Once Upon A School

David Eggers TED talk was inspiring because he told a true story in which he and a few other writers helped children with their own writing projects for school. I loved how instead of preaching about an issue or idea, he showed a real life example of how to assist others. I hope to make my TED talk relatable to my classmates by showing them ways in which they can feasibly solve the problem. David Eggers noticed that kids in his society were struggling to keep their grades up in reading and writing and the schools couldn't provide one on one attention to each student. At the time, David was buying a building for himself and some other writers to have a place to work. He decided that they should provide their space for the students to come in and seek extra help from the writers working there. At first hardly any students came in, but eventually it became a really crowded place everyday after school. The skilled writers were able to provide each student one on one attention. The students loved going because they could get all their homework done before going home. Therefore the students could spend quality time with their families. David said, "Happy families mean a happy community!" I find this to be so true. Each summer I find that I am so much closer to my parents and the families in my community than I am during the school year. When school is going on, I have sports in the afternoon and never get home until after 5. It’s all I can manage to finish all of my homework and eat dinner. But even around the dinner table, I am tired and overwhelmed with my schoolwork. If I had the opportunity to finish all my homework by 5, I would have much more time to spend with my family. David Eggers program seems to be something I would have been involved in. His shop even became so popular, that they begin inviting entire classes in during the day and the writers even began traveling to the student’s schools. I think one of the fascinating things about the shop was that the students were intrinsically motivated to come and pursue extra help for school projects. I think this is because it wasn't in an environment like a typical school. It wasn't formal with teachers or schedules, but instead the kids could come on their own schedule. It brings up a question that we have discussed in previous fishbowls in class: Would kids accomplish and learn more if they weren't forced to succeed? In my personal opinion, I believe that in certain situations at school students should be granted more freedom, but that some sort of structure needs to be in place for kids to even show up in the first place. For example, I think that Arapahoe strikes a nice balance because they give their students the opportunity to design a schedule that fits their individual needs. Also, our school offers off periods for kids to devote to anything they choose. If they feel like they need to go talk to a teacher to get help in a certain subject or get ahead on their homework they have the opportunity. Our school provides kids with the time to devote to whatever they desire, but sets precedents and rules for the student’s benefit. I know that I have a future goal to go on to college and succeed in a career of my choice; therefore I am diligent about working hard now. Without any system in place, I believe that the society would become lazy and have no vision or goals for the future. David Eggers and the other writers have inspired kids creativity and involvement in school by providing their services. For example, he talked about a kid that would come in for homework help, but then eventually was inspired to write and publish three books. If the boy had never been encouraged to complete schoolwork in the first place, he may have never discovered his love for writing. I believe that education should be structured, but then within the rigid form, be open to interpretation and leave kids with the freedom to grow. Their store became a gateway to the community and eventually was in such high demand, that they created another location so they could assist more kids and continue to provide one on one attention.