Husker Dialogues 2020: Alex Brady

Curt Bright Author

08/24/2020 Added

50 Plays

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Husker Dialogues is a diversity and inclusion event designed to introduce first-year students to tools they can use to engage in meaningful conversations to help create an inclusive Husker community.

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[00:00:00.120](upbeat music)
[00:00:13.820]Failure is a better teacher than success could ever be.
[00:00:17.220]As an upperclassman,
[00:00:18.200]I continue to find many opportunities to assume leadership.
[00:00:21.380]I've had to modify my leadership styles with each new role.
[00:00:25.220]My leadership evolved with each of these roles.
[00:00:27.220]However, it was my failures in these roles,
[00:00:30.240]as well as the established leaders at UNL,
[00:00:32.010]that served as the guide to my development.
[00:00:34.560]Throughout my college experience,
[00:00:35.980]I've been able to improve myself and refine my goals.
[00:00:38.800]I sought after inspiration and intellectual guidance
[00:00:40.900]from many people, including Chancellor Green,
[00:00:42.990]as well as other campus leaders
[00:00:44.350]who will no doubt have a profound impact on my future.
[00:00:47.580]One individual in particular continues to be indispensable
[00:00:51.140]to my intellectual development,
[00:00:52.820]and that person is Dr. Jason Kautz
[00:00:54.930]of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
[00:00:56.600]Department of Chemistry.
[00:00:58.460]I worked under him as a chemistry teaching assistant
[00:01:00.520]and learned how being supportive is more valuable
[00:01:03.120]than being informative.
[00:01:04.940]Dr. Kautz is someone I did not initially anticipate playing
[00:01:08.210]an integral role in my life.
[00:01:10.460]However, his mentorship became invaluable midway
[00:01:13.020]through my last semester, as it was my first semester
[00:01:15.410]as a chemistry teaching assistant.
[00:01:17.360]This was my first opportunity to teach
[00:01:19.030]and I struggled to effectively communicate material
[00:01:21.340]in my first few weeks, causing students confusion
[00:01:23.760]on how to complete the lab experiments.
[00:01:26.210]This confusion left many disinterested
[00:01:27.960]in engaging with the material
[00:01:29.390]and making their experience less valuable.
[00:01:31.920]I felt discouraged by the behavior of my students,
[00:01:34.610]but wasn't receptive to the initial suggestions
[00:01:36.900]that Dr. Kautz provided me to improve.
[00:01:39.450]Still, I desired to become a stronger leader
[00:01:42.310]in the classroom because I recognized the impact
[00:01:44.590]that I could have as a teacher.
[00:01:46.810]In order to improve both my performance
[00:01:48.810]and my students' experiences in lab,
[00:01:50.880]I confided in Dr. Kautz,
[00:01:52.450]expressing how lost I felt when conducting the lab,
[00:01:55.110]and finally decided to ask for his help.
[00:01:58.140]In response to my request,
[00:01:59.570]Dr. Kautz took on an active role as my mentor,
[00:02:01.920]guiding me by advising tips and tricks that served him well
[00:02:04.580]during his time as professor of practice.
[00:02:06.920]By adapting his lessons into my teaching philosophy,
[00:02:09.600]I constructed my unique style of teaching
[00:02:11.570]and gained the confidence I needed
[00:02:13.160]to lead my students through each experiment.
[00:02:15.580]With these changes, my students were more interested
[00:02:17.750]in participating in lab.
[00:02:19.650]Fortunately, Dr. Kautz helped change
[00:02:21.620]how I approached teaching
[00:02:22.610]and it was making a big difference.
[00:02:24.790]Upon later reflection of this experiment,
[00:02:26.900]I realize now that I didn't want to believe
[00:02:29.220]that my teaching style was wrong.
[00:02:30.960]With repeated attempts
[00:02:31.900]to connect the material, nothing changed.
[00:02:34.810]I needed to look at the situation
[00:02:36.040]from a different perspective and take the advice seriously.
[00:02:39.100]Eventually, I became more concerned
[00:02:41.120]with reaching the students
[00:02:42.000]than simply the methodology I was using.
[00:02:45.170]Overall, the guidance that I found throughout my involvement
[00:02:48.300]at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
[00:02:49.970]has played a major role in how I act as a leader,
[00:02:52.970]as well as my ability to serve as a mentor
[00:02:55.500]to the younger students of our student body.
[00:02:58.320]The failure that I overcame revealed
[00:02:59.930]that some development is not simply an individual effort,
[00:03:03.410]but a team effort.
[00:03:05.720]It's not always good to handle challenges alone,
[00:03:08.010]especially if you are leading.
[00:03:10.480]Students, it's okay to ask for help. So don't hesitate.
[00:03:14.912](upbeat music)

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Husker Dialogues 2020: Alex Brady

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