Aloha! I am Mr. Kawatachi, and I will be your child's PE and Health teacher for the 2026 - 2027 school year. This will be my ninth year as Makalapa's PE and Health teacher and coordinator of the after-school sports program, which includes volleyball, basketball, and track.

I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. I attended Lunalilo Elementary School and graduated from Punahou School. I received my Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Elementary Education from Kapiolani Community College. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Hawaii. 

I started my teaching career as a 2nd-grade Special Education teacher at Waikele Elementary. After that, I became a 5th-grade General Education teacher at Waipahu Elementary School, where I stayed for 8 years before I became Makalapa's PE and Health teacher. At every school I taught at, I was involved in coaching the after-school sports programs. I wholeheartedly enjoy teaching, coaching, and working with children; they are honest, energetic, and charming. Their very essence, at their age, of what life is about - no racial or gender differences, an energy unbridled, and a curiosity unquenched - are qualities that adults sometimes surrender. I honestly feel like there are a lot of lessons we could learn from children.

The sweetest time of my life was when I was in elementary school! I enjoyed my teachers who laughed and joked with us students and made learning fun. It made me work harder for those teachers, and I couldn't wait to go to elementary school every day. I also remember my teacher's heart-warming smiles when I succeeded, their encouraging words when I didn't, and affectionate hugs when I felt sad, and they somehow knew it. I learned a lot from my elementary teachers back in the early 1970s, and their impact resonates into the elementary teacher I am today.