CoRecursive: Coding Stories – Episode Summary: "From Burnout to Breakthrough"

Release Date: June 4, 2024
Host: Adam Gordon Bell
Guest: Felina Hermans, Professor of Computer Science

Introduction

In the episode titled "From Burnout to Breakthrough," Adam Gordon Bell delves into the inspiring journey of Felina Hermans, a computer science professor who transformed her career from academic burnout to educational innovation. This narrative explores Felina's challenges within academia, her pivot to teaching underprivileged 12-year-olds programming, and the creation of Hedy, a multilingual programming language designed to make coding more accessible.

Felina’s Academic Struggles and Burnout

Felina Hermans begins her story by recounting her experience in academia, highlighting the growing sense of disenchantment she felt while pursuing her PhD and subsequent academic career.

Felina Hermans [03:31]:
"If you do academic research... How has the world changed? Hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands of papers appear... Is this really where I can add the most value?"

Felina explains that the repetitive nature of academic research, coupled with a feeling of insignificance amidst the vast number of publications, led to her gradual burnout. She struggled to find meaning in her work, questioning the impact of her contributions.

Transition to Teaching High School Students

Located near Rotterdam, Felina accepted an opportunity to teach programming at a high school in one of the Netherlands' poorest zip codes. This decision marked a significant shift from her academic pursuits to hands-on teaching with underprivileged 12-year-olds.

Felina Hermans [04:37]:
"I didn't think, does this fit my schedule? I didn't think, what will my department head think if I do this... I just had this urge, I thought, I want to do this thing."

Felina's spontaneous decision to teach was driven by an intrinsic desire to make a difference, rather than strategic career planning. The high school's demographic, predominantly minority families with limited access to resources, presented unique challenges and opportunities.

Challenges in Teaching Programming to Young Students

Felina initially attempted to apply her university-level Python curriculum to her younger students, quickly realizing the mismatch between the material and the students' comprehension levels.

Felina Hermans [06:32]:
"Hello 12-year-olds. I have, I don't remember the exact number, but let's say I have 120 PowerPoint slides... I don't think I will reach the end of the 120 PowerPoint."

The 12-year-olds were often confused by the rigid structure and syntax of Python, leading to frequent frustrations and disengagement. Felina recognized that the traditional approach was not effective for her audience, prompting her to rethink her teaching methodology.

Felina Hermans [07:00]:
"You have to learn where do I type the code, where do I click to get that?"

Her students struggled not just with programming concepts but with the very basics of interacting with coding environments. This realization sparked Felina's interest in how people learn programming and the gaps in current educational methods.

Development of Hedy: A Multilingual Programming Language

Driven by the challenges she faced, Felina embarked on creating Hedy, a programming language with "training wheels" to ease beginners into coding. Her vision was to simplify the learning process by gradually introducing syntax elements.

Felina Hermans [15:04]:
"Why are there brackets and quotes?... I could make a programming language that doesn't teach everything at the same time."

Hedy was designed to introduce programming concepts incrementally, reducing the cognitive load on learners. This approach aimed to foster a more engaging and less intimidating learning environment for young students.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic provided Felina with the time and impetus to further develop Hedy. With the shift to online learning, Hedy gained traction as it offered an accessible tool for students and educators navigating remote education.

Felina Hermans [23:04]:
"During the pandemic... a hundred thousand programs had been created by people using the system."

The rapid adoption of Hedy during the pandemic underscored its effectiveness and the demand for more intuitive programming education tools.

Expansion to Multilingual Support

One of the most significant advancements in Hedy was the introduction of multilingual support. Responding to feedback from her students, Felina implemented the ability to program in native languages such as Dutch, Arabic, and more.

Felina Hermans [26:21]:
"We want to program in Dutch... How hard is it to build a non-English programming language?"

This feature addressed cultural and linguistic barriers, making programming more inclusive. Felina's dedication to localization revealed the deep-seated biases in traditional programming languages that prioritize English, often alienating non-English speakers.

Technical Challenges and Community Growth

As Hedy expanded to support 54 different languages, Felina encountered numerous technical hurdles, including handling diverse character sets and adapting syntax rules to accommodate various linguistic structures.

Felina Hermans [28:58]:
"Arabic uses different numerals... quotation marks are different... I didn't know anything."

Despite these challenges, the Hedy community flourished. Contributions from around the globe enriched the language, demonstrating the universal appeal and necessity of localized programming tools.

Educational and Cultural Impact

Felina's work with Hedy not only simplified programming education but also empowered students to embrace their cultural identities within the tech landscape. By enabling programming in native languages, Hedy fostered a sense of belonging and relevance among diverse student populations.

Felina Hermans [35:03]:
"Programming in your native language totally avoids... the baggage of colonialism or war."

Her efforts highlighted the importance of cultural representation in technology, challenging the dominance of English and advocating for a more inclusive approach to software development education.

Academic Repercussions and Career Shift

Felina's innovative work with Hedy, while impactful, diverged from traditional academic expectations. This led to tensions within her institution, culminating in a reluctant tenure offer coupled with an implied limitation on her future career prospects within academia.

Felina Hermans [19:56]:
"They made it clear that the rest of my career probably was not going to flourish if I stay there."

Undeterred, Felina embraced her role in developing Hedy, finding fulfillment and purpose outside the conventional academic framework. Her open-source project garnered significant community support, affirming the value of her unconventional approach.

Conclusion: From Burnout to a Paradigm Shift in Programming Education

Felina Hermans' journey from academic burnout to creating Hedy underscores the transformative power of following one's passion and addressing real-world challenges. Her dedication to making programming accessible to all, regardless of linguistic background, has sparked a movement towards more inclusive and culturally aware educational tools.

Felina Hermans [46:52]:
"I want to change the world... have kids see themselves as computer science people."

Felina's story serves as a beacon for educators and developers alike, illustrating that true impact often requires stepping outside established norms and innovating to meet the diverse needs of learners worldwide.

Notable Quotes

• Felina Hermans [00:19]:
  "I think there was just such a big difference in my life experience and his that he thought I was lying to his kid."

• Adam Gordon Bell [02:36]:
  "Felina's story is wild, right? She faced challenges in academia... it might change your views on programming."

• Felina Hermans [11:16]:
  "What you already know shapes what you can learn."

• Felina Hermans [24:07]:
  "That's the magic. We don't put hard syntax concepts and terrible error messages in their face and then they just don't draw back."

• Adam Gordon Bell [37:02]:
  "Felina began as somebody working in the programming language space, then shifted to all this teaching stuff."

Final Thoughts

Felina Hermans' initiative with Hedy not only addresses educational challenges but also paves the way for a future where programming languages are adaptable to diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. Her work exemplifies how passion and resilience can lead to meaningful innovations that resonate globally.

For more information on Felina's work and to support her efforts, visit hedycode.com.

Connect with Adam Gordon Bell:

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