Music that Describes Roberto
Roberto Fernandez was nominated by an anonymous parent of a student.
Mr. Fernandez has proven himself to be an effective leader at his school. He's an amazing, interactive, hands-on facilitator, and he cares about his students. He is passionate about what he teaches. Mr. Fernandez brings his class curriculum to life and ensures the students feel submersed in what he teaches. He ensures students grasp everything he is teaching by making it relevant and relatable to their daily lives so they can apply what he has taught them. The passion he has for teaching, along with the thirst he has to gain knowledge, rubs off on the students and makes them just as excited to learn as he is excited to teach.
Mr. Fernandez was my high school teacher in 2007-2008. At age 26, I had the opportunity to work alongside him and Mrs . Anissa Jackson whom also was my history teacher in 2008-2009. I am sure Ms. Jackson has commented on how wonderful Mr. Fernandez is. I will be turning 30 this year and I still remember and utilize a lot of his messages that taught us in class. Mr. Fernandez has a great sense of humor , he is genuine, and very passionate about his subject. As his former student, I know that he is well deserving of this award. Mr. Fernandez is the truth.
Mr. Fernandez and I worked together for several years, and he has shown himself to be not only a great coworker and friend, but also 100% about the kids. He is dedicated to making history come alive for students through Woodlawn Cemetary, where they not only cleaned but also researched the headstones and learned about the people buried there. He places a focus on local history, and I think that's vital for kids to learn and make connections to as well. Too often students are "bored" with history, but I have never heard that from Mr. Fernandez's kids. He is always working with them, talking to them in between classes, even kids who weren't on his roster; he has made an impact at both Boyd Anderson and Plantation High. As a coworker and later department head, Mr. Fernandez always had our best interest in mind and he is very deserving of this award.
5 years later and I can still say Mr. Fernandez is one of the top 5 influential teachers of my high school career at Boyd H Anderson high. I had him senior year when I finally started to tunnel my way out of hopelessness. I was becoming more active with so little time. I was oblivious to what was beautiful about the school the community and the county that I called home. I was an I.B. student taught with global views and Mr. Fernandez was able to tie it in to my community with History Across Broward. I was a depressed kid who found light and warmth when we would sit in his class and discuss our topics in TOK or during lunch break. I almost couldn't graduate because of the smallest flaw in major paper and he fought for me. I got to walk the stage for my family because of his persistence. I was defeated mentally and emotionaly but he saw my victories. He saw where I could prosper; and after graduating making my mistakes, his advices still lead me to find my Passion. I write this knowing that there is way more to say for the man that he is, and how the projects he put his all into changes the trajectory of how his students view the world, and their homes through true verbal communication and research. He is an educator not just in school but in life as well. A skill only bestowed upon those who are worthy and rare. And I was lucky enough to have that at the time that I needed him the most.
I had the greatest pleasure of meeting Mr. Fernandez during my freshman year at Boyd Anderson High School in 2009. Although he never was my teacher, Mr. Fernandez and my mother were colleagues who worked in connected classrooms at the school. In my life, I have to say I have seen few other more passionate, intelligent, compassionate, hard-working, and genuinely good people than Mr. Fernandez. When he was teaching African Studies and when I saw him teaching in his element, it was a sight to see. He used illustratory ways to convey his teachings, he found personable techniques to connect with his students, he shared personal experiences to inspire listeners to explore the unknown wonders of the world, and much more. The dedication to his craft was amazing to watch.
When he wasn't teaching, he was travelling on trips to better equip himself with knowledge and artifacts to excite his future students. He was coaching a great swim team, filled with some of my IB classmates, who thought the world of him. The joy present in their eyes from coming to his classroom or talking with him was evident and it resonated through all of the students that knew Mr. Fernandez. He even helped me out when I needed to meet the 75 volunteer hours requirement and asked me to transcribe some documents while also helping him with stuff around the classroom. That experience assisted in shaping me into the hands on, helping hand individual I am today.
My mother, Anissa Jackson, has had nothing but compliments to say for Mr. Fernandez. They still work together to this day, at Plantation High School, and she speaks on his character, his knowledge, his problem-solving, and his positivity every chance he gets. He helps her thinking when she has tough decisions to make and he's always in her corner. I can't thank him enough for being this great colleague and friend for my mother.
I can go on and on about Mr. Fernandez and his accomplishments. He organized a trash cleanup to help out the community. He takes his students on field trips to experience his teachings firsthand. He was in the army and defended our country. Many amazing accomplishments and actions he has been a key component of and parents, teachers, students, community members fellow employees, and friends everywhere can't express enough the huge impact the dignified and accomplished Mr. Fernandez has had on them. I am truly blessed to have Mr. Fernandez as a great friend and inspiration and thank God for allowing such a spectacular person to be an instrumental part of my life.
Mr. Fernandez and I are former colleagues and friends. There are very few teachers that are as hands-on and involved in their community as he is. He spends most of his lunch hours mentoring students, and a lot of his own time and money doing projects that have historical significance outside of school with them. He spends an endless amount of time looking for grants and programs to benefit his students. He's the definition of a leader, and just a really good human.
Roberto Fernandez, my colleague, is a phenomenal teacher with a heart of gold. He has an uncanny ability to sense and address the needs of his students and peers. He makes himself available to anyone and everyone in need. Additionally, Roberto Fernandez is a force in his community. He and his students consistently clean up Woodlawn Cemetery, which is now a Historical landmark. His devotion to that project and the local historical society, has led to calls for his assistance in saving other old cemeteries in our county. His work has opened the eyes of his peers and students to the stories of the past, right in our own backyards.
I have much respect for Roberto. He is in the Environmental Science program at Broward College with me. Not only is he a parent and a teacher, but he also attends college. He is very knowledgeable about many things and I look up to him, and hope to be an inspiration to people around me, like he is.
Mr. Fernandez and I work together and as a colleague and friend, he is inspirational.
With a seemingly endless wealth of knowledge, this man could be in an educational ivy tower, but he is not - he is down to earth and works tirelessly in the trenches. Spending classroom time as well as personal time, Mr. Fernandez digs for programs, grants and services to benefit the school. But he doesn't just work FOR the school, but rather he works for, and most importantly, WITH his students.
His lessons do not simply come from books, they come from his experiences in life and that surely impacts the lives of his fortunate students.
Mr. Fernandez is and was more than a high school teacher. He motivated me, was there for me when others weren't, and helped classes partake in the community. He takes this same care & dedication and looks outside of his own box and embraces the community as his family and duty to improve.
I first met Mr. Fernandez as a freshman in 2010 when I joined the swim team at Boyd H. Anderson High School, of which he was coach. I was not a student in any of his classes at the time, but he became like family to me through the course of the season. I was, at that point in my life, decidedly unfriendly and closed myself off from many opportunities to expand my social circle, but my teammates were a notable exception to that. Each of my teammates were like siblings to me, and I never felt more comfortable and "at home" than I did at practice that year.
At the viewing of one of my teammates, surrounded by friends, teachers, and mourners that I had never met, but knew Christian Reyes and mourned alongside me, Coach hugged me while I wept. I will never forget his response to my complaint that my crying was getting snot on his suit. He told me that he'd "just gotten it dry cleaned yesterday, so there's a spot for all the snot and tears [I] need[ed] to cry." That brought a smile to my face while also encouraging me not to minimize my grief, but to let it out in a healthy way. I hadn't truly grasped the impact or importance of his reaction in that moment, but as an adult I appreciate the instantaneous response which compiled everything I needed in that moment.
The next year, I decided not to swim on the team, as the sight of the pool deck where I had gotten to know Christian made my chest feel hollow once more. Coach was understandably saddened by this, but still took the time to check up on me whenever I passed his classroom in the hallways, and remind me that just because I wasn't swimming that year didn't mean that he would permit me to slack off in class or be disrespectful of my teachers. He knew that my respect for him would positively influence me to apply myself more. That same year, I heard of the reward system that he had the League of Intellectual B.A. Cobras (our school name and mascot) pencils, which he awarded to students that had genuinely impressed him during class. It became my goal to earn one until the end of my senior year (when I finally did). Among his students, these pencils gained more significance than being an instrument with which to write, and were a motivational tool to keep striving for excellence.
In my junior year, Mr. Fernandez (who still insisted I call him Coach) enlisted me to become a founding member of the History Across Broward Initiative (HABI), of which he appointed me Editor in Chief (knowing that my greatest aspiration at the time was to become an editor). This club was so incredibly significant in the awareness of the importance of local and minority history that it brought to students, in the impact our project had in the community, and in its mission to equip the students at my school with the resources and knowledge of historians. We worked a restoration project at the local "segregated" cemetery, which, in part because of our initiative (and in larger part because of Mr. Fernandez's advocacy) became a nationally recognized historic site. The Historic Woodlawn Cemetery was our community restoration and historical research project. We conducted interviews, took oral histories from community members with family buried there, learned how to transcribe oral histories, learned how to document and restore the headstones, and so much more. He was generally very organized in the tasks assigned to club members, and in the first year we focused on acquiring primary source documents from different branches of the military to be able to write articles on the men and women who had served and been laid to rest at that cemetery, which we released to the local paper, the Westside Gazette for their Veteran's Day and Memorial day editions. I edited these articles before our submission, and I remember the first time an article that I had written was featured in the Gazette (Coach brought a couple copies in for club members whenever our articles were featured). He handed me a copy before class, in the hallway outside of his room, and told me to turn to the page number with my article, and then proudly pointed to my name in the byline. Despite noticing a grammatical error I had missed before submission (which is blasphemous, to a young Editor in Chief), and the early hour, I was elated; jumping around the hallway in celebration of my very first BYLINE! The club also had a field trip to the Broward County Historical Commission to give a presentation on our club's historical preservation efforts and methods to sitting commissioners and guests. I wasn't fond of public speaking at the time (and still struggle with it now), but I had so much confidence and conviction in our mission that my part of the presentation didn't seem too intimidating. I still cherish the picture from that day.
In my senior year, I finally had the privilege of being in one of Mr. Fernandez's classes (and lucky me, I actually got two!). I was in his IB Anthropology and Theory of Knowledge classes. Both of these classes dramatically expanded my worldview, and outside of just the class material, Mr. Fernandez took time to occasionally converse with myself and my fellow Higher Level Spanish student in Spanish to help us practice our speech and comprehension fluency. I even learned more about linguistics (which had become my passion) and transcription from the assigned ethnography, In Search of Respect (as well as the material pertinent to the course and exam). I continued my role in HABI, and stayed after school every Tuesday for club meetings. On one such day, Mr. Fernandez had noticed a drop in my classroom engagement and pulled me aside to check up on me. I deflected that I was just tired, when really I was suffering from depression. At the time, stigmas around mental health made me reluctant to acknowledge my struggle with depression, but that week had been one of my worst. The club meeting for HABI had been cancelled for that day, but I showed up after class and told him the truth about my depression. That was the first time I actually opened up to a teacher about it. He took the time to listen and offered some solutions to the problems with which he could provide assistance, and I left feeling relieved. I skipped school for the next couple of days afterward, ashamed that I had broken down in such a manner that, to me, seemed weak and fragile. I remember thinking that I didn't want to look into the eyes of my teachers and see pity. My absence was concerning, for all of my teachers, and Mr. Fernandez called my older brother (a swim team alumnus, who had kept in touch after his graduation) after the second day of missed classes to make sure that I hadn't hurt myself. After Christian, who never let on about his struggle with depression, my actions were very worrisome. I didn't appreciate at the time that he had spoken to my family, but it led me to open up to them, too, and his concern was always appreciated. When I went back to school the next day, I spoke to him and a couple other teachers about my depression, and the care that was shown by all of them made it seem that much more manageable.
I've kept in touch with Mr. Fernandez since my graduation, helped him set up his classroom when he left my alma mater, and continued my involvement with HABI, which has grown far beyond what I ever expected when it was founded. Without a shadow of a doubt, Coach Roberto Fernandez is one of the most influential characters I've ever had the privilege to have as part of my life story, and I truly believe he is deserving of this award. For every facet of my life that has changed because of him, I know there are countless other little historic moments for others to share as well.
I think the best way to articulate how Mr. Fernandez changes lives, is to define his role for his students. You have teachers, who fulfill the base role of supplying facts and figures for you to learn in school. Then you have educators, who take those dacts and figures and then have their students critically evaluate them and their roles in their lives. And then you have mentors, who are educators that listen to their pupils, hear their personal problems, and help those students apply critical thinking tools to their personal lives to overcome their individual obstacles. Most teachers are mentors to some, educators to most, and merely teachers to a sad few. Fernandez has always strived to mentor, to guide his students towards being independent adults, and then later those students have still been able to seek him out for guidance as they progress through life. That effort, the conscious pursuit of mentoring, is what has allowed Mr. Fernandez to change so many of his sudent’s lives, and you’ll see that time and time again in these comments. I won’t say he’s earned this award, because that effort hasn’t been exerted with an intent of gratification, but he definitely deserves it.
Buckle up because this will be a long one. It was probably the year 2010 when I met Mr. Fernandez (or as I and many of my friends call him, Coach). I decided to join the swim team, however I was absolutely terrible at it. But graciously, Coach allowed myself and a current close friend of mine to be the managers of the team. Funnily enough, my friend and I had this opportunity with another sport and a different coach, but that position was little more than a consolation prize for not making the team. Coach never made it feel that way with swim. We *were* a part of the team. He always ensured that the team stayed humble and didn't antagonize other schools and always made sure we kept our area clean and thanked the drivers who drove us to and from swim meets. And when we had to be punished (because let's face it, we were 14-17 year olds who thought we knew everything and acted as such) there was ALWAYS a lesson behind it. It was never senseless 'go do 15 laps because I'm angry with you'. It was 'here is the punishment for what you did and here is how you can fix your mistakes and do better'. I didn't truly appreciate how wonderful this was until I became an adult.
It didn't just stop with swim team, though. If you needed him, he was there to help. When I was in (what I now recognize was) a very toxic relationship, he was the only adult at my school who saw what was going on and gave me advice that I still hold onto and use to this day almost ten years later. When I look back on high school the one thing I detest the most is how purposefully oblivious it felt most of the teachers were. 95% of the kids I hung out with daily were severely depressed and had a range of mental illnesses that went ignored unless the teacher liked you, but Coach noticed and would respectfully step in to help where he could.
One of the biggest impacts though had to come when someone very close to all of us took his life in 2012. I honestly still remember that day like it was yesterday (as cliche as that sounds). Coach was the one to call me and ask me to come back to school. As senior, we all had left earlier since we were technically finished with it all. He told me that there was an issue with my IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma and all of us affected had to return. Well, obviously that wasn't the case and when I got to school and found out it just kinda felt like my entire world collapsed. Of course all of our teachers were there to support us and we were all bouncing from classroom to classroom trying to make sense of everything. I remember it being very ..quiet. At the end of the day we all left and convened at my parents' place and Coach came by. He bought us all pizzas (and taught us that your tip for the driver increases if they're bringing a lot of food) and checked to see how we were doing. He apologized profusely to me for lying, but honestly I'm glad he did. If he hadn't, I would have stayed at my parents' place and withdrawn from everyone.
It's crazy because it's been such a long time, but I think I had got into this habit where once every couple of years I send him a long note reminding him of the impact he's had on me and still does. To be quite honest, if anyone deserves the Life Changer of the Year award, it's him. I say this because I know so many other kids who can tell similar stories of how he's impacted our lives for the better. One of my closest friends and I still talk about how grateful we are to have been able to cross paths with Coach. When the core IB teachers left, he stepped up and spent countless hours taking classes to learn how to teach IB film, English and other subjects to be able to help with the classes that came after mine to try to keep everything from divulging into chaos.
I've probably only met one or two other people in my almost 26 years on this planet who are so selflessly caring and genuinely wants the best for not just his students, but the world itself. His passion is incredibly infectious as I know many people whose trajectory has completely changed in the most positive of ways because of his influence.
Mr. Fernandez was my IB Anthropology teacher during my twelfth year of high school at Boyd Anderson. He was always kind, caring and engaging, he always made all of his lessons relatable to us in some way or another. His work on the Woodlawn project has been amazing, even if it has been limited, and I believe that he could do even greater things with this grant. I have a special place in my heart for Mr. Fernandez because he was one of the teachers that made me feel welcome in a new environment as I had just arrived from another country. He gave me great advice and overall a feeling of companionship and having someone to rely on for things I did not understand. He is truly deserving of not only this award, but all great things that may come his way.
I was a student of Mr. Roberto Fernández at Plantation High School (2014-2018). My former classmates and I can still agree that Fernández is one of those very few teachers that you’d remember when looking back to high school. He is a genuine man who shows great passion for history/anthropology and helping out with the community. With his work on Woodlawn, he is able to engage students in history not just by reciting from the plain old textbook but rather showing them history in person and bringing awareness to the issues still relevant today; all while getting the students involved and actively volunteering for the community. In my entire high school education, these Woodlawn trips were even one of the most memorable and impactful experiences. Fernández shows great dedication to his work and with the funding, he’ll be able to expand, get more resources, involvement, and help touch more lives. Fernández was more than a teacher, he was a mentor and a role model as well, and I have the utmost respect for him.
Mr. Fernandez is an Amazing teacher that truly cares for both his students and his community.
Mr. Fernandez was one of the most influential people in my early adulthood and is the only teacher I’ve had that I have spoken to outside of schooling. He has helped me on numerous occasions. My parent’s separation, the death of my grandfather and lifting me up while I was in a very bad mental state to name a few. In my eyes there is no one more deserving of a lifechanger award. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.
Roberto Fernandez was instrumental in providing educational channels and opportunities that would lead to an abundance of cultural self discovery and self acceptance. I would describe him as the most influential teacher I’ve ever had.
About Roberto Fernandez, I have known and witnessed in him a genuine leader and lover of history. His passion for teaching is a great inspiration. Roberto has so much to offer his students and school by demonstrating what it means to be an active person in his community by putting your passion into action. I was privileged to work with Roberto on one of his many projects at North Woodlawn Cemetery and have followed his work with the students there. Many important lessons were learned on the field trips and service projects. These interactions there help to bring to light the history of North Woodlawn Cemetery. In times like these where extracurricular school activities are being eliminated we need to hang on to projects such as these that help teachers like Roberto Fernandez keep history alive.
It is such an honor to speak on behalf of Mr. Roberto Fernandez. He did so much to bring the history of our family in the Woodlawn Cemetary to light and to help his students see the value of preserving cultural history. I was impressed by how much he cared for his students and others around him.
Mr. Fernandez, as I call him, is a passionate and thoughtful educator that made my time in high school, at least in his class, enjoyable, instructive, and positively provocative. My worldview expanded tremendously in the courses he led. His passion for local, national, and world history is something that would profoundly improve the well being of humanity if spread to more people, which he actively and vigorously attempts to do at every opportunity. A thoughtful and reasonable man, I would definitely endorse Mr. Fernandez for any honor - and I hope that other students continue to have the privilege of learning under him in the future.
Towards the end of high school Mr. Roberto Fernandez helped jump start a program called history across broward at my high school. It helped a lot of my classmates get in tune with the history of the county and led to existential introspection for everyone involved. He helped spark a sense of activism, understanding and general empathy. Personally, it helped me grow with a greater sense of empathy towards my community and others. To this day Mr. Fernandez continues to instill admirable values in his students and provides a fresh perspective that is very difficult to find in our educational system.
Professor Fernandez is an incredible teacher as well as a compassionate coach and environmental advocate. He has helped me through multiple obstacles through my time in high school and I can say that his personality’s has always been genuinely profound .
Mr.Fernandez has been and always will the best teacher I had in highschool. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have had the courage to enter art contests further attempt to pursue my career. He sculpted the ideal in which a teacher should be . Few teachers have made that ideal a reality and they still do not compare.
He’s put his students and his compassion for teaching us first, always became a person to talk to when we needed it and never made us feel like we couldn’t grab the moon so to speak. I appreciated having him teach me about anthropology, about life in general. Overall he’s a great man and he should be awarded for it.
Mr.Fernandez was not just a teacher, he was one of the faces of the IB program at Boyd H. Anderson High school. He was always involved and trying to make students' experiences the most meaningful. I've had the privilege of taking 2 classes with Mr. Fernandez and also working with him on projects outside of class. His support to help his students excel, his patience, his humor, and his niceness make him one of the greatest teachers I've had.
One of my greatest memories with Mr. Fernandez is his oral history journaling project. This project was intended to teach us about the technique and purpose of oral History. My first instinct was to find someone "cool" and "fancy" to interview but Mr. Fernandez actually motivated me to ask my parents to do the interview because he knew I would gain something more profound from that, which I did.
I took IB Anthropology with Mr. Fernandez and although that was my first exposure to anthropology, it was not my last. He always answered our questions with another question because he wanted us to think harder and keep our minds rolling. He was not trying to teach us for the IB exam, he was trying to teach us how to think like an anthropologist and that's what truly helped me on my IB exam. I scored really highly and am still grateful for all his support and indirect answers. I took a Biological Anthropology course in college since I had really enjoyed his class.
Mr. Fernandez (or Coach as we called him) has made a tremendous impact on my entire life. From being my swim coach, to my Anthropology teacher, and now a lifelong mentor and friend. He inspired me to put my all into everything that I am by showing me that he will ALWAYS put his all into me and those whose lives he has molded and helped take shape. After hearing him recount his experience in the United States Army I knew that I would serve the country that he had defended! I can think of no other educator that deserves this honor more than Coach. I believe the only words of encouragement and inspiration that I can leave him with is, “Thank you!” Thank you for your consistent hard work to improving not just my life, but all of your students’ lives.
With my deepest regards and best of wishes,
SPC(P) Alan Ferrandino
U.S. Army
Mr.Fernandez was not just a teacher, he was one of the faces of the IB program at Boyd H. Anderson High school. He was always involved and trying to make students' experiences the most meaningful. I've had the privilege of taking 2 classes with Mr. Fernandez and also working with him on projects outside of class. His support to help his students excel, his patience, his humor, and his niceness make him one of the greatest teachers I've had.
One of my greatest memories with Mr. Fernandez is his oral history journaling project. This project was intended to teach us about the technique and purpose of oral History. My first instinct was to find someone "cool" and "fancy" to interview but Mr. Fernandez actually motivated me to ask my parents to do the interview because he knew I would gain something more profound from that, which I did.
I took IB Anthropology with Mr. Fernandez and although that was my first exposure to anthropology, it was not my last. He always answered our questions with another question because he wanted us to think harder and keep our minds rolling. He was not trying to teach us for the IB exam, he was trying to teach us how to think like an anthropologist and that's what truly helped me on my IB exam. I scored really highly and am still grateful for all his support and indirect answers. I took a Biological Anthropology course in college since I had really enjoyed his class.
Mr. Roberto Fernandez, Fernie, or to many, a true school dad ??. I attended Boyd H Anderson High School from 2010-2014. Having him in my life senior year was sooo important to my success today. Out of 7 classes I had to take, he taught 3 of them. So on ‘odd days’, I would literally be in his class all day long lol. But I enjoyed every subject this man has taught me. He is not only an engaging teacher but an inspiring passionate advocate for Florida and veteran history. In 2013, he challenged me and a classmate to take on an initiative that our school has never seen. The History Across Broward Intiative, or as we like to call, HABI ?? he recognized my talents and created a position for me to start designing for the initiative. I remember him saying that he looks forward to the day I’m some big hot shot designer and I’ll be the one he hires for his political campaign lol. I was shy, did not think my artwork was worthy, nor ever thought twice about the history of the county that raised me. Through his guidance, the opportunities he gave us via field trips, guest speakers, and just intellectual lunch conversations with the class...I learned some harsh truths about the history of my home. But, was also afforded the opportunity to help shed some light on it. It’s because of him that I am featured in a newspaper...how cool is that?! It is because of him that I understand cultures and the need to preserve and record their history and traditions. It is because of him, that I believed I could take my design work seriously. Mr. Roberto Fernandez and Mr. Steven Yerks are the first two professors I went to for my letters of recommendations. I have no idea what he wrote, but as an honorable and honest man, I know whatever it is that he said, it shed light on me to the universities. Just as he sheds light on all his students. He’s quirky but hilarious. He makes history fun and interesting. He pulls leadership and well-hidden confidence out of students. He not only informs of community outreach opportunities, but he also participated and engages students that attend. Writing all this...man...I miss senior year lol. Back to the point...Mr. Roberto Fernandez changed my life. In a year I went from many friends to nearly none, he stood by me and guided me through my program. Helped me believe that I can make a real go of my design work if I just applied myself. He opened my eyes and shifted my perspective when observing other cultures. I truly appreciate all that he has done for me and my friends. And I hope he is afforded the opportunity to continue to expand the minds of future students and grant them opportunities to apply their leadership and passion for history and community. Today I am the Director of Marketing for 11 schools nationwide. I am a graphic and web designer. I am a professional visual communicator. And it all started with a basic logo for HABI ?? Thank you Fernie. Thank you so much!
Mr.Fernandez is a teacher that truly respects his students and his community. He is committed to making strong bonds with those who he works with and constantly serves as a point of inspiration for students.
I am really happy to have had him for an IB Anthropology teacher, when I had attended Plantation High school from 2013-2017. His teachings became a foundation for the way in which I study in college, both while filling my college credits and abroad.
He also shows incredible appreciation for the place he is at, actively attempting to maintain the historic cemeteries in Broward County.
His drive to work with the community and his students really motivated me to reach far. It inspired me to go to a rigorous college and pursue my dreams with a strong will and a heart for the people.
So as far as nominees go, I believe, without a doubt, that Mr. Fernandez deserves to be selected for lifechanger of the year.
I first had Coach Fernandez as a teacher for IB anthropology during my junior year of high school. Anthro was new and most of us had pretty small world views. He was patient and compassionate as he taught us how to read carefully and imagine worlds different than our own. For a group of mostly students of color, this was not only an important life lesson but a relevant one. Although his teaching style was relaxed, it was quite impactful. He answered questions without judgement and was always very open. We came away from the class more critical and more open to the world around us. After having him for only a year, he became one of my favorite teachers. We regularly skipped lunch to hang out with him and talk about life. His impact is evident in the fact that I am now 7 years out of college, am still connected with him, and am completely happy to reminisce & speak highly of him! I think Coach is the best fit for this award because he has continued to show his commitment to teaching and opening up new ways of thinking for students. He is dedicated to getting students excited about history and culture and this award would help him to further that goal!
Mr.Fernandez is a teacher that truly respects his students and his community. He is committed to making strong bonds with those who he works with and constantly serves as a point of inspiration for students.
I am really happy to have had him for an IB Anthropology teacher, when I had attended Plantation High school from 2013-2017. His teachings became a foundation for the way in which I study in college, both while filling my college credits and abroad.
He also shows incredible appreciation for the place he is at, actively attempting to maintain the historic cemeteries in Broward County.
His drive to work with the community and his students really motivated me to reach far. It inspired me to go to a rigorous college and pursue my dreams with a strong will and a heart for the people.
So as far as nominees go, I believe, without a doubt, that Mr. Fernandez deserves to be selected for lifechanger of the year.
Mr. Fernandez or “Fernie” as my IB class would call him has been a shining light in my life. I had the pleasure of being his student my senior year of High school (Boyd H. Anderson High c/o 2015). Mr. Fernandez was supportive, open-minded, and firm in his teaching. He taught me the importance of my history in terms of learning it and preserving it. His teaching methods were also fun, engaging, and proactive. He did not teach at us but to us. He sees the humanity of his students, especially those whose bodies aren’t valued in America. He has continued to be a voice to the voiceless. In addition, Mr. Fernandez has continue to support me in my pursuit of higher education. He deserves the resources to continue the great work that he is doing with his current students. He understands his purpose and is fulfilling it with such resilience.
Mr. Fernandez or “Fernie” as we called him at Boyd Anderson High School is one of the most courageous, intelligent, and supportive teachers I have had in my life. I had the pleasure of being taught by Mr. Fernandez my senior year (2015) in the courses of Theory of Knowledge and IB Social Anthropology. Mr. Fernandez has always found ways to make learning fun, engaging, and connected to our history as people. Mr. Fernandez taught me that it is not enough to just know your history but to preserve it. He also taught me that my life matters beyond school walls. Even after he moved on to another school, he has kept that same passion for his students lives and their history. He has also continued to encourage me in my pursuit of higher education. He deserves the opportunity and resources to continue to do his job well. I am proud to be his former student.
To hear that Mr
Fernandez was nominated for this award feels like watching your favorite celebrity win another trophy. I truly believe that I was blessed and quite lucky to have him. He has inspired my view of the world and has taught me the value of different cultures and the people within them. Without him, I would not have become the open-minded person that I am today.
This man is a wonderful teacher. My time in highschool was the best thanks to this man.
I’m really proud to be able to support someone like Mr. Fernandez for this nomination! I had the pleasure of having him as a teacher in senior year of high school and I can honestly say no other teacher impacted my life and made me love the subject as much as he did. Because of him today I’m studying to get a cultural anthropology minor at UCF and I wouldn’t have found a subject that genuinely interested and fascinated me as much as anthropology did without his help. I sincerely believe Mr. Fernandez has earned this award because I know I’m not the only one that was ever impacted so deeply by his teaching.
Mr. Fernández is honestly one of the best teachers I have been blessed to experience! He made teaching our peers and learning fun, while providing an enriching experience. I graduated in 2015 and I still use information he gave me back in 2012. He truly cares for his students; I personally can account for this as he has given me a one on one that actually inspired me, in place of a harsher disciplinary action that probably would have not been conducive to me achieving in any way. There are numerous of times where he has helped student overcome their obstacles. I thoroughly appreciate the dedication he shows to his students and him making sure they leave his class with life skills in addition to their curriculum. I never got a chance, but I want to say thank you!
I had Mr.Fernandez my junior year . Loved his class, he was very informative, very kind, and a overall smart individual.
Mr. Fernandez is one of my most memorable educators from high school. He was my first introduction to Anthropology and his teaching has been one of the deciding factors on my current goals for my career.He is someone who cares about his community and his people and his love is so grand and contagious that anyone around him simply can’t help but support.
Mr. Roberto Fernandez, or as I (and many other of my classmates) like to call him "Teach", was truly one of the best educators and mentors during my time at Boyd H. Anderson High School. I attended B.A. from 2007 and 2010 and was first introduced to his attentive, patient and committed style of teaching back when I was 15 and unsure about my future. Mr. Fernandez was one of those few teachers who made the world seem more accessible, especially for a young black girl like myself. He was committed to making sure we dreamed big and made sure that we understood his teachings and advice. He's very passionate about what he does and is an inspiration for me, a young journalist currently working in NYC. His commitment and work reminds me to work hard and remember where I started. I am sure you have many amazing nominees for this award, but selecting him as life-changer of the year would be the best choice. I am currently working at The New York Times for Nick Kristof and Charles Blow partly because of his commitment to my education. Thank you, Teach.