‘RayRod’ wants to be America’s favorite teacher

Mistakes aren’t exactly encouraged, but Rio Rancho Middle School teacher Ray Rodriguez knows they’re a part of everyone’s lives, including those of his seventh-grade language arts classes.

“Whenever someone does something wrong in class, I say, ‘What kind of class is this?’ and they chant, ‘This is a risk-taking, mistake-making classroom.’” There’s even a sign proclaiming that outside Room 302.

He might be RRMS’s favorite teacher, but he wants more: Rodriguez thinks he’s a viable candidate to be America’s Favorite Teacher, sponsored by Reader’s Digest, and he’s looking for votes to make that happen.

“One thing that sets me apart is my desire to improve education across the beautiful state of New Mexico,” Rodriguez said. “I am tired of hearing that New Mexico ranks dead last in education. This is why I am a mentor teacher at RRMS. This is also the reason I work with educators early in their careers as a facilitator through NMPED — the Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico provides me with the opportunity to connect with amazing educators across our state. I can positively affect more students by mentoring and collaborating with their teachers.”

OK, Mr. Rodriguez. What if you win?

“If I won $25,000, I would secure an educational future for my children,” he said, with the top prize including a trip to Hawaii. “I would also ensure my students have the supplies/tools they need to be successful. I would also travel to increase my knowledge and personal experiences of the world.”

Rodriguez sounds like a viable candidate.

Here’s what his principal, Andrew Pierce, says: “Ray is one of those teachers that is a true champion for his students and their success. He meets students where they are and inspires them to be heard and to contribute, letting them know that they matter and are appreciated. Ray also utilizes techniques and activities to engage students and to spark their minds to higher levels of thinking.”

He says he’s got a great group of students this year, now that “the COVID slump” is a thing of the past.

“That’s no longer an excuse for this group of kids,” he said. “I encourage my students to take positive risks, reach for the stars to lead and persevere. … I build them up; there’s enough things in this world to bring them down. Each student deserves incredible teachers.”

“As a result of his work,” Pierce continued, “his students feel empowered and work more diligently to challenge themselves. Ray also serves as a new teacher mentor, a club sponsor and a school tutor at Rio Rancho Middle School. He is tireless in his efforts to support students and to help them grow and meet their full potential. We are fortunate to have him as a part of our school community and he is deserving of this recognition.”

The Observer didn’t ask another RRMS teacher, Cynthia Rodriguez, what she thought of her husband as a teacher. They met when both were teaching at Lincoln Middle School; together, they have a blended family with six children, including one at RRMS.

So, let’s ask a few of Rodriguez’s students:

• Raquel Wright: “He is very kind and, well, you can tell that he puts a lot of work into his teaching. It’s not just him in front of, like, a board; he makes it fun. And he, like, it’s like a break from all our other classes. … He lost his dad, and I lost my mom, so I can also relate to him on a personal level; he takes time to make those personal connections.”

• Allyson Mahana: “He doesn’t just, like, teach; he’s very interactive with the teaching and he’s very kind. He likes to ask us a lot of questions about how we feel about things.”

• Connor Chester: “He’s very honorable; he’s nice. He actually does active things with us. Even when he lost his dad, he was still happy and cheerful (in the classroom).”

How it all began

Rodriguez grew up in Santa Fe, originally wanting to be a baseball player like his idol, Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs. But he decided he was too small to follow that dream, and after graduating from Santa Fe High School in 1993, thought about working in psychology.

“I really didn’t decide I wanted to be a teacher 'til after college,” he said. He attended the University of New Mexico, where he studied psychology and later got a job in a psychiatric hospital.

A co-worker basically encouraged him to become a teacher, and he went to UNM and got his master’s degree in special education, which led to four years of working as a counselor in the treatment center at Desert Hills, then part of Albuquerque Public Schools, on the West Side.

“I’ve seen it all,” he said, knowing those experiences helps him deal with almost everything. “(Working at Desert Hills) was some of the best times of my life, teaching there. Then it turned into a charter school, and I wanted to stay with public schools, and I went to Taft Middle School. I taught a small group and special ed and a lot of different stuff.”

He worked there for four years, and because he was living in Rio Rancho and driving past Lincoln Middle School every day, went to an RRPS career fair “and I got hired.

“I worked at Lincoln for about 15 years,” he said, enjoying teaching drama. He was a big fan of the late Lynda Kitts, a longtime administrator, and when she left her post as principal at LMS to take the role as principal at RRMS, he followed her there in 2020-21.

“I’m also the archery club sponsor, a school mentor teacher, I do after-school tutoring and I host a board game club on Thursdays — Monopoly, other board games. It’s more of a social club.”

Not so easy to deal with, he said, was the passing of his father last November. He got family leave but missed the classroom for those two weeks.

“Kids kept messaging me — they got me to come back,” he said.

That says a lot.

“I treat ’em — some of them might tell you differently — with compassion; I try to put myself in their shoes, so most of them treat me with respect.”

He knows he’s appreciated: “I have boxes (of letters), and I’m hearing from kids I haven’t talked to in many years, and getting word of this competition, they’re reaching out.

“There’s so many great teachers, it’s kinda hard to talk about this,” Rodriguez said. “There are so many deserving teachers, but I think I’m one of them.”

If you want to help this devoted educator, here’s where to go to cast a vote — and you can vote again after 24 hours: https://americasfavteacher.org/2024/ray-rodriguez.