I was born in DR but moved to New York when I was five. I didn't know English at all when I came, so my mom sent my sister and me back to DR to go to an English language school there. Three or four years later we came back to New York for a few years, then we moved to Providence. I know it's a little funny to have moved back to DR to learn English, but I used to cry every day and my mom didn't want to see me like that. She hadn't saved any money and we all had to live at my aunt's house. So she sent us back so that she could save some money and move out of my aunt's house herself and get set up. When we came back my mom had an apartment and my father was already here.
I've become more outspoken in my time at Central. Before, I was really shy and hated presenting in front of the class. Now it's one of my favorite things to do. I'm also more open-minded. When I first moved to New York I used to not look people in the eye that didn't look like me because I was scared of them. But when I got to high school I met so many different kinds of people that I didn't worry about that kind of thing anymore.
I've worked at McDonald's since the end of eighth grade. I don't like it that much, but there isn't really anything else here that I can do. When I was a freshman I used to work 40 hours a week and get all As, but now I work a lot less and I'm not doing as well in school. I don't understand it. I think it's that I used to have limited time to get my work done so I really set my mind to doing it. Now I have a lot more free time so I put things off a lot longer than I used to. Usually I work from about 4:30 until 10:00 at night. Sometimes I have to close, but I ask them not to put me on that late because I have schoolwork to do. I go home, take a shower, do whatever homework I have time for, then I wake up the next day and do it all over again. I usually go to bed at 2:00 in the morning and wake up until 7:00. My brother gets home from his job at 12:30, or sometimes at 1:30. I can't sleep without him being at home, so I stay up pretty late usually.
Learning English is an accomplishment I'm proud of. When I first came to New York I went to school, but they sent me back to DR. When I came back I was in fourth grade and they put me in an ESL class, but within two months they moved me to a higher class. I learn quickly. I'm also proud that I've gotten into college and know what I want to do. I want to be a social worker so I'm going to study psychology. I really like working with teenagers; I think I want to be a school psychologist.
I regret that I was absent a lot last year. A lot of my friends were seniors so I kind of thought I was one too and could do whatever I wanted. Every time they left school I figured that it was cool and that I didn't have to worry about it. I wish I could have that time back.
My sister and my brother both dropped out of school, and my little brother is still in Kindergarten. They are what keeps me motivated. My little brother started school in a bilingual program because my mom wanted him to be able to speak Spanish, but now he's not doing very well because it was pretty hard for him. Now he doesn't really care about school, he doesn't care about anything. So it's all on me. I have to take care of him. I don't want it all to be on my mom-she's done enough already, I think I should pitch in with my brother. That's why I work so much, to help support him. My mom's dream is to go to DR, so I want to get out of college and be able to take care of my little brother so that she can do that and not worry about us.
My advice to others is that your friends at Central are the most important people for you. I used to be friends with a whole different crowd—the really smart people—but then I realized that they weren't the people that I really wanted to be with. You've got to align yourself with the people you want to be, the people you truly respect. You might think you're a strong person and people won't influence you, but if you're around the wrong crowd it really creeps up on you.
My advice to teachers is to listen to your students. They've got to be consistent at the same time. Some teachers will let you cut corners sometimes but come down on you other times. If you're going to be strict you need to do it all the time. And don't pick favorites. Give homework—not just at the end of the year. Give it all the time so that kids are used to doing their work throughout the year. Meet with students after school if they need extra help, because some people just don't do well when all the other people in the class are there. Sometimes certain people act out when they're around others, but they don't do it alone after school. They deserve a chance too.
Abel Hernandez>>
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