This article is about the transformation of the two foundational physics courses at MIT from lecture/recitation format to the kind of interactive teaching and learning that educational reformers hold up as a model of best practices. Named TEAL (Technology Enabled Active Learning), the format is still used in Physics I and Physics II courses at MIT. TEAL is a case study for what it takes to implement pedagogical change at institutions of higher learning. The ingredients for successful change were present (departmental and institutional support, a faculty champion, robust funding), as were some typical roadblocks (critical faculty, student resistance to change, and reformer burnout). As stated by the author, "What TEAL demonstrates is that successful educational innovation requires an enormous amount of effort and a good deal of luck."