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Blondin Joins Faculty at Waimea Country School

Waimea Country School is pleased to welcome Hayley Blondin as the new second and third grade teacher. Blondin has a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Indiana. She has five years of teaching experience and has lived and worked in Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, and Spain.

Blondin is happy to have found a position in a school where the education style is multiage and child-centered. She said, “My first professional teaching experience was in a combined first and second grade classroom. Right away, I fell in love with the multiage model. I like it because it allows students the flexibility to pursue challenges in their areas of strength, but it also affords them the ability to slow down and explore new learning approaches to concepts and skills that may be difficult.”

Blondin continued, “I believe in developing and nurturing the whole child. Purely academic goals for students ignores the very important emotional, social, behavioral and physical development of a child. I like teaching in a way that considers the soul, spirit and body of the child and that embraces a child’s natural desire to imagine, to fantasize and to be artistic.”

Level 4 teacher Laurel Matsuda noticed that, “Hayley fits right in as if she has always been here. She is a very good fit for the culture and philosophy of Waimea Country School. It is obvious how much she cares for the kids and that she really works hard to do a great job.”

Kindergarten teacher Mary Doty added, “Hayley is a breath of fresh air bringing wonderful, creative ideas to inspire her students to appreciate nature and others around them.”

Blondin said of her management style, “I believe students need to be motivated intrinsically. Instead of rewarding students with material objects, I want students to feel motivated by their investment in the classroom community and a real desire to learn. To create this intrinsic sense of motivation, I believe it is important to create a student-centered learning environment, where students have a voice in the types of projects and assignments they complete, as well as a role in planning the daily operations of the classroom.”

Blondin’s methods are clearly working well. Parent Jessica Zolten enthusiastically exclaimed, “She has really lit a fire under these kids!”

As for her transition to Hawaii, Blondin said, “I'm enjoying learning about Hawaiian culture and the Hawaiian language. I love living in a place where the indigenous culture is still alive. I hear Hawaiian words integrated in everyday speech. We chant at school, and many students are already very knowledgeable about the plants, such as the kukui tree. I was surprised when we went to the Nature Park recently and so many of my students were able to talk about the uses of kukui nuts.”

In addition to her teaching experience, Blondin has also worked on an organic farm, been the leader of a school garden project and has lead coastal kayaking adventures in Alaska and Canada.

Head of School Amy Salling said, “Hayley is a wonderful addition to our school ‘ohana. She brings a wealth of experience that complements the talents and expertise of other faculty and staff. This makes for an even richer learning environment for our students.”

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