Learning to Lead

By Dan Nonte, University Relations

Contact: (336) 334-4314

Posted 2-3-10

“This is a leadership class,” Tim Clifford told a group of students from UNCG and Beyond Academics gathered for the first time on Sept. 2 at Horsepower Therapeutic Learning Center in Colfax.

“Out here we’re going to learn how we can lead ourselves better, and we’re going to learn ways we can lead others.”

The UNCG students are studying to be special education teachers. A partnership with UNCG, Beyond Academics is a college experiential program for adults with intellectual disabilities.

The UNCG students are in Project RESTART, an effort led by Stephanie Kurtts, an associate professor in the Department of Specialized Education Services, to recruit and support nontraditional adult students who are studying to become special education teachers. The U.S. Department of Education has backed Project RESTART with a four-year, $800,000 grant that provides stipends to the teachers in training along with other support.

“Everyone is learning from one another,” Kurtts said of the class. “The UNCG students and the Beyond Academics students are peers.”

Clifford, a former teacher and principal with close-cropped grey hair, led the 12-week Horsepower class. Meeting once a week during the fall semester, the morning-long class paired UNCG and Beyond Academics students. The young adults in Beyond Academics are part of the university community and work toward living as independently as possible.

During the second class, Sept. 9, half the students practiced leading the horses in the farm’s covered arena. Bradley from Beyond Academics and his UNCG partner, Ai Kamei, worked with a brown and white horse named Tailor.

Bradley, shifting his weight anxiously from foot to foot, held the placid horse’s lead rope. “Walk on,” he said softly to the horse. Neither Bradley nor the horse took a step.

“You’re in charge,” Clifford coached Bradley. “You’re a leader. Walk where you want him to go and he’ll follow. Trust yourself and trust the horse. What are you going to do if you get nervous?”

“Deep breath,” Bradley replied. “Walk on,” he urged the horse, his voice a little louder. Ai encouraged Bradley.

“Walk on!” Bradley told the horse and together they walked forward.

“I like how you said that, Brad,” Clifford said. “Better and better. You’re going to be a cowboy.”

The Horsepower program isn’t just about leadership and riding. It’s also about learning to care for the horses, grooming them and mucking their stalls.

“They’re in there getting their hands dirty,” said Kurtts. “That’s very therapeutic. Caring for an animal teaches responsibility. It teaches accountability.”

The last day of the class was Dec. 9. Clifford congratulated the students on their willingness to go beyond their comfort zones. “Sometimes we need to go out and do a thing we’re not entirely comfortable with if it’s going to make our lives fuller.”

Each of the students talked about what he or she had learned or enjoyed the most. For Tasha, a Beyond Academics student, grooming the horses was the best part. “I like them to look really good,” she told the group. Leslie McKinnon, a junior at UNCG, enjoyed the teamwork required by the program. Gerald’s favorite thing was walking beside the horses. “You learn a lot from the horses,” the Beyond Academics student said.

“What I saw was people stepping into things they were unsure about,” said Fran Sandridge, director of student life at Beyond Academics. “I saw a lot of courage.”

On that last day, the students had a last chance to ride the horses. Bradley climbed atop the saddle. “Walk on!” he told his horse, Fantasia.

“So, you’re pretty relaxed up there,” said Clifford.

“Yup,” Brad responded and grinned.

Taking a couple of slow laps around the arena, Bradley did look comfortable in the saddle. In fact, he looked a little bit like a cowboy.