Juan Rodriguez

Teaches 10th and 11th Grade English

“I feel like this school is a great find for me, personally. I have studied and taught in some schools in which tradition is valued perhaps too highly, and change is looked upon with great suspicion because there’s ‘no need to change something that has worked so well for so long.’ While there is something inherently beautiful about many traditions, I am happy to be at a place that can perceive education as something organic, as well. At Putney, by the founder’s design, experiential learning co-exists with some traditional instruction, and creative means of assessment co-exist with some traditional means. The inclusion of experience and creativity in the founder’s vision has led us to develop internal processes for openly examining our curriculum and campus life. Remaining faithful to our core mission actually requires us to willingly consider change.

“For example, we’re continuing to diversify our faculty and student population. How can we meaningfully respond to the needs and expectations of community members from outside the dominant culture? A more conservative and tradition-driven school might try to help everyone conform to its way of life. At Putney we are actively looking to create a way of life that incorporates the perspectives and customs that new members bring. We hope to develop our cultural fluency so that we neither marginalize new members nor remain institutionally unenlightened by them.”

B.A. Philosophy (With a minor in History), University of Texas at Austin