Education Department director Vaitinasa Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau has echoed the call to place emphasis on teaching and learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and reiterated the Education Department’s focus is on students.

Vaitinasa made the comments in her special remarks at the beginning of last Friday night’s DOE sponsored Teacher of the Year recognition ceremony at the Lee Auditorium. The ceremony honored the 2015 Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Monica Lynn Lui, a Science teacher at Samoana High School and seven Teachers of the Year from the Elementary Division.

In her remarks, the DOE director explained that the DOE theme for the last two years has been “Ia Uluulu a Matafolau”, which means “to be diligent, to be honest in all that we do in the department, especially focusing on the students.”

“We selected this proverbial term — Ia Uluulu a Matafolau — because it had meaning in terms of what we need to do in the department. It’s a constant reminder to teachers and the entire department... to be diligent in carrying out our mission and our vision,” she told the audience. “Our motto in the department is that ‘students are first’. All that we do filters down and focuses on students.”

Vaitinasa went on to say that in “his provocative book ‘One Nation Under-Taught’, Dr. Vince M. Bertram not only cites serious shortcomings of the education systems across the nation and even in our territory, he vividly describes successful practices and programs to address the serious education shortcomings.

“Bertram states teaching the curriculum — referring to the key subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — relies on the expertise of individual teachers to make learning interactive, engaging, innovative, and challenging,” she said.

(In his book ‘One Nation Under-Taught: Solving America’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Crisis’, the author writes about the urgent need to address this challenge head-on, and provides a blueprint for helping students fall in love with and succeed in critical STEM fields, according to online information about the book.)

“As the DOE and its supporting government and private sector partners officially celebrate on Saturday, Jan. 17, the need for education and our community to emphasize teaching and learning Science, Technology, Engineering, Math plus arts and agriculture — the acronym is not just STEM but STEAM she said.

“We are cognizant that teaching these subjects and all subjects rely on and hinge on exceptional teachers,” Vaitinasa said. “Our teachers of the year 2015 are exemplary and exceptional teachers. Thank you, teachers for leading the exceptional way for others and especially their students.”

Speaking on behalf of the governor, the lieutenant governor and the administration was Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale who also congratulated the teachers for “your accomplishments, for your hard work, [and] your commitment to the students of American Samoa.”

Further, he extended sincere thanks to the families of the teachers, because “your support of our teachers and the work they do — day in and day out — is critical to their ability to teach our students.”

To all teachers, Talauega said, “you face tough challenges this year, these days, but I am certain that you have the ability to face those and succeed.”

Pastor Andy Forsgren, who offered prayers and blessings for the ceremony, shared a story of what happen at Laufou Shopping Center not long ago, when a man twice tried to get cash from the ATM after pushing in his PIN.

He said the man then got angry and started to kick the ATM. The security guard, who knew the man, asked — “what happened?” and the man replied “o le leaga ia o lea masini - this machine is real bad.”

The security guard asked the man to punch the PIN information again, and the ATM screen showed — “there’s no more funds” — Forsgren said to laughter from the crowd, adding that the security guard then told the man, “You have to deposit before you withdraw.”

Forsgren told the audience that he thanks God that teachers “have deposited into our young people, not just one time... but for many years.”