Sydney Morris
I met Sydney when she moved from her position as a Principal to take on the role of Chief of Staff to the Chief Education Officer. Every time I meet her, whether in-person or online, I find her energy and enthusiasm to be contagious and a source of hopefulness.
She tells me she was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago, to a school-teacher mom and police officer dad, who later were separated when Sydney was eight years old. Her dad died a few days short of her 12th birthday, due to illness and deteriorating health conditions after a car accident.
She lived on the first floor of her family building and her grandmother was instrumental in raising her. She was her mom’s only child and not particularly close with her dad’s other adult children. Even in the short time with her dad, he always helped her realize that she would be successful and could do whatever she wanted to personally and professionally.
Sydney’s grandmother instilled in Sydney the mantra that she should always leave people, places and things better than she found them. Taking care of her father during his illness (whether it was helping with dialysis or changing bandages) made her want to go to medical school – she was the first grandchild to go to college. In school she was an honors student, part of AP classes and very independent. She points out that throughout her life, her mother has been her best friend and a loving influence. Her mother was a respiratory therapist, a teacher and had earned her doctorate from Southern Illinois University. During Sydney’s senior year, her mother’s drug addiction was really bad but when Sydney was at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, her mother went into recovery and got clean. Sydney is very proud of her mother’s 27 years of clean time. One of the lessons of her life was from the many family members who faced drug addiction issues, but Sydney overcame this negative narrative
In her senior year at college, she was introduced to Teach for America. After graduation she worked briefly at Solo Cup Company and then MCI World Com for Customer Service. where she developed an onboarding program along with a team for new employees to have a more professional experience. While working at MCI World Com, Sydney learned about Teachers For Chicago, a graduate level teacher preparation program, applied and was accepted into the cohort in 2000.
She then went to teach ELA at Crane HS, and was subsequently the Assistant Principal there. After participating in the Chicago Leadership Collaborative (CLC) Program, she enrolled in a doctoral program at Loyola University-Chicago. She then moved on to become the Resident Principal at Healy Elementary School, and subsequently the contract Principal at Drake Elementary School. When offered positions at both schools, she realized that as the third principal at Drake in a 3 year period of time, she could not bring herself to leave, not when they needed her more.
Her perspective is that rather than labeling an experience as a mistake, she sees it as ‘what am I supposed to learn from it’. From her dad’s death, she learned not to be bitter and how to persevere. Every experience has value.
She attributes her success at different schools to her non-traditional path to education; it taught her to swim and not sink. The traditional methods would not have worked at her school; rather, she needed to understand where the students were as people, and not where they should be from an academic perspective alone. She has always wanted others to have what she had (which included donations of various Cabbage Patch dolls to her cousins when she was younger). She embraces this philosophy by providing educational experiences and exposure opportunities for her students, staff and school communities.
At college, she became a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated whose motto is “Greater Service, Greater Progress” where members are encouraged to be a beacon of light for all womankind, which is something she lives in her life. She strongly believes that if you are where you are supposed to be, you should be happy and motivated. For her, when told that she will not be able to change something, rather she will be changed by it, it does not frighten her, it motivates her to say ‘watch me do it’. She does not see the limitations but what is possible and will not let others decide for her.
In her personal life, she is surrounded by love from her family, husband, son and bonus-children. She tells me the story of her first (non-biological) child, a young girl who came over for a sleepover organized, when she was at Crane, through her sorority and didn't leave for several days. It turned out that the girl’s family did not advocate for her to attend college but instead wanted her to remain in Chicago because they did now see any other options or opportunities. Therefore, Sydney raised this young woman as her own child, supported her post-secondary efforts and now her daughter has an MBA and is a successful, professional young woman.
She has seen students who have been counted out and wants them to see what they can be even if it is not visible right now. The formula that comes to mind is hope + exposure + pathway.
Among the many influences in her life, the Principals at Crane and Healy have been instrumental. Her sorority, in which she has held several local and regional leadership roles, has given her lifelong friends and nurtured her natural leadership skills.
She shares more about her leadership and confidence journey and I was certainly not expecting it. In November 2021 she participated in the Inaugural Miss Beyond Beautiful Pageant, and was crowned Miss Emerald. This was so far out of her comfort zone and prompted by a professional confidence crisis during the heights of the pandemic. She felt that her growth was only incremental. She went to a Confidence Bootcamp, which focused on Deconstructing; Refreshing; and Rebooting. This helped her realize that as an African American woman she has a hard time congratulating and accepting herself and her abilities.
For the Sydney of the future, she wants to see herself actualizing what she has learned, in the form of a culture coach for educational leaders. She knows that she would not be here if others had not done this in some way for her. She wants everyone to see that the children are always watching what we are teaching and doing. At the end she shares with me an African Proverb that has always stayed with her: "The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth". Therefore, Sydney is committed to inspiring, educating and empowering others.