Vanessa Ott

Vanessa Ott is a former audio electronics and IT professional who became a Hawaii public school teacher in her mid 40s, and quit working for the DOE after five years of frustration. She now happily teaches piano lessons to beginning students of all ages, tutors children with reading difficulties, and helps elderly people with their computers.
A Blueprint For Fixing Public Education Cory Lum/Civil Beat

A Blueprint For Fixing Public Education

It includes writing a constitutional amendment ballot question that will withstand legal and public scrutiny.

Celebrating The International Day For Failure Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2015

Celebrating The International Day For Failure

Hawaii鈥檚 public schools will go nowhere until 鈥渇ailures鈥 become a tool for growth instead of weapons of destruction.

An Open Letter To The BOE About Community Engagement Cory Lum/Civil Beat

An Open Letter To The BOE About Community Engagement

Without a framework that supports community schools, 鈥渓ocal control鈥 will mean little more than dictatorships with unqualified rulers.

Why Hawaii Should Adopt Finland’s Annual Day For Failure Pixabay

Why Hawaii Should Adopt Finland’s Annual Day For Failure

If we embraced learning from mistakes and working to improve rather than punishing people for being human, we’d all be better off.

Who Should Be Appointed to the Board of Education?

Who Should Be Appointed to the Board of Education?

Transparency and diversity are important considerations.

21st Century Schools Require a 21st Century Board of Education Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat

21st Century Schools Require a 21st Century Board of Education

Hawaii’s statewide school board needs to improve its own communication and technology capabilities if it wants schools to improve.