E4E co-founder participates in Chicago Ideas Week

Original article in The Ideasphere by Sara Serritella.

New Yorker Sydney Morris became a teacher after volunteering for after school programs in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“The kids lost everything,” the 27-year-old said. “After seeing the dramatic impact of what the teachers and schools had on those kids, I decided to go into teaching.”

A few years later, and Morris not only is a teacher but the co-founder and co-CEO of Educators 4 Excellence, a national nonprofit organization that mobilizes teachers’ voices to be heard in the policies that shape their careers and classrooms. Chicago Ideas Week sat down with Morris to get the scoop on her organization, its impact and growth:

What have you found the most rewarding?

“We are truly teacher-led, by teachers, for teachers. We think having a northern star like that is really important… A teaching veteran said, ‘I’ve been teaching for 23 years, and this is the first time anyone has asked for my opinion.”

To read the complete article, visit The Ideasphere.