Vidalino Raatior, candidate for a doctorate in education, remembers his own introduction to Western society. Coming from a small island of 400 people in Chuuk, the impersonality of American life was alienating. The culture shock was hard even for a young man who was on an elite educational track at home.
“If I had difficulty, kids coming through now have even more of a hard time, in terms of cultural preparedness,” he said.
Raatior is part of a team of graduate students at the University of Hawaii College of Education conducting a feasibility study about the establishment of a culturally focused charter school for Micronesian children. Raatior and his colleagues are not serving as advocates — their study is a dispassionate research project as a part of their academic requirements.
But there are advocates for the idea. UH approved the study, which was requested by the nonprofits Micronesians United – Big Island, Faith Action for Community Equity, The Learning Coalition and We Are Oceania.
The research team will present its findings in December, and a decision will be made about whether to pursue the charter from state authorities.
The team recently held a series of “sharing circles,” focus groups of parents and others interested in the education of Micronesian children. Participants were organized into groups separated by gender, which suited Micronesian practices, Raatior said.
A charter school could address the culture shock Micronesian parents and children encounter in Western schools, he said, as well as keep them connected to their birthplace. Barriers aside, parents do want their children to thrive here, Raatior added.
“I don’t know any parents anywhere in the world who care more about their kids,” he said. “These people who move far from the comfort of their home are people who want their children to succeed in life.”
