Teachers make a difference
Claudia Rodriguez first became a teacher assistant at Ben Milam Elementary School in 1996. This year, she celebrates three decades at the same school and a lifetime of impacting generations of students within one community.
“I can’t believe I’ve been teaching for 30 years,” she said. “When I started as a TA, I saw the way students were learning. I loved it so much that I decided I wanted to be a teacher and went back to school. While I earned my bachelor’s degree, I decided to stay here at Ben Milam. I love this school. I love the families.”
This year, Dallas ISD is celebrating teacher appreciation week through May 8, honoring educators who are dedicated to preparing students for success. Their presence and unique contributions are invaluable to each school community.
Rodriguez, a kindergarten teacher, continues to make a generational impact on her community. Today, some of the parents of students in her classroom were once her students themselves.
“Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to teach at other schools, but I decided to stay here and continue helping the families I met 30 years ago,” she said.
Not only does she impact the students in her classroom, but Rodriguez is also helping improve student learning across the entire school through more personalized instruction.
Through Catch Up and Read, an after-school program, students are receiving additional reading support based on their individual skill levels and not just the grade they are in.
Her own early experiences of learning a second language have prepared Rodriguez to be a pillar of support and understanding for students overcoming their own learning barriers.
She said her passion for teaching younger students comes from the joy of shaping young learners early and building the foundation that prepares them for long term success.
“Teaching is my passion,” she said. “It’s both a beautiful and challenging job, and it means so much when I see the kids become successful later in life. This year, there are seniors at North Dallas High School who were once in my fifth-grade class. After all this time, they came back and told me, ‘Ms. Rodriguez, I’m graduating.’”
