School's In
Brain Station provides hospitalized keiki a sense of normalcy, a place to socialize and a chance to learn. Pictured here, the new Imagination Station (photo courtesy Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children)
LET’S FACE IT: A LENGTHY STAY IN A HOSPITAL IS NOT IDEAL. This is especially true for children who are used to socializing with friends and teachers at school. Yes, there’s the concern about being able to keep up with studies, but being in a hospital room for hours, days and weeks on end can be isolating.
That’s where Dr. Carrie Shiraki-Sakaino comes in. She started a summer school program, called Brain Station, at Kapi‘olani Medical Center
for Women and Children back in 2015. “Brain Station is a passion project for me as it was a vision for our patients when I started as Educational Liaison in 2012,” she says.
Today, the Brain Station is a permanent program that’s available to Kapi‘olani patients of all ages, and now boasts its own hospital-based teacher, Shay Chun. Some doctors even incorporate the educational regimen into the treatment for their patients.
Shiraki-Sakaino is certified in cognitive rehabilitation and she—along with Chun—develops curricula that not only teach students subjects such as math and science, but helps them to engage with fellow patients and experience a learning environment that’s a bit closer to what they’re accustomed to. The aim is to support the pediatric patients and provide a smooth re-entry to school once their stay at Kapi‘olani has been completed.
“Our classroom is made up of students from kindergarten to college, of all abilities, medical needs and from every corner of Hawai‘i (and at times beyond) who learn side-by-side,” Chun says. “This creates a special learning community that fosters inclusivity and values diverse backgrounds.”
The idea that kids would want to attend school may seem counter- intuitive, but former patient Ethan Kaneshiro begs to differ. “What Ethan really enjoyed about Brain Station most was being around kids and earning points for showing up, doing the assignment or activity,” his mom Joy said in an interview last fall. “It’s somewhere he could go, and it didn’t feel like he was just there in a room getting medical treatment.”
“It’s just like having friends at school or being at my house,” Ethan elaborated. “I can be like myself and not have to be worried about what could happen at school.”
That’s not to say that there aren’t fun ways to encourage participation. As they complete assignments or attend sessions, patients earn “brain bucks” that they can use to purchase items from the “Brain Station Store.”
“Our patients’ ‘normal’ would be school; Brain Station provides that ‘normal’ for them in a very not-normal setting,” Shiraki-Sakaino says. “The creation, execution and observing of the educational benefits is a dream for me as an educator.”
Brain Station is getting noticed, too. Shiraki-Sakaino has presented the program to national audiences. “Huge hospitals on the mainland are trying to replicate what we do here,” she said.
As the program continues to grow (recent additions include a dedicated classroom and a mobile STEM cart called the “Imagination Station” that was funded by the recent Radiothon), donations are always welcome. In addition to monetary gifts, items such as science experiments, project supplies and even fun items like video games, LEGO sets and toys for the Brain Station Store are greatly appreciated.
“The students’ enthusiasm for learning continuously inspires me to plan new lessons and develop new educational programs,” Chun says. “I cannot wait to see how Brain Station will continue to evolve.”
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