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20 Questions With Sid Ganesan

by Jeffrey Stanley

“My family is Sri Lankan. The political and war situation there inspired a lot of people to leave, including my family. We went to Hong Kong and I grew up there but I spent time in Sri Lanka off and on during times of stability and instability.”

New Upper School science teacher Sid Ganesan is a graduate of Swarthmore College; he also studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where he spent time as a research specialist in the medical school. Casually dressed, down to earth, a faint British accent, he boldly agreed to a 20 Questions sit-down last week in the faculty lounge at Willoughby Street.

This is brave of you to put yourself out there on our website when you’re brand new. Most new people shy away, I have to wait and hit them up after their first semester.
No problem, I’m happy to do it.

1. Do your parents still live in Hong Kong?
They retired and moved from Hong Kong to try and resettle in Sri Lanka. It was still extremely unstable so they resettled in London.

2. I know a little bit about that part of the world. Not Sri Lanka specifically except from the newspapers but my girlfriend’s family is from next door in India. Calcutta. Ever been?
I’ve been to Calcutta, it’s an absolutely incredible place, it’ll blow your mind. The culture and history there is an incredible phenomenon.

3. That’s what I hear; historically a center of culture and the arts. I really want to go.
Do you speak Bengali?

4. Ki khobor? [What’s up?] And I can count to ten on a good day, that’s about it. But I’m working on it. What are your impressions of BFS so far?
I’ve really been taken by how very welcoming people have been here. They have fulfilled my expectations for the kind of people who should be involved in education.

5. What do you teach?
I’m teaching eleventh and twelfth grade biology and one of those is IB biology.

6. Yes I also interviewed you briefly as part of an article on the IB program, you’re right in the thick of things, no?
The Upper School is a place that’s about to take off and that’s exciting to be a part of. It was part of the appeal of coming here, and it’s all for very noble ideals. Schools are maybe made or broken on the strength of their Upper Schools.

7. What’s your favorite part of teaching?
It all comes down to working closely with students, getting them over the hump when they have certain needs; seeing them content with who they are is important to me.

8. What’s the worst part of teaching?
I think I feel the loneliness of being a teacher. Life has a funny way of bringing people into your life though which is already starting to happen here. Fear of failure’s always there, too.

9. What do you like to do when you’re not busting heads at BFS?  
I really enjoy sports, anything physical. Working in a garden, at the gym, or physical forms of community service.

10. Where do you live?
I’ve been here since the beginning of June. I live in Brooklyn near Greenwood Cemetery.

11. Do you have a favorite New York City restaurant yet?
I haven’t encountered anything that made me feel like I was in heaven yet.

12. You’re going to blow this whole interview, do you know that?
My friend just opened a Sri Lankan place called the Nirvana Cafe. It’s a prim Sri Lankan joint, the food was amazing. You and your girlfriend should check it out.

13. Where is it?
This is in Manhattan between 22nd and 23rd Street on Third Avenue.

14. We’re there. Okay here’s the big one: desert island question.
What three things would I … hmm …

15. People always struggle with this, I’m not sure why. Don’t overthink it.
I think a mirror would be useful.

16. What do you need to look at yourself for? You’re alone.
To keep the dignity level up. [laughs] And to signal with to get off the island.

17. Okay now that’s smart, a resourceful choice. I’m impressed. What else?
I’d really need my set of power tools.

I guess we can let that slide as one thing.
I’d probably want to build a little lab and a place to think and reflect; also to make weapons to hunt and fish.

18. Third thing?
I’d probably like to have my yoga mat with me if I wanted to not wither away. And the island alone would probably be fascinating to me as a biologist.

19. What’s one thing that’s always in your fridge?
Veggie burgers.

20. What’s your sign?
I’m a Western Virgo, an Eastern horse. Chinese calendar. I grew up thinking horse instead of Virgo.