Season 2 Episode 2: Teaching Near the Front Lines Of The George Floyd Trial: A Conversation With Minnesota Teacher Jessie Rodriguez

In S2E2 I speak to Jessie Rodriguez, a 4th Grade Teacher at a charter school around the corner of the murder and trial of George Floyd. She talks about her first year at this new school, handling the pandemic under the shadows of the George Floyd murder, protests and trial.  "It was important to separate facts from opinions. We talked about how the situation was handled and we put ourselves in their shoes".

Jessie Rodriguez is a  25 year old teacher from California (Los Angeles). She went to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff Arizona. Her first 2 years of teaching was in Phoenix Arizona at a title 1 school. I have taught 4th and 5th grade. I moved to Minneapolis Minnesota in May 2020. She is  currently working at a title 1 Charter School in Minneapolis, 5 blocks from where George Floyd was murdered.   The grocery store that he was murdered at is my students local grocery store, buildings that were burning, were my students buildings. Protests happened on the streets outside their buildings and the national guard was posted on the corner of their streets..  Recorded on May 24, 2021

Some of the resources she speaks about are:The Headspace App for Mindfulness, and https://www.pbs.org/parents/talking-about-racism

Her Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/msjrod4thgrade/