For the past year, I’ve been teaching an experimental freshmen course. When I say “experimental,” I mean it in every way: the subject matter, delivery methods, and course structure.
One of the big goals was developing a course that is better because it is large, not in spite of it. In large crowds we tend to feel that we’re a part of something bigger, a cause. When we democratize that crowd to enable voices to be heard, the ideas that we are capable of producing increases exponentially.
The key feature that enabled this was a team of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants who took this 250-person class and shrank it to give each student individual attention. They started by welcoming the freshman to college with an “insider’s” tour of the best spots for food, studying and socializing. They established a rapport and built a community based on more than academics.
They monitored their students’ progress and provided encouragement, meeting outside of class to help – not only with the course materials but also with adjusting to college life. They guided them in creating and maintaining strong personal relationships with their classmates that will carry them through the next four years.
“That’s a huge responsibility for an undergrad TA”
Yep. And they recognized just how precious it was. They helped me select additional team members. They developed an organization that made sure the TA team had the support they needed to succeed. I could not be more proud of how they performed and what they created. These people took my idea and grew it into something far greater than I had imagined. In addition to the administrative work, these TAs became true mentors.
Learning to Lead
This was the largest leadership responsibility I’ve ever faced. Managing so many people stretched me far beyond my comfort zone. It was strange having so many people rely on me. I often wondered if I was capable. But every time I struggled, the team provided “reverse mentorship” to help me grow. This two-way growth required vulnerability; to me we became a family.
And Then it was Gone
That word I used to describe the course is critical: experimental. After a year of testing and iterating, the college administration decided to move in a different direction, discontinuing this version of the course. Though I disagree with the decision, I am sure that I can’t see the entire picture from my position. Leading an organization as large as our college must be immensely complex.
The Cost of Innovating
For me, the hardest part was that after pouring their passion and creative energy into this project, I had to tell this band of 44 true believers that it was over. This was by far the hardest leadership experience I’ve ever been through.
We’re an extremely tight-knit group. But the day the semester ended we scattered to many states and several countries. There was no way to call a meeting to discuss. No way to deliver the news individually even though they deserved it.
I had to send an email. It felt like breaking up with someone via text.
Of course I invited them to reach out and talk with me. Some have. And it’s been incredibly supportive and understanding. I’m not surprised, given the caliber of people who were involved in this project.
Clearly, there’s a larger story here.
More than can be told in a single post. I’ll keep unwrapping this. For now, I’ll close with an excerpt from the email I sent the TA team:
“Please don’t view this as a failure. It was a grand experiment. The goal of an experiment isn’t to produce a thing that works, but to understand a system and how it responds to new inputs. We performed that experiment beautifully, and we learned an incredible amount about the needs of new engineering students, and the needs of college administrators in today’s highly competitive world.
… I treasure the community we built, and I don’t want to see it evaporate. I hope we can find ways to keep up the effort even if it isn’t in the roles of instructor and TA any more. Keep supporting each other. Keep supporting your students.
Above all, I just want to thank you. You believed in a CRAZY idea. You made it work when no one thought it would. Your legacy is measured in the lives of your students and colleagues. I’ll tell this story someday and it will be part of the scrappy beginning of a success story of changing the way education works. You laid that foundation.”
Someday I’ll tell this story in my TED Talk.
When I do, the names of the 44 passionate TAs will be scrolling in the background.
