Mr. Rodriguez graduated from GNBVT High School and attended Bridgewater State University for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. When he was a senior in high school, his English teacher, Mrs. Piazza showed him how to effectively teach teenagers. His biggest challenge was creating and engaging lessons. A lot of his ideas seemed great but in practice, it can fall flat. He strives to prop his lessons in a way that removes the label of “boring” and makes his lessons more fun and engaging as possible. One way he makes sure his students are understanding the lessons is to always check in with them even if it seems annoying at times. Mr. Rodriguez chose to teach at GNBVT because he wanted to stay closer to the community he is familiar with.
Outside of school, Mr. Rodriguez likes to travel, read books, gaming, and work out. He is also interested in trying new things, such as podcasts and to learn something to better his understanding as he believes continuing to learn is a key ingredient to a long lifespan. When things don’t go his way, what motivates him is to remember that life is not designed to cater to his wants and needs, and instead to adapt on the fly and adjust yourself. Mr. Rodriguez’s short-term goal for this year as a teacher is to improve his teaching skills, his strategies and practices in every possible way. He is also planning to become an administrator in the long term. His teaching philosophy is that every single person has the ability to learn, but it takes specific methods, person and perspective to connect the idea, and also trying different styles of teaching. In 10 years he sees himself doing what he loves, which is teaching at GNBVT.
Article and Picture by: Isaac Teixeira, Senior Media Technology