Many students from graduates to new freshmen look up to him for a variety of reasons. Whether it was his commitment, kindness, bravery, or relatability these characteristics set him apart ensuring that everyone who left his classroom felt enlightened with valuable life lessons and possibly a new favorite teacher!  I was fortunate enough to have Mr.Hern as my PE teacher for two years. During that time, he continuously pushed me and encouraged me to strive for excellence despite any reluctance I might have felt. Although he has many students each year he somehow manages to form a unique bond with each individual. Before coming to Alhambra, Mr.Hern had numerous other jobs. The first one he served in the Navy as a Naval officer for six years. After he started working in San Diego as a Defense contractor. There he worked for the government as a civilian for a year and a half. Then, he worked in Silicon Valley as a corporate manager in a manufacturing company for a year and a half. Later he became a health care representative. He even did real estate with his wife- Mrs. Hern, for a year or two. But, despite all of his ventures, he decided to work and stay at Alhambra. Since then he has been here for 16 years. During those years he was a baseball and football coach. At the start of his teaching career, he coached baseball and JV football. Mr. Hern even co-coached track with Mrs.Hern for six years. He was varsity hitting and alpha coach for Alhambras baseball team for seven years. Then, in 2010 he got varsity head coach for football. As time went on this had become a full-time activity so unfortunately, he had to stop coaching baseball to focus on being varsity football’s head coach. Today, he still fulfills the title of being an inspiring coach and PE teacher.  

Some Q&A:

Why did you want to start teaching? 

He started coaching in 2003. From there he had always known he wanted to be an on-campus full-time coach. So, he went back to school for three more years (in 2006) to reach this goal. Two years later he got hired as a full-time teacher at Alhambra High. 

What’s your favorite memory of being a teacher? 

There isn’t a specific memory to choose from. But, he gets the most satisfaction every year from the swimming unit. After six weeks of learning and practicing in the pool, he gets to watch his students tread water and float perfectly all on their own. Whether they knew how to swim prior to the unit or not, he likes seeing his students progress and become more confident in their skills. He said, “Once a student learns how to swim after being afraid and or uncomfortable in the water it is rewarding in itself.” He appreciates being able to help his students develop survival skills that could help them in the future. 

Any challenges you might have faced while teaching? 

In a more general aspect, one challenge he faced was just getting teenagers’ mindsets to be more motivated. He wanted his students to see the bigger picture and push themselves to be the best version they could be. Since he is an adult he has more experience and has seen/gone through the mistakes others have. Knowing this, he wants to use that to help his students learn and thrive. Mr. Hern says, “The challenge is sometimes teenagers just want to be independent so, they have to learn themselves and learn from their mistakes. I try to prevent the mistakes by teaching them things that will help them in the future.”

What’s your biggest accomplishment/football team’s biggest accomplishment while being a coach?

“This year was a fun team to coach because they had a lot of student leadership. They took accountability and had high standards. They worked hard to be a good team. The seniors took ownership and we made it to the semi-finals.” This was expressed by Mr.Hern as he was proud of the 2023-2024 football team. They have made many accomplishments. Such as having a close game with the team that won the championship. They even became league champions. Overall, he believed that his football team was committed and that their hard work paid off. 

One piece of evidence you would give to a student:

One piece of advice he would give is to set your goals and expectations high. For example, if a person says “I could never run a marathon.” If it is something they’re passionate about and they set their mind to it, they can get it done. “You don’t have to have any superpower other than your desire to want to do it. Never set limits on yourself and what you can accomplish because you can achieve almost anything if you work for it. The question is not if you can do it, but how hard you’re willing to work for it.”