Aligning Integrity with Identity: Lester Tanaka at TEDxCalicoCanyon

Lester believes that each of us must take a proactive role in our own learning while acknowledging the inadequacies of the current model of education. He states, "To be truly effective we, as educators, must be willing to acknowledge emerging paradigms of instruction and learning while holding learners to the highest of standards." Lester has been described as an "out-of-the-box" thinker, willing to take risks, while never losing sight of the big picture. He emphasizes that we all have our own answers, and we discover them though fearless self- examination and deep listening. Connecting with students in an authentic way in order to support them in living their most meaningful and fulfilling lives is the highest calling of this educator.