Episode 438 | William Springer - Rewards of Teaching

Guest:

William Springer

@wmspringer

William Springer talks with Dave Rael about family, teaching, learning, computer science, schooling, and writing

In the past William Springer has worked as a math teacher, science teacher, AVID tutor, magazine writer, computer science TA, and textbook editor. He likes teaching but found middle school to be too stressful because the students took advantage of his being deaf, so he went back to school for his PhD and then became a developer. His day job is working for a company that makes medical software. He misses teaching, though, so he speaks at conferences (about computer science and accessibility) and write books. His latest book released Aug 1, 2019 - https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07VC1WV2Q His hobbies include heavy economic board games, science fiction, and photography. He has a variable number of children (generally between 1 and 4) whom he spends a lot of time hanging out with.

Chapters: 0:15 - Dave introduces the show and William Springer5:58 - William's hearing and ability to communicate10:39 - William's experiences with teaching in different forms14:22 - How William got started in software16:35 - William's book: A Programmer's Guide to Computer Science19:43 - The utility of computer science degrees and the intangible benefits of various activities26:34 - William's story of failure - teaching middle school33:57 - William's book recommendations38:02 - How William stays current with what he needs to know40:15 - William's top 3 tips for delivering more value43:45 - Keeping up with William

Resources: A Programmer's Guide to Computer Science: A virtual degree for the self-taught developer - Dr. William M Springer II Cochlear implants Genetic Hearing Loss "Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes" - sometimes attributed to Edsger Dijkstra, but that is uncertain Austin Bingham on Developer On Fire

William's book recommendation: A Programmer's Guide to Computer Science: A virtual degree for the self-taught developer - Dr. William M Springer II The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right - Atul Gawande

William's top 3 tips for delivering more value: Don't assume you know what your user needs or wants Don't assume your users knows what they need or want Details matter