Guess Who’s Back… Back Again

When students walked into Mr. Beagles’ room this December, they didn’t see just a substitute; they saw a familiar face they thought they’d lost last year. Beloved by all students, Mr. Rodriguez has returned to our halls for a short time, bringing with him all of the jokes, humor, energy, and connection that made him a school favorite.

Last year, Mr. Rodriguez, a history teacher, was let go due to budget cuts. He was a beloved teacher by everyone who had him because he radiated positive energy and humorous jokes. I went to the classroom he’s currently presiding in to interview him. 

The second I walked into the classroom, he told me I better not be doing an article about him. We playfully argued for a minute about whether or not I would be interviewing him. He finally relented and asked me what I was going to ask him.

The first question I asked was what he missed most about being at this school. He said, “The short answer is like the vibes.” When asked for his real answer, he first yelled into my recording device, telling Miss Schaake to leave him alone (rude), then said she was like the little sister he never wanted but got anyway (rude again).

Finally, he answered with “I miss the sardines.” This is an inside joke he had with his 4th-period class last year, when all the students walked into the classroom to see him eating a can of sardines with a plastic fork. That same class period, the second he walked out of the room, he heard us students click the lock on him until he finished eating.

Next, I asked him what it felt like to come back to a place where all the students loved him. He said that was a loaded question because it was “a little nerve-wracking but also very much like a return to home.”

He continued by saying, “Generally speaking, this building was like my first sense of community since moving across the country […] so I like to think I fit in with the staff and the student population pretty well and made a lot of good relationships,” which made it feel like a return to his home and his family. (Awwwww)

The last question I asked him was how he felt knowing he would have to say goodbye again at the end of this month. He said, “It’s definitely going to be bittersweet, but it’s not necessarily goodbye,” since he will still be coaching here at THS.

He said that Evergreen Christian Private School has him for the rest of the 2025-2026 school year, and then after that, everything is kind of up in the air.

He told me that he doesn’t know what will happen with his job here at Tumwater High School since Mrs. Kaup is retiring. He said that there is still a lot of unknown in the district in terms of the finances.

He told me not to get my hopes up because he isn’t going to be holding his breath to get this job. He said, however, that if there is an opportunity to come back, nothing is keeping him from doing that.

He said no matter what happens, he has no ill feelings towards this district or any of the staff because he knows the situation is what the situation is.

Watching him leave after this month won’t be easy for the students who crowded his classroom door the moment he walked back in. But if anything, his brief return proved that the connections he built here run deeper than a job title or a schedule. 

P.S. Everyone should go visit (pester) him before he leaves.