Rachel Rodriguez hopes to serve God, students

Many brand new changes are brought with the new school year at Fresno Christian. New paint, new schedules, and new teachers. Among the fresh faces, Rachel Rodriguez is found, teaching Spanish levels one through three.

Campus Spanish may be Rodriguez’s first full time teaching opportunity, but she is no stranger to instructing classes. Rodriguez taught summer school at McClain High School. The experience solidified the fact that she loved teaching and wanted to help students in some fashion.

God led her to G4:2 School of Ministry, a two year program where students study the Bible, ministry, leadership. G4:2 is located at Celebration Church in Fresno.

“God led me to do G4:2 and I enrolled in a 2 year program. I just finished in July, and applied for this job in May. I graduated July 1st and I got the phone call the Monday after,” Rodriguez said. “When I graduated from Fresno State it was just kinda hard. The application process (for jobs) was bumpy. It didn’t run as smooth as it happened here (FC). It just happened so quickly, so smoothly. That’s what happens when you’re in God’s will.”

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Rodriguez grew up speaking Spanish in her home, learning English simultaneously.

“My first language was Spanish. When I started Kindergarten, I was speaking English at home, which was a no-no for my dad,” Rodriguez said. “He said if you want to speak, period, you need to speak Spanish. For my two younger sisters it wasn’t the same rule, for some reason.”

When Rodriguez graduated JH, she and her father moved to Mexico. At first Rodriguez faced some ridicule for her Spanish skills not being the best, but she practiced and learned the language fluently before moving back to California three years later.

When I graduated from Fresno State it was just kinda hard. The application process (for jobs) was bumpy. It didn’t run as smooth as it happened here. It just happened so quickly, so smoothly. That’s what happens when you’re in God’s will. — Rachel Rodriguez, Spanish teacher

Rodriguez is excited about being able to pray before class, believing prayer to be a key tool to start the day, and is thrilled to be able to talk about the Bible freely in class.

“To be honest, yesterday and Monday I completely forgot to pray,” Rodriguez said. ” When I would sub and I wasn’t allowed to pray during class. In a classroom setting I think ‘Okay’, I can’t do that here. ‘Wait a minute, yes I can.’ I started praying today, which was awesome, praying before class. It’s a key tool to start your day.”

Alexis Kalugin, ’16, who attends Rodriguez’s Spanish III class, shared what she admired about Rodriguez’s methods.

“I like her prayers and how she incorporates the Bible into Spanish class,” Kalugin said. “I also like how she uses games and activities to help us learn, because that has really helped me learn in class.”

Rodriguez also wants to watch the students expand their abilities in class.

“I just want to see them grow, starting from this past three weeks of school,” Rodriguez said. ” I definitely just want to see the growth from here until then and I already see it. I can see them operating in their gifts. I want to see them grow in both their Spanish and their faith.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @ejLadd and via email: Emily Ladd.