, that was something that I did address, and I did not give them any of my opinions, I told him, this is this, and this is ours. You folks make the decision. I've given you folks the studies that have been sought, but it's your decision overall, what you agree on. And I even took them on a field trip to Monsanto many times, just so they are, okay, this is it. And they were able to voice their opinions there as well and ask the hard questions.
Josh:That's awesome. Jackie, I taught an economics course at one point in high school, and I dropped my students directly into the GMO debate, because it's a big money debate. There's big economics around that. And that was really one of the most fascinating deep dives into agriculture in Hawaii, that came very unexpectedly for them because they thought they were taking an economics course you know, but that's what happens when youʻre a teacher, you lead people down a different path, and then they get into exploration and inquiries. So that's awesome. So hey everyone, stay with us. We'll be back with more questions for Jackie Frietas.
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Josh:Everyone, we are back with Jackie Frietas, who facilitates and directs a CTE Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources pathway at Leilehua High School on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii. So Jackie, you shared with me a super thoughtful piece of writing, in which you explained your philosophy of education which sits at the heart of your teaching practice. And in your explanation, you talked about different learning styles. But then you linked these differentiations to two concepts which are group work and teacher modeling. So the world famous chef Alan Wong, visited your program, which made me wonder if explaining your take on learning styles, teacher modeling and group work is like explaining one of his complex Michelin star menus, right? So, but let's give it a shot. So how do these three philosophies of teaching translate into a practice whose themes are agriculture and natural resource management? How did they come together?
Jackie:With natural resources, you are given a plethora of different students, different learning styles, different way of learning. You have your low SpEd students who really need the help, and you have your high I call them high maca maca students, as well as your middle. So you have a plethora of students in your classroom. You have to be able, as a teacher, to reach all those students throughout this whole spectrum that you have sitting in your classroom. I have found it that if I am able to have them work together in groups where I have a high, a low, a medium, maybe a couple mediums together, I have noticed that my highest really cling on to those lows and they work together very very well. As long as I am doing a modeling approach where I'm in front showing them exactly "This is what I kind of expect you to do, I need you guys to kind of replicate or if you guys want to modify but this is your outcome at the end." They are able to understand and grasp the tasks at hand. Being a teacher, you have to be very flexible. Some students are a lot faster than others, you have to take that into consideration in anything you do, anything that you teach. But in agriculture, I have noticed that if I'm able to work them in groups, I'm able to give them checklists and say, Hey, group one, you folks are taking care of this. I'll show you guys. Alright, you got, I'm good. I'm leaving you guys, I'm gonna go to my next group. Group two you guys are doing this. We have a three and a half acre farm. If I had everybody just focusing on one thing, nothing would get done on our farm, or just minimal aspects would get done. I have hydroponics aquaponics, traditional farming, Korean Natural Farming, animals, floraculture, all over. I need to be able to group these kids together, build a relationship with these groups so they are very well bonded, very able to work with each other. If I noticed there's a bad seed in the group, I kind of have to sit there and kind of talk to them and be, "Okay, this is your group, we need to be able to work together whatever differences you have, we need to squash that now. Because you guys are this group. You need to work together to complete this task." And I've noticed that they're able to go out and do what they need to do. Come back in, we sit down we reflect how was our day? Or what would you guys grade yourself? Give me your grades, and they're looking at me like, you're not gonna give us a great No, you guys work together? Well, one to 10. What would you give yourself? Oh, Miss, I think I gave myself a 10 because we work together and they are able to explain it to me. All right, cool. I give you a 10. Some of them are like, Oh, I give myself an eight. No, I'm giving you ten. They're like why? I seen you do this, this and I didn't ask you to do that and you got it accomplished. I'm giving you the 10. They're like, oh! So they noticed that I'm, I'm not there with them but I'm observing all around the farm constantly walking around checking on my groups. And I'm observing each one. And I'm able to kind of assess them and watch them. And that's what they love. They're like, Wow, you really I said yes, I pay attention. I know what you guys can do, like you guys are capable of doing. And you guys can do it.
Josh:Wow, Jackie. So and along the way, while this is all happening, it feels to me like one of the other things that they're picking up is that life is a series of layers, interlocking things that are all happening at the same time. Life is never one focus on one thing, and then you move on to another thing. It's always a million things that are happening. And in constructing it that way you're actually skilling them up to be able to deal with the many parts of life that happen day to day, right?
Jackie:Yes, I tell them when you guys go to work, your boss will not stand over your shoulder to tell you exactly what needs to get done. They may show you once and then you're kind of on your own to make sure you understand how to do it. If you don't understand you ask your questions. That is exactly how I run this program. This is what needs to get done. We're going to repot antheriums. Here, this is what needs to get done. You guys figure out your chain of events. Who's potting, who's doing this, who's doing this, and this is the completed product and it needs to be in this greenhouse, watered by the end of the day. "All right, Miss got it." And they go ahead and do it. I checked their tables. Perfect, guys, great job, you sit down reflect onto the next class.
Josh:Right? Wow. Wow, this is amazing. Okay, so quick question before we get into another section with it, which has to do with a GEER grant that you are part of, but before we go there, you've you've written about how finding learning in community is what makes meaning and provides relevance to young people. So I'm curious, what is the circumference of community for you like your campus, outside your campus, the state, the nation, the world? And how has this changed as a result of COVID and Zoom and Microsoft Teams and all of that? Like did the world get bigger? Did community as part of learning get bigger? Where do you draw those lines?
Jackie:Wahiawa a very small community is very tight knit community and pre COVID We were doing everything we could for the Wahiawa community. My students would go to the farmers, would go to the market down to Tamura's and Foodland, check out their vegetable prices, come back to me and say"All right, Miss, this price is going for this per pound.""Alright, we'll make sure we're going lower than that price." So we make sure our Mamas and Papas are able to afford fresh produce. We do that constantly. We still do that. We send our produce up to Peterson Egg Farm who is right up the street from us. They sell my produce and they don't take any cut. The reason why they're like "Jackie your produce brings people from Waikiki to come and buy produce." "Iʻm, they really they're coming from Waikiki that they buy eggs and there buying produce, can you" so I would bring produce there twice a week. My Special Ed department, they will be in the front of the school selling produce to the people on the side of the road, and I would give them 10% of whatever they're selling out there to go to their program. Wahiawa really, really takes care of the Leilehua High School aspect. When it comes to COVID. There was a lot of stuff that I had to change. I had no students here on campus so I had three and a half acres to maintain myself, which there was no way I could do it. So I stopped planting for a year. I just did cover crops in all the fields just so something was in the ground giving nutrients. But I there was no way I could personally do this whole thing myself. So I focused on a small section of just flowers. And my dad who is still here with me, he's my, my PPT. He was like, why are you doing flowers? And I say, you know why? I really don't know, this is something I want to learn about. He goes, we can eat flowers, I hope but they make me happy. He just looked at me. And I was teaching and we were out resuming video calling with my students and they will be researching different flowers that we'd be bringing out my floriculture unit. And they were really into it even though they were at home. They were learning different flowers that I would bring in the tubers that they were researching. And they're like, "Did you really go get dahlia tubers?" Iʻm like, "Well, you guys researched it looked like a full flower, I ordered them, and now they're here. So teach me how, how am I supposed to plant these?" and they're like, oh, so they were pretty much teaching me they're like"Okay, Miss it says that we have to plant them one foot apart do alright" so I'm doing that well, they're, and they're just amazed about it. And then when I would start picking the flowers, they would bloom and I would start making bouquets. I would have wheelbarrows of dahlias, and they don't grow well in Hawaii because of how hot we are. But they're doing awesome in Wahiawa. So I would have all these dahlias, making arrangements and I would take them to Peterson Egg Farm and I would have a stand and I would sell the flowers. And my students were like "Miss I don't know if people are going to buy them because it's hard. Like people don't have money." I said, "Oh, we'll try." So I would sell a bouquet of flowers for $15. And it would have about 10 dahlias, huge dinner plate dahlias. Bundle ʻem all up, put a sticker on it that says made it, grown in Wahiawa. And I would sell out in an hour. I would have maybe 40 or 50 bouquets and I would sell out, and the next day at class, I would tell them and they were"Are you serious?" I'm like,"Yeah, how do people have money to afford?" I said, "Because people are not able to go out and meet people. I've noticed that flowers make them happy." I'm like, "Same thing with me growing it. So it made me happy growing ʻem." So just having flowers at that they're able to bring in their home, made people happy. So we continue to do that now. We have all kinds of tropicals growing all right now all over the farm.
Josh:Wow, that's just that's such an awesome story, Jackie. So it's actually a perfect segue into this next section here, which has to do with something called the GEER grant. So let me set this up a little bit. So we all know that as a result of COVID 19, and the pandemic, the federal government granted literally billions of dollars to the 50 states for pandemic relief. And millions of those billions were earmarked for education. And here in Hawaii Governor David Ige engineered a fund, he called the Governor's Emergency Education Relief fund or GEER. And you were part of an effort to apply for GEER funds. So this was a little more than a year ago. So I thought it would be cool for our listeners, some of whom might be applying for innovation grants in other states or other parts of the world to hear how you responded, you and the others who were part of this, responded to the three questions asked in the application. And as I read your application, I kept thinking, geez, this is an amazing pandemic pivot. So here are the three application questions and some follow ups. Okay, so the first question that you were asked was, What specific problem related to the impact of COVID 19 Are you trying to solve?
Jackie:So I believe for that answer, I wanted to be able to supply food at a reasonable cost, if not given, give students food in our Wahiawa community, which was the Buy One Get One program. So for that one, I was able to plant vegetables, and for every box that was purchased, and I believe the boxes were $25 and it had about a good eight to 10 different types of produce that was grown here at Leilehua. I would give a box of produce away to a student in need. And that box of produce would come from either from Leilehua students, ʻIliahi students, Kaʻala students, Wahiawa El., all the Wahiawa complex students. I tried to reach all the different schools as best as we could. We were able to do quite a few boxes. So I would sell 80 boxes and I would give away 80 boxes to students, and the way that I would find out what students would actually need the boxes is I will contact the counselors and be like, I sold 100 boxes this week. I'm gonna have 100 boxes to give away. Can you please make sure 100 parents or students are able to pick up these boxes on this specific day? And a lot of the teachers were like, "You're what?!" I'm like "Iʻm giving away produce." And in these boxes, I would give the produce, I would give a recipe card and I would give a list of everything that's in the box, and on the back would be different easy recipes that the students had either created or found that they could use in these boxes. And the students felt so rewarded being able to harvest these vegetables, pack it all up and see these families take these boxes.
Josh:And so along the way, you were kind of shifting and pivoting in the direction of ag tech, right? Because one of the problems of the pandemic was that labor was locked down and you weren't able to produce with the labor that you had, so you had to come up with a solution, right? What was what was happening there? And how, how were the funds once they started to come in, the grant that you got, how were the funds being used?
Jackie:So one of it was to make my greenhouse solar. So my hydroponic greenhouse, which I'm able to produce a lot more, easier cleaner, I could, I could run my hydroponic greenhouse, which is 100 foot house by myself, because all I'm doing is checking so many tanks and making sure that the pumps are ready. With the GEER grant I am, I was able to purchase solar panels, a whole new cloth and are able to get new systems. That I am able to produce more food out of just that 100 foot greenhouse compared to the rest of the acreage that I have. So with that GEER grant, I am able to have solar panels that just in case the electricity goes out, because in Wahiawa, when it rains, it rains hard, and sometimes the electricity goes out for a while. So I have the solar panels to back that up to run all my pumps to produce all these lettuces, cucumbers, cilantro, parsley, all these other produce that I don't have to technically do in the ground. Much more faster. It produces faster than it does traditional, and it's a much more cleaner process than the traditional farming.
Josh:Wow. And how are you communicating with your partners at the different schools and the different agencies? Like how did you get them on the same page to understand the vision and the mission that you had as your team was moving forward with this?
Jackie:My first contact was shaped so the Principles and the Principles were just ecstatic. They were like "You're doing what?!" I can imagine I want to, I want to make sure that the students who are low income, having a hard time, at least have something, you know. And they were without a doubt willing. I didn't even have to ask twice. I didn't have to go in for any meetings. I didn't have to meet anybody. They're like, "Tell me the date. Jackie, tell me how many, we will make sure that they're there for their pickup." And all I did was set up my truck, put my banner up, I had the list. And all they had to do was sign up for the boxes that they received their box and they were given their box. And it was the schools was pretty much did everything all I had to say is I'm harvesting everything today this day, come up for pickup that afternoon, and they went. When I had to sell the boxes. When people understood what the purpose was, they would buy two to three boxes, they didn't care what was in the box, they were like, let me buy two or three. And then you know what, donate those boxes. I don't need the vegetables, donate those boxes to the students in need. So add, however if you got 100, my three boxes additional, go head, and add that for them. I was like"You guys are amazing!"
Josh:That's giving me goosebumps, here in Hawaii, we call it chicken skin. I'm sure people on the mainland who are listening to this are feeling the same thing. And so Okay, so to two more questions, then before we go to our second break. So your GEER proposal, your solution to the problem, which involved ag tech, and the way that you pulled the community together and you were looking to kind of the long term future of the relationship between agriculture and food production in your community was arrived at by looking at all the possible negative and positive ramifications, which means that I call it something you know, there's there's a word for it. It's called solutionary. When you look at both the positive and negative, so for example, Jackie, something like automated lettuce growing in a hydroponic environment, for example, eliminates jobs that people might depend on. So what were you thinking about when you were contemplating these possible unintended or intended consequences, and as you moved through the GEER grant, and we're getting this whole thing
Jackie:When it came to that type of thing, you're always moving? going to need somebody to run it, you may not need as many but as long as you have the knowledge of how to run it, you're a reliable source. So when we did the hydroponics or even the farm bots, I did get farm bots as well, being students still need to be able to cope. It does not run by itself. You still need to have the knowledge on how to code what to put in to make these machines work. You still have to be able to have these drones fly up to water, fertilize, spray, whatever, but you need to understand how they work. So giving my students the knowledge on how to everything runs. And understanding that there are these are jobs that are needed, people are needed for these jobs. A lot of people don't think that technology and agriculture go together. But if you can understand that technology is coding, anything to do with that, technology is checking pH checking, TDS, checking pumps, understanding how pumps work, understanding what the range is for lettuce to grow. Machines can't do that. You need to be able to put the correct answers into the machine so they understand it. You're still really needed, and a lot of people don't understand that. So if I can teach you that aspect, you are going to be one of the people that they're going to want. You're going to be needed in this community.
Josh:Yeah, that's great, Jackie. I mean, we It seems like in the conversation and education around robotics, and job loss, and all of that it's too simple. People are taking too simple of an approach. It's sort of like, oh, robots are coming work, we're all going to lose our jobs. It's just so much more complicated than that. And it's, it's possible to be so much more optimistic, if you think about it, the way that you're thinking about it, which is looking at all these elements of these new jobs that you can learn and be skilled at, and you'll have your place, you'll have your opportunity to make your contribution. So that's really helpful. Jackie. So one more question before we go to break. What is your advice to educators out there who might be hesitating about applying for an innovation grant? Like the history teacher, the music teacher, the biology teacher. What would you say to them?
Jackie:All you can hear is no. No never hurt anybody. You know, you try. It's take a chance. If you get it, awesome. But if you don't, you tried. That's the best you can do and you're trying for your students. If you believe in something you put the time in, it's to really dig down into the application, and put your heart and soul in the application, I guarantee you youʻll do well. But if you half-okole it, or just Ah! I'll put a few sentences there, and Ah! maybe you'll get it. That's the same thing with your students, you know, you ask your students really okay, I want a whole paragraph and you only get three sentences. Now you really have to put your heart and soul, really take the time to sit there, prioritize what you want. Visualize what you want, and see if there's something that can benefit my students. I'm going to sit here and I'm going to really take the time, because application process, it was tedious. It was a lot. So it's to sit there and really put your thoughts and feelings into this application. It never hurts to try. All you can hear is no and that doesn't hurt anybody.
Josh:That's great Jackie. It goes right back to what you were talking about earlier, which is about modeling. And when you model that, then your students will rise to that level. It just happens that way. Right. That's awesome. So everyone, stay with us. We'll be back with more questions for Jackie in a moment.
Guy Kawasaki:This is Guy Kawasaki. If you want to learn how to be a remarkable person, please check out my podcast"Remarkable People." I interview people like Roy Yamaguchi, Margaret Atwood, Jane Goodall, Stephen Wolfram, Steven Pinker, Arianna Huffington and Steve Wozniak. The point of the podcast is to help you become a little bit more remarkable. To learn more, go to remarkablepeople.com. Thank you.
Aaron Schorn:Aloha, my name is Aaron Schorn, a previous guest on this very podcast. I am also now head of growth and community at Hawaii's own UnRulr. UnRulr is a collaborative mobile and web platform that accelerates innovation, grows culture and community, and celebrates learning. Learners post multimedia, tag their learning, and through comments are able to work together asynchronously. Each post is a moment of learning that forms the foundation of a joyous learning journey. We can be found at unrulr.com. Mahalo.
Josh:Everyone, we are back with Jackie Freitas, a natural resources teacher at Leilehua High School on the Island of Oahu. So Jackie You were recently featured in 2022 film titled "Scaling Up" which the Hawaii International Film Festival awarded as an official selection which is awesome. And I'm gonna read the film's description from Making Waves Films website. So "Amid that the COVID 19 pandemic local farmers, entrepreneurs, elected officials and other stakeholders share their vision for growing Hawaii's agricultural sector with the aim of increasing the state's food supply and diversifying the economy. ʻScaling Up: Hawaii's Food Futureʻ captures a crucial juncture in Hawaiiʻs future in the movement for a paradigm shift to sustainable agriculture." So I have two questions based on the short film. So I know this sounds goofy, Jackie, but educators are not often featured in films. They labor invisibly, doing the beautiful noble work of teaching. And so what did it feel like to see yourself on film, and hear yourself speaking to what eventually would be a film festival audience?
Jackie:It was very rewarding. I am, I am as humble as they can be. I give all the credit to the students. I do not take any credit because I can just have the ideas but my students are the ones that make everything happen. I can be like, "Hey, guys, I want to redo this field." And if I'm the only one working, it doesn't benefit. So when it came to that I was I was very humble. I was I'm not the one to take the credit for anything. I give all the credit to the students. And I tried to portray them, Iʻm like "Nope, it's not me. You guys want to talk, you could talk to the kids," but they keep "No, we need you." and Iʻm like "Oh, okay." That's not my spotlight. This this, this right here is pretty much my home. But my my students are the ones who make it home. They're the ones that run this program. I just come up with ideas and like, "What do you guys think?" And they're like, "Okay, sure." So same thing. I was very humbled and very honored to be able to do that. But I give all the credit to my students.
Josh:I think you and I are like my first career was as a chef, but I was not that frontline chef. I couldn't be that person. You know, with the tall hat and the flame coming out of the pan. I was the behind the curtain prep guy. I stayed out of sight as much as possible. And that's still very true for me today. I know it sounds weird to say that given I'm a podcast host, but I really, I really feel like you know, I'm, I'm kind of setting the table so that educators and education leaders have an opportunity to do the cooking, if you know what I mean. Right? Yeah. So that's, that's really awesome. So for a moment, and I know Jackie, this is a big question. But I, I just had to take the opportunity to ask you. So I'm going to appoint you as Director of the Department of Agriculture in Hawaii. So what is your vision for growing the state of Hawaii's agricultural sector while creating a sustainable and local food supply?
Jackie:So yes, we do have conventional farming here in Hawaii, which benefits a lot of us but I want to be able to, if I was in Department of Ag, I really want to educate our farmers on organic farming. I really want to be able to give them the tools and resources that they need to grow things organicly. It does not only help the Earth, but it also helps people understand more. So right now we do not have a lot of people, a lot of organically certified farms. There's so much paperwork that comes behind it that these farmers are not able to keep up with because farmers they just want to farm. You know, that's what that's what they do. That's what they enjoy doing. But if you have to sit there, and roadmap every little detail, "I sprayed this, I did this, I fertilize this everyday." That's where you get farmers deterred. They are "I don't want to do this process." If there was a way, which I'm in the process of hopefully doing, is organic certifying my students, where they're able to go out to farm and do the paperwork, and help these farmers out. That is my vision. I would love my students. They learned it here. They were able to do it here at our farm. They understand the paperwork process. They understand the protocols, because our farmers are not the youngest people in the world. Some of them don't understand how to do this. So if I'm able to give them these farm technicians, organic farm technicians, who are certified, go out to the farm and see, okay, this is what we're going to do that we're going to fill out we're going to do this, you explain and they do all the paperwork for these farmers. To get them in a routine, maybe make it a little easier. Every time you fertilize. All you do is write it right here. This is a form you're going to do and just just write it right there as if you're documenting. Anytime you harvest. It just make the paperwork and the just a toolkit easy for the farmers. So they're able to just farm you know, they don't really have to think of everything, because this farm technicians are going out to help them. That that would be the greatest day. Then you're bringing down a lot less chemicals and fertilizers and a lot more natural. But that would be a great thing.
Josh:That's just an extraordinary vision, Jackie. I'm just thinking how amazing it is when you think about the idea that you invest in human capital, your students, and you give them the resources and the skills and the knowledge and then you send them out to invest in the human capital that's out there doing the farming. And in that process, you're actually. going back to what we talked about earlier, your young people are shaping the future of ag in Hawaii, right?
Jackie:Yep, exactly.
Josh:Wow. Wow. Okay, so I'm gonna cheat a little bit here. I'm gonna add one more question to the "Scaling Up" film section right here. So "Scaling Up" features stories about folks growing cacao and making chocolate in Hawaii, are growing sugarcane to make boutique rum. So to what extent do your students learn about these type of ag businesses and products?
Jackie:Yeah, so that pretty much is value added products. Yep. So taking something, whether it's wombok and making it into kimchi, and being able to manufacture and and release that out to the public. Value added products are something that we're currently really starting to look into because right down the road, we're going to have a value added center, that is going to be run by I think Leeward Community College. So farmers would be able to take their product, whether it's mamaki, take it to this facility, to then process to become a mamaki tea, which would alleviate a lot of the prices for our farmers to do the whole process because they have everything in one facility. So luckily, we have that here in our community. So when we start to get a lot more products, because pretty much everything we sell, we sell raw, everything is going out as fresh produce. We did have watermelons that I could not sell because I was infested with work. So what I did is we have a supplier here who makes vinegar right down the road. And he I called him, I said, "Can you do anything with watermelons?" And he's like, Yeah, I can make vinegar with it. So my students harvest it, and they're like, "What are we doing with all these? Are we giving them to the pigs?" I'm like, "No, we're gonna make vinegar out of it." And they just kind of gave me the weirdest look. And here's this man, he comes and takes all my old watermelons. And couple months later, he comes back with vinegar for my students to try. And that was all the watermelons that they use. So I said, See, that was a product that we could not sell, but was able to make something else. It's a value added product. And they were able to see that. So just, I still have so turning gears in their heads to see what else they can do with other vegetables. I'm like lemons, any kind of thing that we can make a different product out of.
Josh:And after this, it's going to be them kind of exploring, like what other products are out there. Right? That that we can actually turn into value add. Wow, that's just, that's terrific. Okay, so a couple more things before we finish up today. So all across the country, Jackie, and maybe even the world, folks are reimagining education and are looking into pathway programs. So Hawaii's pathways began at Waipahu high school many years ago and it's now actually grown to I think, 25 or 26 high schools in the state. So from your perch directing one of these pathways, what's their value as a pathway? Like what do you think about the argument against them, which is that they are channeling kids too quickly into jobs or careers and away from a broader understanding of the world of cultures of societies? What do you think about that?
Jackie:I think Waipahu is academies, where we are our
Josh:Which means that you're in an interesting position, Jackie, pathway, so Academy is pretty much you choose this pathway, you're gonna follow it your high school career. Yeah, There's not really a time where you can change. Whereas our school is doing a pathway where you take the core, which is the beginning introduction course, as well as an upper level course. Whether it's if you were to do my new natural resources core first, which is an introduction, and then you have the option to take animal systems, natural resources and wildlife or you will be able to take natural food production. So with that, the students are able to see all they're able to ask me questions like "What is animal systems?" I said, "Oh, I kind of go more vet tech, if that's something you want to do." "Oh okay, what about wildlife?" I said"Wildlife and natural resources is more of your conservation. That is our native and endemic and invasive species." No hunting certificate, I get them hunting certified in that course, they do a little bit of welding. That's my natural resources and wildlife course. And then my food production is pretty much farming. They will do hydroponics and they will do traditional farming, Korea Natural Farming, producing food. So they have the option of where they want to navigate towards. And they just have to do those two years but a lot of my students will stick with me for four years because it'll be"Okay, I want to take your animals systems class. Oh, let me explore a little bit of this. Oh, you can offer that? Let me do that one too." So they actually have their avenues of where they want to explore. Sometimes I only had them for two years. And then, "You know what, this isn't for me, I'm gonna go to automotive, I want to try it." "Go ahead." You know, they have that option. But at least with our pathways, they just have to give us two years, where we're asking for. They don't even have to give us the two years, but we're hoping that as long as they stick with the core, and they kind of get a glimpse of it, it may open up their eyes to, oh, you're offering that maybe that's kind of something I want to navigate towards. This is something I want to do. So we're giving them the options. Whereas Academies, I believe were just stuck in it in that core for the whole four years, and if you don't like it, it's a little difficult to get out of. Yeah. But with our pathways, we just, you know, we're like, these are the avenues you can take. But you because you're really trying to, to do whatever you can as an can go another path as well. educator to keep them, right?
Jackie:Exactly. So pathways are a little bit harder, because they can gravitate toward other things. But it also gives the students opportunities to do more than one. Right. So I had some that has stuck with me for four years, and has also done culinary because they took summer school, or they did after school classes to free up electives. So it's all up to the students.
Josh:Right, right. Wow, that's just so interesting. So interesting. So Jackie, we've come down to the end here. I have one more question for you. This has been an awesome conversation. Thank you so much for everything that you've shared. Sometimes I like to close these conversations by having my guests shout out to a person, a giant upon whose shoulders they stand, if you will. And you shared with me a wonderful and moving story about someone you called your second father, Mr. Russell Wong, who shoes you said seemed to almost impossible to fill. So who is Mr. Wong, and I wonder if you can share with our listeners, what he means to you, and how he impacted the arc of your life and the lives of his students.
Jackie:Aah, okay, this is an emotional one. Yes, Mr. Wong, was my high school agriculture teacher, he allowed me to take the classes after school, because he knew I wanted to be with my dad. And he pretty much opened up the avenues for me to do whatever I wanted to do here at the farm. I have he, he was he was such a, he's such a great role model. And so many students, know Mr. Wong as the meanest, hardest student, teacher they could have. He would go and if he didn't like something done, he would throw things at you. That was the old way of teaching. You know, he'd be like, "What do you mean, you cannot do that here" and heʻd throw things at you, but he did it with love, and that's what some of these kids need. They cannot, they don't understand when you get like, "Oh, it's okay." Give ʻem a pat on the... You gotta give up the hard love and that's how I am with my students, I just don't throw things at them. But I give ʻem the hard love and Mr. Wong he is, he really impacted my, my agriculture career. He's the one who pretty much want to be, I wanted to become an educator because of him. See how much he's impacted so many students in agriculture. You would think a teacher would impact your History or English but being agriculture and leaving such a huge impact on me? And see, seeing my fellow classmates just excelled because we're all so excited to come after school to see Mr. Wong and hear his thoughts and "Oh, we're gonna do an imu today. We're gonna do this. We're gonna go fix pipe, we're gonna go weld." you know, giving us all these options. It's, you don't get that in English or math class. You know, you don't know what you come into. Every day is something different. And he gave us those opportunities. He gave you the opportunities to travel with FFA. He took us on field trips to outer islands to go to salt ponds, taro patches. He just opened up our avenues and he inspired me to become the educator I am today and I call, I still go see him. I actually saw him yesterday. I talk story with him, Iʻm like "Alright Mr. Wong, what do you think?" Heʻs like "Jackie, I, don't even ask me. You do what you want to do. Itʻs your farm." Iʻm like "No you have so much manao, and skills that I still learning." Like I am constantly learning. He was just one of the best teachers I could have asked for. He's helped me through so much. And he kinda put me and my husband together, you know, so it kind of worked out perfectly. But yeah, he pretty much showed me what this farm can be. And he's like, "Jackie is your far, now you grow it. It's what you want to do." But I am very, he just told me he's proud of me. No matter how much I love my dad he has ever told me he was proud of me. So hearing it you get from Mr. Wong sealed the deal.
Josh:So I tell you what Jackie, what we'll do is we'll dedicate this episode to Mr. Russell Wong, who sounds like one of those true giants upon which not only you, but many of his students probably stand to this day. That's that's very, very cool story. And I thank you for sharing it. So Jackie Freitas, this has been an awesome conversation. Thank you for being on the "What School Could Be" podcast. I wish you and your family and your extended community of students and everybody in Wahiawa a very safe and healthy rest of 2022. And I hope the rest of this school year the 2022-2023 school year goes beautifully. And thank you for being on the cutting edge on the front end of helping Hawaii become food sustainable and just a much better community in total. So thank you, Jackie.
Jackie:Thank you so much for having me.
Josh:My editor, creative consultant and sound engineer is the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music and musical interludes come from the vast catalogue of music created by my friend of 40 years, the remarkable pianist Michael Sloane. Producer of 12 albums with over 100 songs. Michael Sloane is featured in Apple Music, Spotify, and all major music platforms. You can also find his work at his YouTube channel. Michael has listeners in over 100 countries and over 2000 cities to date. Support these episodes with remarkable innovative and imaginative educators and education leaders by giving us your own rating and writing us review at your favorite podcast store. This series is underwritten by education change agent Ted Dintersmith, executive producer of the acclaimed documentary film "Most Likely To Succeed" and author of the best selling book "What School Could Be." please join the What School Could Be global online community by going to community.whatschoolcouldbe.org or by downloading the What School Could Be app from your favorite app store. The "What School Could Be" podcast is brought to you by Josh Reppun productions. Send your feedback to Josh@WhatSchoolCouldBe.org. Follow the show on Twitter@WSCBpodcast. Friends, these are uncertain and challenging times. The headlines, especially around education can be relentlessly negative. Please bring kindness compassion, innovation, creativity and imagination into the world. We need a surplus of all of these right now. Until the next episode, a hui ho, and take care.
Jim:We would like to thank Josh and the "What School Could Be" podcast for reaching out to us and allowing us to share this episode about the important work being done in our schools to educate the next generation of ag producers in Hawaii. We hope you've enjoyed this guest podcast and you can follow the"What School Could Be" series using the link in the show notes. Mahalo. The intention of this podcast series is to create a safe space for respectful and inclusive dialogue with people from across a broad and diverse spectrum involved in growing and making accessible the food we share together. A diversity of voices perspectives and experiences can serve to deepen mutual understanding, to spark creative problem solving and provide insight into the complexities of our agricultural system. If you our listeners have experiences with Hawaii agricultural ecosystems from small holder farms to large even including multinational agricultural industrial companies, or anywhere in between, and you would like to share your story, please contact us. We welcome your voices and perspectives