Coffee Cart: Café D-103

Lahainaluna – Hāna – Moloka‘i – Lāna‘i Complex

Lahaina Intermediate School (Maui)

Life Skills/Resource SPED Teacher — 6,7 & 8th, Fully Self Contained (FSC)

5 Years Teaching Experience

Meet Charmaine Nuesca-Ganer

I am a middle school special education teacher in a fully self-contained life skills classroom. Growing up in a small, close town in Lahaina gave me the opportunity to have a passion for helping others in need. College was never an option for me. After high school, my parents needed financial help so I went to work to help. When my third child was diagnosed with a learning disability, I decided to go to college and get my teaching degree. It took a long time, but it was worth the time and effort. I worked as a paraprofessional for sixteen years and as a special education teacher for five years now. My passion for teaching started with my daughter and the struggles she endured as a special education child. She poured her heart and soul into her learning but she could never master the struggles of remembering what she studied. She gave 120% in everything she did, she had the best attitude in any situation. Watching her struggle made me want to help even more. But she taught me that if I only looked at the limitation of her disability I couldn’t see the person she really was. While in middle school she learned to organize herself, she pushed past her disability and lived her dreams of becoming class president, Jr. prom queen, attended college, and even ran for Miss Maui. I love working with middle school students and more so those within my community, partly because I grew up with their family members, and the other part being that they are still children at heart.

Lahaina Intermediate School Traveling Coffee Cart

About this project

This project is a direct partnership with Westin Nanea Ocean Villas and Maui Upcountry Coffee that allows students within the life skills class to have the opportunity to connect with the staff within the school, practice functional life skills, and participate in a project based learning method that could be replicated to support students in life skills classes across the state. Westin Nanea generously donated the cart, the coffee carafes, teas, sugars, creamers, cups and lids. Maui Upcountry Coffee donated various blends of delicious homegrown coffee, as well as their knowledge and expertise in brewing delicious coffee. These donors saw the value and potential in supporting students within the life skills class to give these students real life opportunities to participate in learning that connects them to their community, as well as to the ʻĀina.

PCNC November 2018 Lahaina Newsletter

What is the problem?

Not all students within life skills have access to a licensed, highly qualified special education teacher.
Lack of special education teachers knowing how to build community partnerships with local companies.
Lack of real-world application of skills for students with disabilities in school settings.

Why is this so important?

This project connects special education teachers directly to community members, building a partnership that builds awareness and inclusivity, something that ultimately betters the culture for all. It is important that not only do our special education teachers see these students of worth, but others within the school and community, visualizing their potential and what they are able to do, despite the label associated with their disability. Building community partnerships at a middle school level supports that students have the opportunity to tinker with different tools and working structures, building transitional opportunities for high school special education teachers to be aware of as they plan for post high school transition for a successful, independent, and contributing member of society. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for individuals with special needs is over 80% and employment opportunities are limited after the age of 22.

How to Replicate

Step 1: Student and school needs

Relationships

Students receiving special education services within a fully self-contained classroom may have limited access to community members and partnerships. Being a member of the tightknit Lahainaluna community, there is tremendous power in relationships and the impact they can have on a person's life. This is vital not only to neurotypical individuals, but even more so to those with special needs. Understanding the individual student needs within a classroom allows a speducator to advocate for all students in a manner that not only improve the student's individual life, but their family, the school culture, and the community at large.

Step 2: Develop your vision

Investments for all

Find out what companies are currently partnering with your schools for fundraisers, and take it a step further. Reach out and have a conversation with that community liaison and show them the value of including students with special needs into their company.

Moral
Company values
Inclusivity

Programs can be extended from middle to high school, and from high school to community partnerships for a successful post-high transition.

Step 3: Build community partnerships

The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas

Already being supporters of the school, the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas was looking for a project partner. Charmaine was made aware of this and she already had her passion project in mind with the vision of the coffee cart, and within a month of our first discussion, the head at the Westin sent us the order of materials and the rest is history!

Maui Upcountry Coffee

After partnering with the Westin, Charmaine presented to Maui Upcountry Coffee regarding her vision of the coffee cart, and the company believed in this work so much so that they donated 24 bags of ground coffee, as well as 5 bags of coffee beans to grind so that the students could learn further about the homegrown process of the Maui Upcountry Coffee.

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