Adults must be pono to students

I admit that I was mightily swayed by the revelations of Camille Fleming regarding the Pono Choices curriculum ("Sex education by the book," Star-Advertiser, Insight, April 6).

Then I listened to a Hawaii Public Radio broadcast on Pono Choices. After a very informative hour of listening to the experts and hearing from the public, I had a broader perspective on the subject.

I believe that the goals of the curriculum are noble and the delivery factual. There appears to be no proselytizing for any particular lifestyle, just an education about the myriad ways pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases can be contracted and prevented.

There was still one point that troubled me. The implied bullying that takes place after the student has exercised her or his "right to pass" should not be allowed, much less encouraged, by any state Depart- ment of Education policy. The adults in school hold all the power, so I hope it would never be used to intimidate or coerce.

Vicki Owens
Kailua

Save kids from testing madness

Warning! The state Department of Education will be using our children as guinea pigs for the next few weeks.

The DOE has mandated that school students in grades 3-8 and 11 take the Smarter Balanced Assessment field tests for language arts and math.

Our students are being used to help the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (which uses millions of our taxpayer money in the form of grants) decide which questions can be used for future tests. They will not benefit our students. They will actually harm our students by taking away valuable learning time and adding to the stress and fear that our children already are experiencing these months. It’s a form of exploitation and it has to stop.

To make matters worse, our students have not even finished the Hawaii State Assessment. Now you know why teachers are protesting against the DOE and fighting to save and protect our students from all this so-called educational reform and testing madness.

Michael Kline
National Board certified teacher, Kilauea Elementary School

Learn about Micronesians

The term Micronesian appears in the pages of your paper from time to time, but not always in a positive context.

By means of this letter, if no other way, may your readers be informed of an exhibit at the Honolulu Museum of Art School at 1111 Victoria St., in the Mezzanine Gallery.

In "Carrying Culture: Micronesia," the Caroline, Mariana and Marshall islands are all represented in an expertly exhibited array of the arts those islands are noted for.

Interested persons and the public at large have until April 28 to see this positive presentation.

Daniel J. Peacock
Moiliili

Advise tourists on snorkeling

I continually see reports of people drowning or nearly drowning in Hawaii while snorkeling.

Most of these people appear to be tourists who are no doubt delighted by our sea life but unaware of the dangers of snorkeling, especially for the first time.

Snorkeling does not come naturally. For example, if water goes down the snorkel rather than air, as it often does, people may panic, and this can lead to their drowning.

I am a former ocean lifeguard, and while our lifeguard service on Oahu is very good, with all the people in the ocean it is very hard for a lifeguard to spot a snorkeler in distress who is not in a rip tide or obvious danger.

It seems our Legislature or tourism bureau should address this issue so that our tourists are warned and instructed before they rent face masks and snorkels.

Robert R. Taylor
Downtown Honolulu

Caregivers need to be in debate

It’s disappointing that Healthcare Association of Hawaii should dismiss what AARP Hawaii and many families in our community already know: Family caregivers play a key role in patient care ("Medical agen- cies, not AARP office, should regulate post-hospital care," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, April 2).

Hospitals need to provide caregivers with instructions on how to care for their loved ones when they’re discharged.

The community debate over hospital discharge procedures — and the need to involve caregivers — will not be silenced by false claims over who is driving this discussion.

Medical institutions are not the only ones involved with patient care. The voices of Hawaii’s caregivers should be heard.

While the House Finance Committee held Senate Bill 2264, it did pass out House Concurrent Resolution 78 calling for a family caregiving working group to examine the role of caregivers in hospital discharge planning.

AARP welcomes the opportunity to work with hospitals and community stake- holders to ensure that caregivers are given instruction needed to help seniors live independently at home.

Barbara Kim Stanton
State director, AARP Hawaii

Military’s role was sugarcoated

Your article on the recent ASEAN conference deftly unmasked an old Pentagon ploy of sugarcoating its main mission ("War machines touted as agents of mercy," Star-Advertiser, April 3).

The military’s extracurricular humanitarian activities are commendable; the military-industrial complex, which President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us against, has a lesspraiseworthyagenda.

If ASEANshowed the military’s softer side,the Land Power in the Pacific Conference (LANPAC)at the Sheraton Waikiki isguaranteed tofly its true colors.

Army generals and captains of industry will be out in full force torattle their sabers and peddle their wares.

In contrast, Chaminade University hosted a gathering this past weekend to discuss the power of nonviolence. Martha Hennessy spoke of her legendary grandmother, Dorothy Day — co-founder of the Catho- lic Worker movement and candidate forsainthood. She shared her experiences inserving the poor with "works of mercy" and resisting war through direct action.

Hopefully,she inspired others to work for peace and turn "swords into plowshares."

Wally Inglis
Palolo Valley

Let OHA build in Kakaako Makai

I totally agree with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs supporters who believe that income from residential development will bolster OHA programs.

It’s a critical point in this debate. OHA has many community programs and grants that help relieve the big issues facing the Native Hawaiian community.

Drug abuse, health problems, incarceration and poverty are all issues that OHA is dedicated to combating, but OHA needs the funding to do so.

Development of the Kakaako area, which OHA could do in a culturally appropriate and centered way, would allow OHA to generate the revenue needed to continue and expand its much-needed services.

Kalsie Holt
Makiki