Fuijkane‘s teaching philosophy centers on her commitment to social justice and place. She works toward enabling students to see themselves as having a role to play in struggles for greater social and political justice, particularly in Hawaiʻi. Fujikane encourages students to make connections among the texts they read, the essays they write and the community struggles that take place. One of her goals is to teach students how to write to save their lives. Fujikane works to show them that their analyses of literature should focus on issues that they are passionately engaged in and that they need to represent their positions on these issues.