As we reflect on our first weeks of the 2023 - 2024 school year along with the devastation experienced by our 'ohana, we are committed to creating an environment where children can learn, thrive, feel safe and loved, and experience deep joy.
Dr. Montessori tells us that “joy is the evidence of inner growth" and that “joy, feeling one's own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul.”
We agree! Joy is valuable and can be an antidote to trauma. While it doesn’t “fix” anything, it does allow us as a community to move forward and feel more secure.
So for this month's blog, we are sharing pictures of the children at Hala Kahiki experiencing joy in all its many forms. As teachers, we are honored to provide a place to experience and honor this essential part of human existence.
Joy is...
"People often confuse joy with happiness and think they are interchangeable, but not quite. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes, one that we often place in the hands of other people, things, circumstances, and desires.
Ajolique Jude
But joy is a gift of the spirit. It is rooted within and sustains us even when life is not going as planned. Even when we can't see beyond the pain of the present moment, joy knows there is more.
Joy knows that life is a gift.
Let joy being your guiding light, and hold onto it."
About Hala Kahiki
Designed for children 18 months – 6 years, Hala Kahiki is the first and only authentic Montessori school on Lāna’i. Under the guiding influence of specially trained teachers, children work with multi-sensorial materials to help them learn to think critically and become well-rounded global citizens. We would love to partner with you to give your children the best-possible early childhood education; please let us know how we can help you achieve your goals for your child.
