How Ridgeview Changed the Direction of My Life: A Conversation with Miss Bogle

In this episode of Hoplite Radio, Ridgeview Classical Schools Headmaster, Mr. Anderson, sits down with third-grade teacher Sydney Bogle to discuss her remarkable journey from serving tables at Silver Grill Café to leading her own classroom at Ridgeview.

Sydney shares how a chance conversation with Ridgeview staff members while working as a waitress led her to discover classical education and a career she never expected. A recent graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in psychology, Sydney entered Ridgeview as a teaching assistant before unexpectedly stepping into a third-grade teaching role just days later.

The conversation explores the value of charter schools, the impact of strong school communities, and how Ridgeview's classical education model develops students who are academically capable, highly literate, and grounded in character. Sydney reflects on her own experience attending a charter school, her transition into teaching, and why she believes today's students benefit from a learning environment centered on books, handwriting, discussion, and meaningful relationships rather than screens.

Parents considering a classical charter school will gain insight into Ridgeview's approach to character formation, rigorous academics, and teacher support. Aspiring educators will also hear an encouraging story about how mentorship, community, and a willingness to take risks can open unexpected doors.

00:00:52 – Sydney tells the story of meeting two Ridgeview employees while working as a server and how a simple conversation led her to apply for a position at the school.

00:08:17 – Sydney reflects on her first impressions of Ridgeview, including the school's character pillars and how different the classical model felt from her STEM-focused educational background.

00:27:55 – Sydney discusses the impressive academic abilities, handwriting, spelling, and character she sees in Ridgeview students every day.

Read The Transcript:

00:00

[INTRO MUSIC]

00:00:14 Mr. Anderson

Hello and welcome to Hoplite Radio, an educational podcast by RG Classical Schools, which explores the importance of classical education in a modern era. Today I am joined by our third grade teacher, Sydney Bogle. We're going to learn about her and about how she came to Ridgeview from Silver Grill. I had jokingly titled this podcast from Silver Grill to third grade. I am curious to hear about her and I hope that you guys are as well.

Welcome Miss Bogle.

00:00:44 Miss Bogle

Thank you, Mr. Anderson.

00:00:46 Mr. Anderson

There you were, working at Silver Grill.

00:00:51 Miss Bogle

Yeah.

00:00:52 Mr. Anderson

Where you were discovered?

00:00:53 Miss Bogle

Yeah, I was discovered there. I was beginning of August, kind of back to school season of for CSU. So working there as a server, you got a lot of questions, especially that time of the year of, are you in college? Are you graduated? What are you planning on doing? And so I never really had an answer and every day I seemed to say something new or come up with some varied question. I ended up meeting these two men at the table and they had introduced themselves to me, asked that typical question of, you know, what are you doing with your life? And so I had said, I was interested maybe one day in teaching. I had just graduated a couple of months before in May. So I didn't have quite a path of what I was interested in yet, but I went with that and they ended up working here.

They gave me a business card. They said, look into it. We might have openings in teaching assistant positions and then they went ahead and applied after that shift.

So it was interesting, interesting day for sure.

00:02:07 Mr. Anderson

Very good. So you met these two guys. So before Silver Grill, where did you come from? You're not originally from Colorado. So talked to us a little bit about, where does the Sydney Bogle story begin?

00:02:20 Miss Bogle

OK, I was born and raised San Diego. I grew up there my whole life. It's just my parents and I, my grandfather, were all three together out there. And I spent my whole life there, but my dad's brother, so my uncle and my cousin are from Littleton, Colorado. So my cousin, she's a year older, but I am. She went to CSU for college. And when I was applying, when I was looking for schools, I had kind of gravitated here just because of the family aspect and having familiarity with the state, with the people. And I'd at least have one friend going into the college experience. So came to CSU and then never left since then. I've been here. Yeah

00:03:05 Mr. Anderson

Very good. So what did your own sort of education? What did elementary, middle school, high school? What did that look like for you in California?

00:03:12 Miss Bogle

I went to a public elementary school, Kinder through second grade. And then I transitioned in my third grade year to a charter school. I was part of its opening class. Still exists today. It's called Old Town Academy in San Diego. And it's very similar to Ridgeview in its size, except it's actually one classroom per grade, so a little bit smaller. And I went there all the way through eighth grade. It was only a K-8 school. And then I moved back to public high school for all four years, except COVID kind of intervened with that. So I didn't end up going to my official campus for my senior year before moving on to college.

00:03:53 Mr. Anderson

Okay. So do you remember, it says interesting that you transitioned from second into a charter? Do you remember what the motivation was there? Have your parents kind of talked to you about what that was at the time?

00:04:02 Miss Bogle

I think it was like other friends in the public elementary school system had heard of it, through others. It was kind of like through the grapevine situation. And it was a lottery to get in. So we ended up getting in. They kind of just went with it. And I was able to join the class. I was actually in my third grade class with the son of the people that opened the school. So it was cool. I got to be with him. And it was just a really great dynamic. I really see that in Ridgeview too, because I'm still so close with a majority of that class today. So all of them were like sibling level because of how much we've grown up together throughout the years. So super awesome connection with them.

00:04:47 Mr. Anderson

Yeah, it sounds like it was a tight community, which was, which is a big thing. How many students total for that school do you remember? Total.

00:04:55 Miss Bogle

So if it was one class per grade, it was about also same class size like 30 to 32 kids. So I'd say if I could do math, probably 250, a little probably less than that.

00:05:06 Mr. Anderson

Okay. All right. Did you have a sense of what you thought you wanted to do at all? Or was the world just wide open?

00:05:13 Miss Bogle

It was pretty wide open. I feel like I'm just like that in general. Very go with the flow. I'll see where life takes me. So I had applied to college as a psychology undergrad because that was my favorite subject in high school. So I came to CSU as a psych major in state through a state in that major all throughout college, except I came into college with 35 transfer credits from my high school just due to COVID. And I was actually in the international baccalaureate program, a little different than AP. So I get to my freshman year of college and they were like, hey, you have 35 transfer credits from high school. You can use them to cover pretty much a whole year of your introductory courses. And I did and so I graduated three years with that psychology degree.

00:06:06 Mr. Anderson

All right. And so how was the transition from California to Colorado and to CSU and the whole thing? Had you been out here?

00:06:14 Miss Bogle

Yeah. I had been here, you know, sometimes for holidays, sometimes for summers. And I had actually visited my cousin also during like 2020, 2021 COVID time when she had first started at CSU. So I saw her dorm room and everything, but it was really big jump. I think I also have no siblings. So I'm very used to kind of being independent on my own. So coming to college, it was really intimidating, but also very freeing and open. It felt like I could just do whatever whenever I had an awesome roommate, awesome suite mate in college. I formed a kind of a friend group fairly early on, which meet college fun.

00:06:58 Mr. Anderson

Well, good. And it was a good experience at CSU?

00:07:01 Miss Bogle

Yeah. I love it. I would recommend it. I know when you grow up somewhere for so long, it's easy to be eager to get out of there. That's kind of how I felt about San Diego too, because it's the best city. I love it so much. But if I didn't leave, I would have never left. So I was excited to be somewhere new.

00:07:18 Mr. Anderson

That's good. And so you're working at Silver Girl. What was is that the first time you'd ever even heard the word Ridgeview?

00:07:26 Miss Bogle

Yes, I had never heard of it. And I remember talking to them about it because you'd think growing up going to a charter, I would think to look it into charter schools in the area. I never had. After I graduated in May, I spent that summer just vaguely applying the things online. I was pretty content with my serving job because all my friends were now going into their senior year of college. I had basically graduated as a junior. So I was happy just waitressing and hanging out while they were finishing their final year of school. And when Mr. Houdesheldt had told me about Ridgeview, I went home and looked it up. And I remember telling him, I don't know why I never thought of this. I was actually super intrigued by the idea because it felt like a step in the right direction outside of just being a waitress for the time being.

00:08:17 Mr. Anderson

So what were your first impressions about Ridgeview from your initial research?

00:08:23 Miss Bogle

The people, Mr. Houdesheldt and Mr. Hayhurst, were so kind, so very welcoming in that sense. The website I remember scrolling. And it's very opposite of the charter school I grew up attending. Mine was a STEM focused charter. So we did a lot with computer labs, a lot with robotics, very science, math, technology kind of based. And so this was so different. I read about the character pillars because I wanted to look for the school's core values. I looked at the faculty page to try to figure out who exactly I'd met at the breakfast table. I didn't quite understand. So I really didn't have, none of the full picture I think until I got here.

00:09:06 Mr. Anderson

Yeah. And so then you're on site. How did that change the perception for you?

00:09:13 Miss Bogle

Yeah, so it all happened so fast because I had met them. I remember kind of to the day if that's not too weird, but it was like a Thursday I'd met them. Then I had a friend from high school visiting. She comes in, I interview after she leaves on like a Tuesday or Wednesday and then my first day is like boom on a Friday. So it was all within like a seven to 10 day period of coming into the school because I also had to go tell my boss is silver girl, you know, I was going to be only going to the weekends. Because at the time it was going to be part time, right, sixth grade assistant. So yeah, I go to my boss, I come in on a Friday, the very first day was math training. So I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't know anyone to talk to or to meet, but everyone that I did speak to was very kind. I just remember the very first activity ever was like a group math solving activity and I didn't know a single person and I was really scared. But before I even understood more about Ridgeview’s entire mission, I just saw that the people were very kind and welcoming.

00:10:17 Mr. Anderson

That's good. I'm glad that that was your experience. I'm glad Mr. Houdesheldt, Mr. Hayhurst were good ambassadors out at breakfast.

00:10:24 Miss Bogle

Yes, totally, yeah, they totally were.

00:10:27 Mr. Anderson

Our apologies to Silver Grill for yeah, poaching one of their employees, but you've done a lot of good for a lot of kids. So they should feel gratified.

00:10:38 Miss Bogle

Than you. Yeah, it was my, the owner, the owners are very kind and they were really supportive and I still go and they ask me how it's going. So they keep in touch.

00:10:47 Mr. Anderson

That's good. So you get here. You're not here for very long before our now famous meeting. I thought it was very sweet that you were, you'd been attached to Straubing for what, a day?

00:11:04 Miss Bogle

Yeah. Like a little bit like maybe three, three days.

00:11:08 Mr. Anderson

Yeah, and I still remember basically pitching you and you said, I don't know if I could possibly leave Mrs. Straubing.

00:11:16 Miss Bogle

Yeah. I know. I was so, it was very shocking meeting. I think I had texted my family in that moment, like something extreme is happening right now. Like this is really extreme.

00:11:30 Mr. Anderson

So what does that conversation look like from your perspective? Of course, we call you down to miss Mrs. Jhones' room?

00:11:37 Miss Bogle

Yeah.

00:11:38 Mr. Anderson

Yeah.

00:11:39 Miss Bogle

I don't know. I don't know if I could give a clear answer. So it was the, so like Friday I come in from math training. Monday, Tuesday I'm working with Mrs. Straubing, and really like her. One of the other employees asked if she was my mom because we looked similar in a sense. So I was really looking forward to this like kind of dipping my toes in, like teacher assistant. I still didn't know what that would entail either because it was her first year at Ridgeview as well. And then Wednesday was like the big, we did like a school cleanup together, like teamwork day. So I was fully like, and I think like sweatpants and like just came and I got called down to Ms. Jhones and I, I remember walking in thinking I did something really wrong or like something I got seriously wrong. I had no idea that that's what the meeting was going to entail. And then I think it just took me a while to understand what was really being asked of me in the moment because I, yeah, I just kept repeating like, what about Mrs. Straubing? What she going to do? But I didn't understand the gravity of what was going to be asked of me in that exact moment. Yeah.

00:12:43 Mr. Anderson

Yeah. Well, yeah. So the, you know, the background I think for listeners was that Mrs., that was Mrs. Hogan's third grade class. We anticipated I think that she would probably leave for on a maternity leave by, you know, November, I think. And of course her situation changed and we needed somebody much more urgently. And I think you had written on your application, maybe interested in teaching one day.

00:13:10 Miss Bogle

Yeah. Well, that also I think that I had told to Mr. Houdeshedlt that so ago is that, yeah, one day, like if I get some experience, I would be really open to it because my degree wasn't initially in childhood education. I had done a lot of work at CSU with a program called Campus Connections, which was student mentorship or college led mentorship of younger students, but it was like a 10 year old to 18 year old based program. So totally a new experience with third graders.

00:13:42 Mr. Anderson

Yeah. I think my line to you at the time was that day might be today.

00:13:46 Miss Bogle

Yeah. And I just didn't understand at all. I think I don't think it really sunk in.

00:13:54 Mr. Anderson

So you get the position, you get your own class. How was that initially? I feel like I checked in on you quite a bit. I was like, man, I hope she likes this. And you seemed, you seemed a very natural and sort of charismatic fit. Like you had a very quick rapport, I would say, with those kids. Was that true from your perspective?

00:14:20 Miss Bogle

I hope so. I think, yeah, I think naturally I'm a pretty upbeat person. And I think it's a good fit for younger students. I'm looking back, seeing the sixth graders. I'm like, oh, I would have been so intimidated by them. But the third graders, it was fun. And I think initially at start it out, I had my own classroom. I was so just, if I didn't dive into it, I didn't know what was going to happen. I kind of just had to go for it and not think about right or wrong. More so just do the best that I can and get help along the way, which I did feel very supported the whole time.

So yeah, I got my own classroom, but it's technically Ms. Hogan's because I'm technically her long term sub. And I think the kids knew that a little bit coming in because the meeting was the Wednesday and then Thursday was back to school night the very next day. So it was kind of like a boom, boom, there was no time to process. I told the parents what the situation was, Ms. Hogan had written the letter that was very kind, even though she also didn't really know what the outcome was going to be. And the parents were very kind with me. They were very patient. The students understood to an extent what was going on. So I think at first I was just like the fun long term sub that ended up growing into more also later on.

00:15:40 Mr. Anderson

And then Mrs. Jhones who I think she was ecstatic about having you certainly your co-teachers. I mean it was the collegiality, a huge part of why it worked?

00:15:52 Miss Bogle

Absolutely. I always, Mrs. Jhones is wonderful. She's the best boss and the most like forward. She doesn't sugarcoat anything, which I really appreciate about her. And she always just tells me the facts and tells me how to handle it and what the best, what the outcomes would be if I handle it different ways.

And then Mrs. Corneliusen and the other third grade teacher, I think it was also equally as shocking for her because she didn't know me. I didn't know her and I've just been so lucky to have her. Without her, I don't know what the year would have looked like. I don't know what position I would be in now, but truly like our friendship I think is what helped the year be as successful, quote, unquote as it was.

00:16:40 Mr. Anderson

Well, that's good. And then what do you, I mean, what has changed, I guess, about the way that you think about Ridgeview now versus at the very beginning of that first day that you kind of found out you have your own third grade class?

00:16:52 Miss Bogle

Yeah. I think Ridgeview is an incredible school. Makes me reflect a lot on the charter I went to as a kid because I remember sitting in front of a computer for so much, not that I didn't have great teachers there or great education because I loved my school, but I think it's fascinating how much these kids learn on paper. And their penmanship is more beautiful, more well done than mine probably ever will be at eight years old, nine years old. Their spelling is incredible. I really enjoy the Riggs curriculum getting to learn that was really special.

Now I see it in like every word that I read on a sign or on the street. And the kids in general are just such kids of great character. I don't know how else to put it. They just are different than I remember being at eight years old. They're very knowledgeable. They care so much about learning. Obviously, they're still eight and have their own stuff going on, but they're just the greatest.

I really fell in love with that class the first year because they taught me almost as much as I was teaching them anything.

00:18:08 Mr. Anderson

Yeah. I mean, do you go back to your parents and your family for a second? Do they do you think that they're like, ah, this is a natural fit? Of course, you're good at this. Or do you think that they were surprised that this is the direction that went?

00:18:21 Miss Bogle

I think a mix of both. I'm an only child, which I think comes with a lot of attention and a lot of like, you're the best, which they have great parents, a great family support system. But I do remember telling them I was going to start as an assistant. They kind of were just like, oh, cool. Like try it out.

And then a week later, it was, hey, I'm the teacher now. And I had texts of them, yeah, in that meeting, like call me, call me, call me something exactly, like I was freaking out. And so they were so supportive. I just have the coolest supportive family ever, but definitely, I think they were, they were thinking like, what are you doing? Like this is a lot to just jump into straight out of college.

I'm still 21. I felt very like lost in all sorts of aspects. But at the same time, I feel so lucky because the job kind of gave me a direction. And now my mom sends me teacher themed things all the time. My uncle bought me like a “best teacher ever” shirt. So I think they've dove into it as much as I have.

00:19:24 Mr. Anderson

That's awesome. What's your favorite thing about third grade?

00:19:29 Miss Bogle

Their personalities. I tell all my friends because it's hard to explain to my friends who are working in real estate or banking or finance like completely different jobs in this. It's hard to describe what I'm going through on a daily basis or what I'm experiencing. And the kids are just so fun. Third grade is like this beautiful middle of like you can talk to them and they understand and you can be stern with them. But also they're so funny and joyful and they bring joy into your daily life. Especially even if it's a hard day, someone will say something funny and I can't help but laugh just as much as they do.

So they're really sweet.

00:20:11 Mr. Anderson

Do you go home with a lot of stories?

00:20:13 Miss Bogle

Yes. I was told to write a bunch of stuff down my first year but like I didn't even have time to think about doing that. So now I try to write it down or I definitely have a couple stories that that like really stick with me and I repeat them a lot.

But every day there's something going on.

00:20:30 Mr. Anderson

Yeah, that's my recollection of my first couple years teaching was I felt like I would go home but I was also both parts of what you said that I had lots of funny stories and I was also exhausted. And I think I would go home and I would sit down on these steps to take off my shoes and my wife would say how is your day and I remember telling like one or two funny stories then falling asleep on the stairs and waking up about half an hour later like oh my gosh what happened?!

00:20:55 Miss Bogle

Yeah, because you really, these kids want to be successful and you can see it. So I really want to give it my all so that they can be successful. Some days, some days are hard just because you're human too. You're trying your best.

00:21:10 Mr. Anderson

What have been some of the unexpected challenges that you may not have appreciated before you agreed to this?

00:21:18 Miss Bogle

Just learning what type of education fits each student because while I think Ridgeview a very generally positive education, every kid learns differently. Every kid has their subjects that they're really strong in and subjects that they're weaker in and because this wasn't initially what I learned in college, I've been kind of learning from Mrs. Jhones and Miss Corneliusen and others, you know, what scaffolding helps each kid.

How do I support this kid in math and this kid in rigs and also blend that so that all the kids are still at a good grade level? So just learning how to morph the curriculum in certain ways has been really challenging. And also kind of figuring out each kid's personality because every kid also responds to different motivation and you can joke specifically with one kid that you wouldn't want to say to another kid. You don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So just really like working with each kid as an individual has been a big challenge.

But also I welcome it because I want them to feel supported in the room.

00:22:31 Mr. Anderson

Yeah. So if someone's listening to this because of course you came at this from a fairly unorthodox angle, but they are thinking maybe I'm interested in teaching, what would you say to someone who is an aspiring teacher?

What would you have liked to have known, I guess, about Ridgeview or about the profession of teaching or about elementary education particularly?

00:22:55 Miss Bogle

Yeah, that's a hard question. I think because everyone's personality is different, I do think that all sorts of people can be teachers, but I think for specific grade levels, you do have to have a certain personality for it to fit. And I think I'm just very go with the flow. You can't let anything affect you too deeply, not that you don't care, but because like one mistake isn't going to harm these kids, they're so resilient and very intelligent.

Like don't underestimate the kids, they are smart, they want to do well, they want to see you do well. And as long as you're there giving it your best effort, like you can't fail, you know? Definitely it's not a bad thing to rely on the people around you, task for support, Ridgeview is awesome because that is in it's an environment that has that support. So definitely maybe it depends on the school that you're teaching at, but in the case of coming to Ridgeview as a new teacher, I think you'll be very well supported and everyone wants to see you succeed.

00:24:09 Mr. Anderson

That's great. If you know from the perspective of a prospective parent, why should they send their child to Ridgeview? Is Ridgeview worth it?

00:24:20 Miss Bogle

I think so, I think these kids love books more than they love their computers or tablets that they might have at home. They're so knowledgeable about things that I don't think I knew in third grade. I definitely love my third grade teacher and remember a lot of that school year, but even then I'm teaching them some things that I had to reteach myself because I don't remember and they already have all this knowledge coming in from first second grade that I think is so impressive. So I think the curriculum of Ridgeview and the style of teaching being away from screens, I think that's huge for kids in 2026 and beyond. I think the screens are just going to keep getting more prominent and this is like a place for they can be removed and still be a good educational space for kids.

00:25:10 Mr. Anderson

That's awesome. Well, in wrapping up, thank you. Thank you for being here. I thank your for taking a risk on us, that you took a definite risk. And it's funny the way that it came about, but in the moment I'm sure that was daunting.

00:25:26 Miss Bogle

Yeah. Yeah, you guys took a risk on me too.

00:25:29 Mr. Anderson

Yeah. Well, we're the winners for sure. And I hope you are too.

I thank our listeners and I guess as a reminder to others who may be listening that previous episodes are also worth listening to. If you're thinking about a position or you're thinking about applying to Ridgeview, I think it's worthwhile to go back and listen to some of these conversations with teachers and students and others and get a sense of who we are and make sure that it's a good fit for you.

So with that, thank you for listening to Hoplite Radio. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, I Heart Radio, or you're preferred listening app.

For more information about Ridgeview Classical Schools, please visit our website at Ridgeviewclassical.org

00:26:15

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