You may have heard of this teacher from discussions about his class in the hallways or due to him having the same name as a character from the famous children book series, Where’s Waldo? Well now, there’s a new question to ask: who’s Mr. Waldo Rodriguez, the long standing teacher here at MHS with quite a story to tell?

MHS Teacher

Before Mr. Rodriguez worked at MHS as a social studies teacher, he worked in real estate for 4 years. He said that he had made good business investments, so much so that, according to him, he doesn’t really need to teach.

So what makes Mr. Rodriguez want to get up in the morning and give lectures to teenagers who may or may not be interested in what he says? According to him, it all started when one of his friends introduced him to former MHS principal, Mr. Diego Garcia, who persuaded him to teach at MHS. Once he gave it a chance, he knew immediately that this is what he wanted to do.

Mr. Rodriguez’s passion for teaching was so great that he was willing to take a drastic pay cut in his salary—earning less than half of the usual amount from his real estate days—to continue teaching. “It was hard financially, but not for doing something that I love to do,” he said. “No one should teach for money.”

For Mr. Rodriguez, the best part of the job is teaching the students. When asked why he enjoys it, he admitted, “I don’t know. It’s something that’s natural to me. But I think it’s because motivating kids who hate school or a subject is a fun challenge.”

Mr. Rodriguez has had some difficulties teaching throughout the years, mostly with past administrators making teaching decisions when they no longer understood the teaching system. “It became too much about money and not about the children,” he said.

When asked if students have ever made his teaching career difficult, he was quick to say, “NEVER has the problem been the students. If I ever felt bad about teaching, it’s not because of the kids, but because of my peers and administrators.”

According to Rodriguez, it is essential for students to know about our government. “Government is everything in their lives, from the day they are born to when they die,” he said. “If you know your government, you’ll be a better parent, make more money, and become a better person in general.”

When it comes to teaching, Mr. Rodriguez follows the philosophy of “Go with the flow.” In the middle of his lectures, he will let the students choose the topic in class whether it’s about making money, learning about laws, or even dating. Mr. Rodriguez will tell funny stories related to what they are interested in before he brings the conversation back to what he wants to discuss. According to him, it not only gets the students interested in what’s being taught, it makes the class more enjoyable overall.

Early Years

He arrived here from Cuba in 1962 and had trouble speaking English at first, but quickly learned after a couple of months. As a kid, he was always interested in politics, even going as far as watching the presidential election when he was only 8 years old.

Mr. Rodriguez is quite familiar with Miami High. He is an MHS alumnus, who graduated in 1973, and is quite proud of it. “I bleed blue and gold,” he said. His favorite subjects in high school were English mythology and US History.

Mr. Rodriguez has a varied background in education. He studied at FIU and received a BA in psychology and was a psychologist for a while, but later gave it up because he felt that he kept taking his patients’ problems with him. He went back to school and earned his diploma in political science. Later on as he began teaching, he earned degrees for education and social studies. Mr. Rodriguez enjoyed the environment in FIU, saying that while the staff members were not extremely helpful, it was better that way since it forced him to figure things out quickly.

When it comes to college, he gives one piece of advice to his students: “Don’t go unless you have a reason besides entertainment. If you believe that it will lead you to wealth and happiness, then do it.”

Softball Coach

Mr. Rodriguez has coached softball teams for quite a while. He was convinced to do it by a friend and later began to enjoy it.

Coaching has not always been easy for him. His main problem was that it took away time from his personal life due to the after work hours. It was especially difficult for him years before when he was taking care of his three kids. Fortunately, he stated that it has gotten easier in recent years.

Mr. Rodriguez currently coaches the girls’ softball team at MHS. When it comes to his current team, he holds them in high regard, saying that they are one of the nicest teams as far as character and personality. “They have a great attitude, which is sometimes not there in sports,” he said. “They are cohesive, and I hope the chemistry stays like that.”

Business Man

Mr. Rodriguez’s work does not end when school does. Alongside teaching, he also runs a business with his wife called Retro City Collectibles where he sells merchandise, mainly vintage items.

Thankfully, Mr. Rodriguez has no difficulties maintaining two jobs, mainly due to his wife and employees who run the store when he’s not there. Mr. Rodriguez plans to run the business full time once he retires, though he is not sure when that will be.