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Nick Okamoto is passionate about calculus. In fact, Nick loves every branch of mathematics. And he wants your kids to feel the love, too. An enthusiastic educator like Nick can make that happen. He inspires his students and makes math fun. That's right, FUN. His basic philosophy is -- "You have to know -- and teach -- the why!" "If you are just taught to memorize list after list of facts, it can be overwhelming. You have to know the why in order to know how to figure things out. And the why helps you remember and build on what you've learned. And when you do that, math becomes fun," he says.
Before we tell you about Nick and his journey to our UH-Maui College faculty, let's restate the importance and omnipresence of STEM -- science, technology, engineering, mathematics. If you use a computer or a smartphone -- and who doesn't -- you're involved in STEM. The four STEM subjects and their offshoots are the bases of most -- arguably all -- of today's best jobs and jobs of tomorrow we can't even imagine.
Coined in the 1990s, the acronym STEM came into wide use in the early 2000s. It acknowledged a perceived lack of qualified candidates for high-tech jobs and, perhaps more importantly, the fact that minority students were falling behind their white counterparts in these areas of study. It is a priority here at UH-MC to encourage our students as well as high school students in our community -- especially Native Hawaiian and minority students -- to engage and excel at STEM. Nick Okamoto is a big part of that initiative.
Born in Hilo and raised on Maui, Nick is a Baldwin High graduate. After two years here at UH-MC, he went back to UH-Hilo and graduated with a double major, math and physics. His plan was to continue on to post-graduate work. But a postcard he initially thought was junk mail changed his trajectory. "It was from Math for America (www.mathforamerica.org)," Nick explains. The program works to keep excellent mathematics and science teachers in the classroom rather than pursuing what are generally perceived to be more prestigious and lucrative jobs in industry. Within the space of a few weeks, Nick applied, was accepted and was heading to New York City.
"It's a five-year commitment. The program is extraordinarily well-funded and pays for everything for the first year -- tuition, living expenses, everything -- while you get your Masters in Math Education and teacher certification." He got that degree, by the way, at Columbia University. For the next four years, he taught 6th grade at Booker T. Washington Middle School where, by the way, he convinced the principal to let him toss out the textbook and create his own curriculum which "explores the 'why.' "
When his commitment to Math for America was complete, he considered staying, since he was tenured, but he opted for post-graduate work at the University of Missouri, where he earned another Masters in Applied Mathematics and a Ph.D. in mathematics. And then, lucky for us, he wanted to come home. He joined our faculty in 2017.
So vital does he believe it is to get a head start on mathematics, he has rearranged his teaching schedule to make it easier for high school students to take calculus I through IV here at UH-MC.
"Baldwin seniors can come after lunch but juniors have to wait until after their sixth period classes," he said.
Nick loves teaching students of all ages, but has a particular soft spot in his heart for 6th graders after his experience in New York. And he has this message for parents.
"It's a crucial age for math learning," he says. "We need to get 'em while they're young."
If you want to see him at his most animated, get him talking about ancient Arab civilizations and their use of algebra, Euclidian geometry, Isaac Newton. And he'll trace things all the way up to that smartphone in your pocket. Ask him to explain why the angles in every triangle add up to 180 degrees. And when he does, you just might have your own "aha" math moment. Not bad for a guy who started out on the math "low track" at Baldwin.
Learn about Project STEMulate at maui.hawaii.edu/upward/project-stemulate-curriculum.
For information about all UH-MC programs of study, please visit maui.hawaii.edu/programs-of-study.
* Lui K. Hokoana, Ph.D., is chancellor of the University of Hawaii Maui College. "Ka'ana Mana'o," which means "Sharing Thoughts," is scheduled to appear on the fourth Saturday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH-Maui College staff and is intended to provide the community of Maui County information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.