MEET TFS CO-FOUNDER ANDY SPEAR

Andy has been teaching for over 20 years; during that time he’s taught students from 1st grade to undergraduates. For the last ten years, he has combined teaching with administrative duties—as a class dean, and Chair of the Head-Royce English Department. Most of his career has revolved around questions of storytelling and working with students to tell the stories that matter to them. In the off hours, if not reading or writing, Andy’s usually with his family, and ideally outdoors.

Tell us about the greatest thing you’ve learned while working on The Field Semester?

The central lesson I've learned as we've worked to build this program is the importance of collaboration. As this program has progressed, new people have come on board, new perspectives have been added, and we've continued to develop the initial idea that sparked this journey. While we're still focused on the same core concept that launched this project, the complexity and breadth of the vision has grown in crucial ways with each new voice that's hopped on board this hopeful boat.

While still in development, what impacts has The Field Semester already had on you? What insights have you gleaned from being a key part of this project thus far?

If you care about making something, and you feel it can make a positive contribution, you'll just keep learning how important it is not to try to do it alone -- or to remain fixed on a static idea. We're always better if we work with others, always better if we expand past a single perspective, always better if we let the thing we're making evolve. The idea at the root of this project remains as vital as it was when we started -- but it's branched in ways much more complex, much more thoughtful, and honestly so much better now than when we started brainstorming in Paul's backyard all those years ago.