Page 2 - MidWeek - May 5, 2021

2 MIDWEEK MAY 5, 2021
Remembering A Life Well Lived
“God could not be everywhere and therefore he made Mothers.” — Rudyard Kipling
PDon’t Sleep On This
When I was a youngster, I thought of my mother as plain, old “Ma.” She never wore fancy clothes. Her nails were always kept plain and short.
erhaps the most bizarre school year in history is ending. We’ve shown that kids can survive radical change and hopefully rebound with resiliency. It’s
“So the dirt won’t get un- der my nails when I work in the garden,” she’d say.
fees, the down payment for my brother’s new home. She gave all the rest away.
now time to look at the start times of our high schools. The average for public high schools on O‘ahu is about 8 a.m. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatricians both recommend that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
She was usually at home picking Haden mangoes, cooking chutney, grating co- conut for haupia and pouring hot paraffin on freshly made jellies.
The plumeria symbolizes positivity, hope and love — and at one time was only worn by royalty. A perfect honor of mothers on their special day.
This was the woman who never wore fancy clothes, who never went to the beauty shop, but her radiance glowed deep. I felt that warmth when- ever I walked into her home. Those were her treasures, the true wealth that far exceeded the superficial glitter. Before I closed the closet door, I slowly ran my hand down her flowery dress one more time, with so many memories of this loving woman, and whis- pered, “Thank you, Ma.”
Linda Tagawa is a retired school teacher, and enjoys writing about island life.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
Biology is a key factor in analyzing sleep cycles, as this is not just about traffic or common sense. It’s about teenage circadian rhythms and the fact that adolescents simply aren’t at their best when roused too early for school. For example, Kaimukī High starts at 9 a.m., and schools in 46 states are now starting later to account for a teenager’s need for more sleep and the fact that early morning classes are not as robust or as worthwhile as they could be, since teen zombies often aren’t primed to learn.
Shorts and a T-shirt stained from cooking and weeding the garden were her daily attire.
AsfarbackasIcanre- member, she was always plain, old, “Ma,” although I admired her and loved her. I carried my sweet memories of her even when I married and left the islands.
I slid open the closet door. There was one muʻumuʻu, one dress for weddings. I ran my hand down the silky, polyester, flowery one she wore for PTA meetings, the dark one for funerals, and three uniforms from a life- time of caregiving as a nurse.
Yes, there are logistical problems — sibling school times, parent work rituals, bus schedules, after-school activities and childcare. But let’s take a serious look at it before simply reverting to our unproductive norm. Cali- fornia moved school start times later. Quality and amount of sleep, attentiveness, student driving, school attendance, on-time arrival — all have been shown to improve when kids get even 30 minutes more sack time nightly.
Sometimes she’ d ask me to cut her hair when it grew too long.
I was living in Japan when a relative called and said Ma wasn’t wearing her seat belt when the fatal accident occurred. I arrived in Ho- nolulu for her funeral and went straight to Ma’s home; her bedroom was the same. Nothing fancy. Homemade curtains, bare walls, a dresser, a file cabinet.
“Take only what you need,” she’d say.
Chaminade University psychology professor (and local sleep expert) Tracy Trevorrow, Ph.D., stated on KITV that “it is fairly clear from the science that starting school lat- er will help.” It’s not just about learning and test scores. As Trevorrow also said, starting school before 8:30 a.m. “contributes to a nation of chronically sleep-deprived stu- dents.” It’s about health and a quantifiable opportunity to enhance attentiveness as we see increases in test scores. Finland, Japan, England and Australia (to name just a few) start school after 8:30 a.m., and all outperform the U.S. on student achievement tests. The shift to starting at 8 a.m. in America (versus 9 a.m.) came about only within the past 50 years, and took place before science understood teenage circadian rhythms.
“Takes too long and costs too much,” she’d say.
“Neva mind if crooked. Just cut,” she’d say mat- ter-of-factly.
She kept only bare neces- sities and gave the rest away: braces for my sister, piano and swim lessons, Boy Scout fees, the new suitcase for my trip, the Chinese dinner when my sister got married, college
Ma never went to the beauty shop for stylish per- manents.
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
KELLEY
Both the AAP and CDC, as well as a study done in Seat- tle public schools, have all shown that delayed start times work. Lots of research to ingest, but the time has come. Actually, it came years ago. Start high school days later, or at least seriously discuss it — but let’s not sleep on it.
Think about it ...
CHASING THE LIGHT
with Linda Tagawa
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com