We caught up with the brilliant and insightful May Best a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi May, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

My hopes are that when I am gone, people will have lots of great memories and stories to share. I want my two boys to remember me as an awesome mom. Not just because we had many fun adventures together, but because I always did my best to make sure they felt truly loved and cared for. I modeled the importance of working hard, being kind and thoughtful, and that mistakes are a part of growing up. I want my students to remember me for the lessons I taught them. Not just the curriculum lessons, but important life lessons like F.A.I.L is first attempt in learning, to always be curious about the other side of the story and multiple perspectives, and that kindness is key. I want my family and friends to remember me for my sense of humor and the ways I cared for others. Not just a nice and fun person to be around, but I want to be remembered as a person who could turn one’s day around with a smile or a hug. When I think of the word legacy, it’s quite intimidating, because I am unsure what I will leave behind. But what I do know for certain, is that when others hear my name after I am gone, I want it to inspire a life of learning, service, love, and FUN.

May, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is May Ohara Best, and I was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii. From a young age, I vividly remember playing “school” with my friends, and admired the teachers in my life. My own mother was a special education para educator who I respected—not only for the nature of the job, but for the connections she had with her students and colleagues. I knew she had a profound impact on her students and community, because whenever we would run into her students outside of school, they would be so happy to see Mrs. Ohara. Some would even scream her name and wave from across a crowded mall. Aside from my mother, I was lucky to have had many other educators who were also positive role models in my life.

Some would say I was destined to be an educator like my mother, but the moment I knew I wanted to be a teacher was not until college. I took an Introduction to Teaching class with a phenomenal professor, and fell in love with my bi-weekly visits to the local elementary school. I felt inspired by the teachers at the school and enjoyed connecting with students. Teachers often get asked to think about their WHY. Why do we come back to this profession year after year? What draws us to teaching? Why do we commit to our students and families? My answers are almost always because I am committed to lifelong learning, I want to inspire young children to stay curious about the world around them, and I feel that it only takes one positive relationship with a teacher to make a difference for a child.

I am currently an elementary school teacher in Portland, Oregon. I teach 4th grade at Beverly Cleary School, and have been in education for the last 15 years. I would be lying if I said being a teacher still brings me the same spark and joy as it did years ago when I first stepped into a classroom, but I have continued to find ways to connect back to my why, year after year. I became an educator because I knew how much of a profound difference a great teacher could make in a child’s life. I was fortunate enough to have had several teachers who inspired me—my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Matsumura, who saw potential in me from a young age, and my two college professors Ms. Tamura and Fujiwara Sensei, who helped me feel seen. My hope is that I am paying it forward by inspiring the next generation of young learners.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I graduated from Willamette University in 2009. I got my Masters of Art in Teaching in 2010 after an intense 10-month program at Willamette University. Because of the economic recession at the time, there were very limited teaching jobs available. I remember applying to over 30 different teaching jobs all over Oregon, but no luck. In 2010, I moved back to Hawaii for the year and found a job as an assistant teacher, where I was able to gain some meaningful teaching experience. The next few years after that were also quite challenging. I moved back to Oregon, and had to work hard to get into a new school each year. In the first 4 years of my teaching career, I taught in 4 different schools, 4 different grade levels, with new teammates and students each year. Although those years were uncertain and difficult, it shaped me to be the teacher that I am today. I learned how to put myself out there and advocate for myself, I learned how to work with a variety of people in different environments, and it taught me the importance of resilience—to never give up despite the challenges that may come your way, because there will always be a lesson learned and an experience gained.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

“Mrs. Best is the best” is what many of my students will say or write on a card. While that is not true, I am proud to say that I’ve worked very hard to develop the positive reputation I have today. What has helped to build my reputation as a teacher, have been the ways I build strong class community with my students and families year after year. I do my best to get to know students and want students to get to know me from day 1. Helping students to understand that I am also a part of the class community has been a great way for me to form relationships with my students, and I believe that families feel that they can connect with and rely on me, too. The best teachers I have had were the ones who helped me to feel seen and heard, and I do believe that finding ways to do that within any community can go a long way to building your positive reputation.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: maykohara
• Facebook: May Ohara Best