Author: Ayoung Lee

86-year-old Carl Wheeler can be found in the library as a math tutor at the study hub. Wheeler started teaching math in classrooms back in 1956; he’s taught everywhere from Mid-Pacific Institute, Punahou School, and even Kapiʻolani Community College.

He retired from teaching in the classroom in 1997 and started tutoring because he said he has time to do it, he can be of help, and he likes math. Wheeler chose his field of teaching when he was in junior high school and while he tried other things he was always coming back to teaching math in the end.

Wheeler also provides private tutoring at $60-70 an hour, though that is rare these days, or for free if it is family or friends. While private tutoring has its benefits, he prefers tutoring at KCC as there is more variety. More students come from a variety of math courses in which he can help.

“Language, what do the words mean. The meaning of words,” Wheeler said. “How it helps one understand. … I’ve long held the belief if one understands why a particular word is chosen for a concept one understands the concept better, and I stick that in my teaching all the time.”

Dr. Nasir Gazdar, who is the only lecturer on the geology of the Hawaiian Islands. Despite being a lecturer for 25 years at over 70-years-old he is not a full time professor. Gazdar got his PhD from Texas but came back to the islands to teach as he finds the Hawaiian Islands to be the best ecological environment. Though he feels lucky to be able to teach classes at KCC, he also gets invited to share his knowledge and learn at other conventions and universities, sometimes on other islands such as Maui.

In addition to his classes, he does lectures on the importance of earthquake and tsunami safety once a year in the Lama library. Gazdar heralds the importance of dropping down low, taking cover under something sturdy, and holding on during earthquakes. During this special annual lecture, he also hands out pamphlets that inform you of which supplies are needed and recommended to have in case of tsunamis.