A Sit Down With Ms. Ross

Sydney Ross started teaching in Oregon last year, right out of college. Her first year she connected with students, and even started a Black Student Union (BSU) that year. 

“We started a BSU last year, um, during the second semester. And so it's been running for a little bit over a year now. And I think our main purpose has kind of just been to give the black students a safe space at Oregon.” Says Ms. Ross.

The club is always trying to grow its reach, especially with how new it is. 

“When a club first starts, you have to kind of like figure out a lot of things out. Yeah. And then once you figure some of those things out, it feels more solidified and you feel like you're able to do more things. And so I just feel like we're kind of still in those early stages of figuring stuff out. And I would like to solidify some stuff and do more projects.” Says Ms. Ross.

“We have a lot of things we would like to do. We're currently trying to organize a field trip to the African-American Museum in Milwaukee. Um, and kind of just figure out some sort of service project and a way to kind of you know, help us understand what it feels like to be a black student here, um, and kind of connect with the community.” Says Ms. Ross.

Ms. Ross has made this pivotal group in spite of never having been a part of a BSU herself, as her high school didn’t run one. 

“So that's kind of part of the reason why I really like doing what I do, because not only do I reach the fully black students, but we also have a lot of mixed race students who benefit from being in the club as well.” Says Ms. Ross.

Despite being the only classroom teacher of color in the building, Ms. Ross has handled the responsibility of taking on BSU well, and continues to do great things with the club.

“Sometimes it kind of is just the way that it happens, but it can be just a little bit emotionally draining sometimes to have all that pressure.” Says Ms. Ross.

Within the BSU and her own classroom, she finds making students feel comfortable and heard is a top priority;

“I think I definitely try to create more of a casual environment. Um, kind of like, I don't know, it's very difficult because there's definitely a balance of having some structure and some organization and having a classroom with expectations. But I think that since I, um, I was not in school very long ago or I was in school not very long ago, and I know how it can feel to just have an adult tell you what to do all the time. And so I kind of think that by creating more of a casual environment, my students feel more comfortable just communicating with me and being here.” Says Ms. Ross.

Ms. Ross has been an amazing addition to the OHS math wing, and has enjoyed learning math and connecting with her peers, finding the math teachers at OHS welcoming and helpful as she develops her experience as a teacher

“I had a lot of really good teachers throughout the years. Um, I honestly, like, I was very lucky with the teachers I had because I connected with almost all of them, and they all taught me something besides the content they're supposed to teach. My math teacher in high school that I had for two years was actually my next door neighbor, so I knew him for pretty much all of my life.” Say Ms. Ross

For Ms. Ross, school was always a place where she felt most comfortable; It was an environment that she enjoyed being in. Which is why she felt teaching would be a well-suited career for her.

Originally from Gurnee, Illinois, Ms. Ross went to college in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating she knew she didn’t want to stay in the South, so she looked towards the Midwest where she had family.

“So then Madison was kind of an option. I always really liked the city and I felt like it would be a good place to live. So then I kind of just loved the schools around Madison and in Madison, and I interviewed here and heard back very quickly and it seemed like a good group of people. And so I took the job.” Says Ms. Ross.

“Since being here, I think it's been a very supportive environment like I have. I really have everything that I need in terms of even supplies, like I have access to all the supplies that I need [for] my classroom. I know that if there's something I need and I don't have that, there's a way to get it.” Says Ms. Ross.

Outside of support with materials and supplies for her classroom, Ms. Ross says there’s been additional support offered to her as a new teacher;

“There's been a really great mentorship program for new teachers, so I have an adult in the district who I meet with every now and then, and she has been super helpful and supportive for me. The math department, they're all great to work with. I really feel like I was lucky to be working with this group of people.” Says Ms. Ross.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Ross spends a lot of time outside, participating in activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, and photography. When she’s not spending time outside, Ms. Ross likes to cook. Trying new dishes and new cuisines are both things she really enjoys.

“I definitely would like to, you know, keep growing. I hope to teach other classes and learn more about the curriculum because teaching is definitely the type of thing that you teach something once and you don’t fully understand it, and then you teach it again and you get a little bit better and you teach again. And so it's kind of the thing that you have to do it for a few years to fully understand what you're doing.” Says Ms. Ross.

“I mean, the students are great. I think that's the best part of being a teacher. Just getting to know students. And I think what I really enjoyed is I've taught algebra and geometry, and so I've been able to keep some of my students and watch them grow from freshmen to sophomores, which has been really, really cool because there's just such a jump. It's only been a year and some of them are completely different people and I just really like seeing students in their element, like just play the sports that they love or doing the activities that they love or seeing them in a friend group that I hadn't seen them in before, and they're the most animated and excited I've ever seen them. So I do really like the students. It's definitely why I do what I do.”