In return for his tireless care, his students love him affectionately. He recalled how one child gave him a Spider-Man balloon on her own birthday, and another child lugged back a Spiderman tumbler from Japan as a gift for him because they knew of his love for the Marvel superhero.
“It was a small gift but very heartwarming. It is so crazy how they are always thinking of me, even when they are in another country,” he said.
The children’s infectious enthusiasm also energises Fernandez. “There are some days towards the end of the week when my energy is drained. But there is something about the children where we teachers draw energy from them. If they are super hyper, we draw on that energy to bring out the lessons and make them more fun and creative,” he said.
He added that one of the biggest rewards of the job is how it brings out a childlike joy in him.
“The child in me is really very big now. At outdoor play, mealtime and routine time, when I talk to the children – every time I come to work, I feel like I’m back to being a child again,” he laughed.