By Shawnda Jenkins
Student Reporter
Walking into the education office, students will hear the chime of a bell. It might startle them at first, but then their eyes will land on a man sitting behind the desk, clicking away at the computer, working on whatever tasks he needs to complete that day. He flashes a grin that nearly makes his eyes disappear and ask you how he can help.
His response and approachable presence puts even the most nervous of hearts at ease.
“I looked like a stray dog in the hallway, not knowing what was going on,” Logan Wilson, an education major, said. The man behind the desk came up to him and asked if he needed help, “And that was how we met,” said Wilson.
He was intimidated about going into Teach Club, and Nathan Bernal was the friendly face that helped him make the final step through the door.
Bernal is an education major. According to Bernal, he has always had a knack with kids that dates back to when he was a teenager, and his younger cousins always wanted to hang out with him.
He really got to sink his teeth in when he participated in a class called instructional practices and education training, IPET, in high school. He got to experience teaching three-year-olds.
While in this class, he had a teacher that became his mentor and guided him into the field of education, where he plans to teach fourth through eighth-grade math.
After Bernal started college at West Texas A&M, he did not feel a part of the community there, so he took some time off and worked as a manager at a swimming pool. Eventually, the tug to educate young minds pulled him back, and he decided to try Amarillo College.
Bernal’s life at college really expanded when he stepped out of his comfort zone and took the position of Student Ambassador for the College of Education. One of the requirements of the job was to be in Teach Club. Though hesitant to join at first, he soon became the president of the club.
He works with the Maverick Boys and Girls Club after-school program at Hamlet Elementary School.
“Nathan has a desire to give back and work with kids,” Rochelle Fouts, education instructor, said. “Men in education is a rarity.”
Bernal said his biggest motivations are family, faith and the students from the Maverick Boys and Girls Club.
“He’s getting into the field,” Dennis Sarine, director of teacher preparation and early childhood education at AC, said. “He’s a role model.” Even on the rough days, Bernal said the kids completely surprise him. For example, on Valentine’s Day, he received notes from them saying how much they appreciated him.
His mentors in the education department are supportive of him and his future as an educator of young children.
“He has a passion for teaching students,” Trena Rider, instructor and coordinator for early childhood education, said. “We talk on a regular basis and brainstorm wonderful ways to support young learners.”
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