Guiding his students to the next level, Alex Greengaard steps back.
First, he provides materials. Then space to work and think and be.
Sometimes, magic unfolds.
Based on the above, his students could be 4 years old.
But they’ve been 14. Or 34. Or 54.
With access to tools and a bit of direction, Greengaard shows what we need to learn can be similar — no matter our age or skill level. We customize from there.
Greengaard’s solution for tailoring the curriculum? Write it himself. And make it free for everyone.
“We don’t see (students) as vessels that we’re pouring. We see them as complete people who are working on their own thing and we’re guiding them towards whatever’s next,” said Greengaard, a Pima Community College adult education instructor. “In adult ed, that turns out to be really helpful because they have met a lot of people in a lot of educational settings where the whole pomp and circumstance of academia is ever-present and looking down on them. They can feel the same ‘I’m bad at math’ feelings that we all probably felt in middle school.
“My power as a teacher is lowering effective filters, meaning make people more comfortable in the space, make it feel more like a conversation, less formal, more or less working together on a project that’s going to level you up.”
His latest effort is“The Elephant in the Ivy” — a spy novel set at Bauer College in New Haven. The book aims to help students understand modern fiction concepts and corresponds with the Open English Language Arts curriculum that Greengaard, 41, wrote.
Open ELA is a free, comprehensive textbook for the Reasoning through Language Arts GED test. It’s structured to serve as live, interactive lesson plans if teachers want to use it, and as a self-guided curriculum for students that might work independently, Greengaard said.
“I really did a look around a lot before deciding to write this. The goal was to find something to share with adults who wanted to get into the habit of reading but found literature intimidating,” he said. “There’s actually plenty of that and I certainly don’t do it better than the sorts of people who go and write a book in Amsterdam for a year.
“The other thing I needed was something free and open so that everyone could have access. The free stuff was either too old or I didn’t like it and the stuff I liked wasn’t free. So I either had to complain about it or I had to write it. I decided to complain about it. This lasted a while and then I got tired of that and decided to write it.”
First in a series
This story kicks off a series showcasing educators who push through boundaries and find solutions for their students to learn.
Greengaard also founded the Troubadour Theatre, an arts education organization that provides theatre programs to economically marginalized families. Now he works with students in Pima’s Adult Education program, a free program which serves more than 4,000 students a year. He teaches reading and writing and construction, aiming to help students earn their high school equivalency and also find a pathway to certification in construction work.
Arizona Luminaria talked with Greengaard about his next book, what he learns from his students, how classrooms can be fun and more. The interview was edited for clarity and length:
Q: What do your students teach you?
A reminder that college is a space where we build community and partnerships towards the academic goals of everyone in the room. I want to know about what sort of practice can improve our reading skills. When we try an activity, I’m asking “Does this feel like it’s worth your time? Did it seem like meaningful practice?” My students are comfortable in our learning community, and quick to tell me what’s working and what isn’t, and how they want to use our time. Book club has become a favorite. We just read together, in class, and talk about the book in relation to the concepts we’ve been exploring that week. It’s painfully simple, but just having a time and place and community to read with can really move the needle. In that context, my job is more about cultivating a space than coming up with the perfect lesson plan.
Q: What do you recommend as the starting place for a learner who may not have the means or the capacity yet to learn and grow?
I’d start by asking that they try not to go it alone. It’s important to try and work with others who understand the challenges you’re facing. That’s why Pima’s free Adult Ed program is so powerful. You have access to teachers who are experts on passing the GED, a community of fellow learners who are facing the same challenges, and materials that can provide meaningful practice that matches your current levels. We also have multiple modalities like virtual classes and distance learning so we can accommodate learners in a wide range of circumstances.
Q: Where did the idea for “The Elephant in the Ivy” come from?
I have two answers for this. First, there were some kids when I was teaching middle school that really inspired me, and I always imagined how cool they’d be when they were in college. Second is my students now. When you’re coming back to school, it can be hard to give yourself the credit you’re due. A lot of my students benefit from reassurance that they are “real” college students. That this is their college, their community, and we’re here to work on their goals. Alison, a struggling scholarship kid in the Ivy League, feels the same way. Surrounded by old money and the majesty of the New England campus, she struggles to feel like this is her space. And it’s not until she allows herself to pivot that she starts to take ownership. Adult Ed students — they understand that pivot.
Q: What does it mean for you to have your work free and available?
It’s the BEST! I love being able to pull it up anywhere, on any device, and just hand it over to a new reader. The book is easy to read and fun, but it doesn’t talk down to adult readers either. Hard to find that mix. Even harder to find it in a form that everyone’s allowed to have, whether or not they have extra money to spend on it. Oh, you forgot your book today? That’s OK, it’s on your phone, and my phone, and this smart fridge. Here’s what gets me: digital media is infinitely reduplicable. I don’t want to sell people a license to read it. I want people to read it (if they want to.)
Q: What is next for you?
I’m about a quarter of the way into my next novel, “The Curse of TRISH”, which will also be free and open. I’ve actually already released it in early access to my newsletter subscribers. Since it’s my own work, I’ll have free reign to make materials, activities, and a classroom edition. Same deal as Elephant: something easy to read, written for adult learners who may need to build some confidence in reading, and fun. I’m also writing the first open textbook for the NCCER (National Center for Construction and Education Research) Core certificate (for Building and Construction Trades), which will drastically increase access to this industry-recognized credential for people across the country.
Q: Who do you look up to? Who are your favorite writers? Educators?
Oh, a two-for-one. John Green. Funny, easy to read, relatable voice, thought-provoking, and makes me want to keep turning the page. I don’t think I even liked reading until I read “The Fault in Our Stars.” I just did it to maintain my identity as bookish. Then, suddenly, I had this license to enjoy reading. Something was out there that made me want to keep going, just to keep going. “Elephant” was my attempt to make something like that for my students. Not to mention, this is a person who made some of the most significant strides in our time when it comes to increasing access to educational materials.
Q: What do you read/watch/do for FUN?
Rock and roll and rollerskating. My wife and I are in a band called Dust Bunnies and we also go skating every Monday night. We also love The Loft and Casa Video and breakfast at Frank’s.
Update: This story was updated in December 2025 to reflect a change in setting by the author in the online version of “The Elephant in the Ivy.”
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