JTC 26: Leading Where Learning Begins

Sitting in front of a crowd of first graders at Bramlett Elementary School with a book in hand, Sydney Dodd had a realization: This was where she was meant to be.

“It was my first read-aloud to a classroom, and that's a pivotal moment for every elementary education student,” the University of Mississippi senior said. “There's kind of a science behind having a successful read aloud. You have to know where to start, where to stop on each page, what to point out and what to call attention to, and we learn about all of that.

“But being in front of the students and experiencing that is really special. It was one of my favorite moments.”

Dodd, an education major from Florence, graduates in May as a Provost Scholar, a member of the Kindness Club and Teachers for Tomorrow, and with a host of memories of her time at Ole Miss.

More importantly, she leaves the university with both a passion for teaching young minds and the skills to lead a classroom of her own.

“You get them while they are their most malleable selves,” she said. “They are like little sponges, and they need so much support. They need a cheerleader.

"They need someone who is all for them – absolutely all for them – and so, being someone who's passionate about young kids and their learning experience, it is a calling.”

Since joining Ole Miss in 2024 after transferring from Northwest Mississippi Community College, Dodd has dedicated countless hours to the classroom, whether that was student-teaching at Bramlett or Central Elementary School, going out into the community through Growing Healthy Minds, Bodies and Communities or her own classes on campus.

Her dedication to teaching is evident in the classroom, said Rodney Hurt, instructor in teacher education. Hurt taught Dodd twice in her time at Ole Miss and said he struggled to remember a time when she missed class.

“With Sydney, she was not just in class; she was there to make a positive contribution,” he said. “She's there trying to learn. She realizes how important that's going to be when she gets to be a teacher, and it's really apparent she's going to be a rock star.”

While attending classes, Dodd was also traveling across the state to conduct research, said Kenya Wolff, associate professor of early childhood education and co-founder of Growing Healthy Minds, Bodies and Communities.

Through the program, Dodd has led community engagement events, gathered data about classrooms in the state, created instructional materials, aided in professional development for teachers and contributed to research on health and well-being of Mississippi’s youngest learners, Wolff said.

“Sydney represents the very best of what undergraduate education can achieve,” she said. “As a community college transfer student and Provost Scholar, she has fully embraced opportunities to engage in meaningful research and service.

“Her work with GHMBC reflects a deep commitment to improving early childhood education across Mississippi, and her ability to translate research into practice is especially noteworthy.”

Though she’s known for a long time that she wanted to teach, Dodd said working with instructors such as Hurt and Wolff has given her the confidence to lead.

“I have a running list of things that I want to implement in my classroom,” she said. “Things like classroom management, the foundations of reading, the science of reading – the practical things that I could use.

“When I started to understand those things, I realized, ‘OK, I'm good at this. I can take this into the classroom. I feel confident that I can teach.'"

She will have a chance to do just that when she begins her new job teaching first grade in Brandon this fall. She’s excited – and nervous – but those who know her well know she will succeed.

“Her personality, you can't teach that,” Hurt said. “You can teach someone to teach, but you can't teach kindness and love and compassion. Sydney has that. With someone like her, we have a chance to shape students' entire educational experience.”

The next time Dodd sits down with a book in front of a first-grade classroom, she’ll know where to start, where to pause and that she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.

Top: Sydney Dodd, an elementary education graduate from Florence, graduates in May before beginning her first grade teaching career in Brandon this fall. A Provost Scholar and community college transfer student, she spent her time at Ole Miss student teaching, conducting research and leading community engagement events across Mississippi. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services