Top Teachers
Saturday, July 19, 1997
Name: Gloria Wong
Age: 55
Position: Kahuku Elementary fourth-grade teacher
Education: Brigham Young University-Hawaii
Pastimes: Reading, sewing, church
When a bunch of fourth-graders are more concerned about the scientific worth than the snack worth of a bag of M&Ms, there must be an experienced teacher at the head of the class. Gloria Wong's 32 years of teaching give her the skills and savvy to pull off such a lesson. Kids are sharp, but so is she
"I love the fourth-grade curriculum (Hawaiiana) and I love the kids at that age," Wong said. "They're so teachable."
Wong has seen many changes since she began her career. "Used to be what the teacher said was law," Wong said. "But these kids today are sharp. Nowadays they're exposed to more, so they're more curious."
One way of satisfying that curiosity is an annual four-day trip to the Big Island. "When we go there, the kids can see the history," Wong said. "It helps them to understand their own identity. They can research why their own families came to Hawaii."
Students spend the year fund-raising for the trip.
"She is a vivacious grandmother ... who loves her students and wants them to be successful in whatever they attempt to do," said Laurie Flores, an acquaintance who teaches at Hauula Elementary. "She can make anybody laugh and feel good about themselves."
While some might think of retiring after more than a couple of decades, that subject is not in Wong's syllabus. Perhaps she will follow in her mother's footsteps and teach for more than 40 years. "As long as I'm still having fun, I'll stay."
Mary Sano, Special to the Star-Bulletin
