Hometown Hero award recipient Michele Hernandez (left) with Bob Scovil and
Brandee Hewatt.
By DANA HERNANDEZ
Sho-Ban News
BLACKFOOT — Blackfoot School District’s Indian Education Paraeducator, Michele Hernandez was honored by Bob Scovil from Modern Woodmen as a Hometown Hero on Monday, October 28.
Hernandez has been working in education for 37 years. She worked at Sho-Ban High School for two years when the school was still under the Blackfoot School District, 10 years at Fort Hall Elementary, two years at Blackfoot High School, and the rest at the elementary schools of IT Stoddard and Donald D. Stalker Elementary.
Hernandez received an appreciation certificate, flowers, a $25 Amazon gift card, and $100 in cash, which she decided to give back to the school for the culture class that she teaches.
Over the years, Hernandez has seen many superintendent’s and principals and has taught three generations and is looking forward to teaching the fourth.
She now works at Donald D. Stalker as a paraeducator. She helps with math, reading, and language. Tuesdays are her cultural class and traveling day. At Stalker she assists 66 students and at Wapello she has 10. The students get excited about her cultural class and she says too many students want to do it and she had to cut down the amount she can accept in one sitting. In her culture class students are introduced to the Shoshoni language and do arts and crafts, which she says the students really enjoy. So far in cultural class they have made dream catchers, pouches, beaded moccasins, posters, and puppets during story time.
When speaking about teaching her cultural class, Hernandez said, “Culture wasn’t something to do when I was in school… it’s hard to know your culture when you can’t do it.”
Two years ago, the FHBC gave their blessings for her to teach the Shoshoni language, which is why she includes it in her cultural class.
Some of the memorable moments in her career have been teaching students how to bead and having them go on and become beaders. Another memorable moment was teaching her fourth grade girls to sign the Lord’s Prayer and having them present it during their trip to the Yellowstone National Park. Hernandez said, “It was a way for the girls to give back, because the girls are from the land and the forestry service employees were impressed with our girls’ presentation.”
Hernandez believes that children are important and it’s all about making sure they get their education and she says, “I hope the kids remember everything that they were taught.”