Her Story
About Emily
Emily Ross is a special education teacher who has completed her seventh year working with an autism classroom in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned her elementary teaching license and special education teaching license from the University of Minnesota Duluth. During her studies, she completed student teaching abroad in a first-grade classroom in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and upon returning to Minnesota she moved from Duluth to Minneapolis to finish her secondary student teaching in special education. Hired directly from her student teaching role, Ross has built curriculum for social skills, transition programs, literacy, and math while also serving as a case manager for IEPs. She previously held the position of department chair for her district's special education department in her third year of teaching. Ross began exploring learning design informally about two years ago through professional development and research on learning technologies. With her master's degree underway, she is seeking opportunities in learning design, project management, and crisis management. Outside her classroom role, she volunteers with Special Olympics Minnesota in adapted athletics.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Emily
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think I have always been extremely curious. In any position that I've held, I have always been seeking a little bit more understanding or a little bit more involvement. And so, I think my curiosity has led me to take initiative, which has led me to roles that I really enjoy and, you know, really strong people that I work with.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think it's don't be the one to say no to yourself. Other people can say no, and that's okay, but we shouldn't be the one to shoot opportunities down before we get them.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
There's a lot I can say, but I think to understand, and it takes time, but to start to understand that often what we are insecure about, or feeling anxious about, or nervous about, can be seen as our strength in the workplace, and so I think a lot of times when women, whether we're in a room where there's not many other women, or, you know, that's not the case, I think a lot of times we might feel like we have to fit into a certain mold, and I think embracing who we are and the strengths we have, we just have to really focus on that. We don't need to fit into a mold.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Honestly, I think the biggest challenges, specifically in education, but even more specifically in special education, is staffing. I work with wonderful people, but I know so many teachers that are leaving the field or considering, maybe even not leaving the field, but pivoting their role in some regard, because the demands of the job honestly don't match the compensation, and I know a lot of people that put a lot in, and we all have 4 or 5 other jobs on the side, so I think it's a wonderful career, and so, I mean, I absolutely love it, that's why I've been in it for so long. But for some people, if you're trying to move forward in life or meet some goals, it's really hard to sustain the path of giving your all, and then not really seeing the compensation that's needed.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Yeah, I think first is like, collaboration, and how we collaborate. So, at work, how information is shared, and how team members support each other. I think the second, after collaboration is just, like, the workplace positivity versus negativity balance, I think. Work regardless of the field, but especially in education, we are often put in situations that can be a crisis situation or an urgent situation or something that trends next negative. But I think having the power to turn something negative positive, or to learn from it. So, a company and an environment that focuses on the learning outcomes and not what's gone wrong.
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