A master of education student in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Education Department of Curriculum Studies, is turning to technology and social media to provide educational lessons for his students.
Griffin Bolan, has created a YouTube channel for his 10th grade English Language Arts (ELA) class at Waiʻanae High School. He is currently wrapping up his third year of teaching at the school.
The Kaimukī native narrates light-hearted ELA 10 Online Learning videos on YouTube for his class along with another ELA teacher and former UH Mānoa alumna, Sierra Callihan. It was also in the 10th grade that Bolan realized the importance of teaching and discovered his desire to teach in Hawaiʻi.
“While there are a plethora of innovative tech resources out there, I always find myself missing the relationships built in class and in person,” said Bolan. “The videos are just a way to (hopefully) remind the kids that even though there is a lot out of our control, we can still choose to be creative, learn new things and have fun together. Pandemic or not, we are still able to learn and are grateful for it.”
Bolan is part of the National Board Certification Teacher Leader track cohort program called Aloha Kumu. The program enables current master’s students to work and learn alongside local educators.
“The Aloha Kumu program has been a huge source of inspiration and growth for my own teaching practice, and I’ll forever be grateful for getting the chance to be a part of it,” said Bolan.
He added, “If this program has shown me anything, it’s that teaching necessitates a constant pursuit of knowledge and best practices. I intend to do whatever it takes to better support our kids on the Leeward Coast.”
