Introducing Teacher: Marcos Hernanadez -How I got into Teaching?

I've always liked teaching.  When I was in High School I started coaching a neighborhood baseball team made up of five and six year olds.  I loved pushing them to be the best.  We would work out every single day for 2 hours.  We were very dedicated.   I loved to coach and they loved to play.  We worked on fielding, throwing, hitting, and running.  I showed them how the game was played, how to respect the game, and how to win.  As they got older I kept working with the same team.  I worked with them until they got to high school age and I had kids of my own.  I believe my love for teaching started back then.

Unfortunately I took the long road to teaching.  I was influenced by media, society, and other influential people in my life that constantly pushed me to find a more lucrative field.  Being undecided, and unsure of what my future would bring I decided on a liberal arts and science degree from the University of Illinois.  Once I graduated I was fortunate enough to have multiple job offers.  I decided to take a lucrative job as a property manager in Lincoln Park. 

When the economy changed I lost my job as a property manager.  I found myself unemployed for about a month before I accepted another offer from an insurance company as an adjuster.  Once again they offered a very lucrative life style.  I had a company car, company credit card, and lots of traveling.  However I was not happy.  The money was nice, and the lifestyle was good but I was not pleased.  I didn't look forward to getting up every morning and I didn't feel influential or important. I decided to quit one day and become a stay at home dad. 

My new job as a stay at home dad was fascinating.  I was able to take my girls to school. I had a chance to talk to them, listen to them, and watch them grow.  I volunteered at the school that they attended.  I would sit in on the parent council meetings just to hear the principal reports.  I helped after school as a crossing guard, and I even volunteered as a room dad.  The first grade teacher I volunteered with was great.  She had me read to the students and she allowed me to be part of her class.

The following school year I was offered a job as a paraprofessional at an inner city school in Brighton Park.  I knew I couldn't stay out of work to long and I enjoyed being inside the classroom as a volunteer.  I accepted the job even though it was not at my daughter’s school.  The principal wanted to hire a Hispanic male because he had a second grade boy who had autism.  The principal’s theory was that the boy could relate better to another male of the same race.  Working with this boy inspired me.  However, he transferred out after my first year there.

The second year I was moved to upper grades working with two boys who had behavioral issues.  They had behavior plans in place and the principal once again felt that I was more relatable to them then their previous aid.  I worked for two years with the boys and they motivated me to return to school to pursue my masters as a Learning Behavioral Specialist. 

I am currently in my final semester of the program. I am student teaching at a neighborhood High School.  The school racial ratio is 85% Hispanic, 10% African American, and 5% white.  99% of the students are receiving free or reduced lunch.  The student to teacher ratio is 30 students per adult.  I am working in a self contained classroom for three periods teaching freshman algebra.  I also co teach for two periods inside the general classroom. 

The one thing that hasn't changed is that I still enjoy teaching the small things.  The fundamentals, the little nuances that make you better.  I like breaking things down whether it be decoding new words or hitting a ball.  I enjoy the coaching aspect of teaching, the teamwork that is needed between the teacher and the student.  The best feeling is to see when the students succeed, grasp the concept you are teaching and make it their own.  Just like they did in baseball when we had fun and won.