Centralight

Hernandez understands this. Growing up in deep poverty in Los Angeles, he lived on the streets, got involved with a gang and eventually dropped out of school. "Administrators and teachers often spoke of me as a thing rather than a person. They struggled to connect with me and my homeboys or to help us see a world beyond the Los Angeles ghettos we called home," he says. "Rather than trying alternative methods to connect with students like us, our schools funneled most resources toward college-track students. They went on visits to universities, museums and corporate headquarters, while we were sentenced to meaningless repetitive tasks." Seeing many friends go to jail or die, Hernandez says he knew he needed to leave home – and that education would be the key. So he signed up for college courses at L.A. City College. When Hernandez started college at California State University Los Angeles – where he snuck off to so his homeboys wouldn't know – he says a professor, K. William Wasson, changed his perspective. "I'd go into class and sit in the back of the room so that I could see everything. I'm sure I always had a scowl on my face. It wasn't that I was mad. I was scared. That is how I masked my fear," he says. After class one day, his professor remarked, "I can see it in you, the heavy burdens you carry. If you ever want to talk, I am here." When Hernandez saw his professor was sincere and not mocking, he took him up on that offer. The two men struck up a friendship that continues to this day. "He connected me to resources, helped me research graduate schools and showed me how to prepare for the GRE," Hernandez says. "I had the drive, but he had the knowledge on how to navigate the system. That is important to know, too." Learning to break the cycle Now with his Ph.D., Hernandez says he wants to be that mentor. And he wants to teach others, like CMU's Honors students, to be mentors, too. Hernandez says he wonders what would have happened had an educator had faith in him and his neighborhood friends at an earlier age. In addition to developing and facilitating College 101, Hernandez speaks to thousands of teachers and at-risk students annually and shares his experience. His message is more than inspirational. It is real. "Growing up, school was the last thing on my mind and college didn't even exist to me. Simply surviving was paramount. For many of those kids, they are just trying to survive," Hernandez says. "But eventually, I got to a point where I realized I didn't want the life I was living. After failing in school for many years, I realized that education could be my guide out. I want them to know that education can be their way out, too." • Getting Real Assistant Professor Paul Hernandez is working on publishing a book on his "Real Talk" pedagogy that he uses in the classroom. He says Real Talk is powerful in the classroom and is helpful in reaching students. His work and results with this approach has been published in the Fall 2011 National Education Association's Thought & Action Journal. "Many of the teachers I've worked with have personally noted the positive impact of Real Talk on their classrooms and students – and this is something I'd like to see happen for teachers all over the country," Hernandez says. Real Talk is reaching challenging students by connecting with them on a human level, he says. "We must connect with them as people and Real Talk helps with this," Hernandez says. "It debunks the notion that the teacher exists only in the classroom, and it introduces the person behind the position." So how is it done? "It starts with you – the teacher – introducing a theme. A universal, humanistic theme like happiness or adversity. You describe how you know the topic. We'll use adversity. You talk about your experience. Then you talk about how your friends know adversity. By being real and sharing something about yourself, you are demystifying the teacher and introducing yourself as a person. "And then pose the theme to your students. Do they know adversity? You might not get an answer right away, but as soon as one begins to share it will become a two-way street. The dialogue will start. But make sure it is connecting the curriculum, the lesson. You don't want to have it become a counseling session." For more information, contact Paul Hernandez at herna3p@cmich.edu. • ░▓▒ centralight spring '12 15

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