My name is Shinji, I am a special education teacher at Connections Public Charter School in Hilo HI. In addition to my special education duties I also teach a class in pallet construction for math credit, as well as a surfing class for P.E. credit. I am also the freshman adviser for about 40 students. I could benefit greatly from attending the 2017 ISN National Conference on Educational Innovation. Being a part of an innovative charter school in a remote part of our county, I often wonder what other schools are doing in different areas, particularly with regards to project based learning. I am a big proponent of learning by hands on experience and giving students some freedom of choice in their projects. I am hopeful that this conference will help me with clarifying my vision for project based learning as well as filling me with inspiration.

In my spare time I like to do home renovation, surfing and photography.