Everyone: One on One, One at a Time

Dave Eggers' Wish: Once Upon a School

David Eggers is an author who used to live in Brookland and was able to set up a whole program dedicated to helping students at school with English, who often, did not even have English spoken as a language in their own home.  The most fundamental problem was that most students did not get nearly as much one on one time with their teachers as the average student would need in order to move up to the next grade level.  He solved this problem by creating a "Pirate Shop", that sold things such as peg-legs and eye patches in the front, and tutoring kids in the back.

I felt that this was a very good TED Talk, as David's style diverged greatly from most other TED Talks style of expression.  He talked in a relaxed voice, yet made a convincing argument.  He did not focus on jokes, they simply fit into the story.  He made the story relatable with all the details his story contained, and his down-to-Earth style of speaking.  He not only explained how he overcame boundaries, he also described the actual obstacles, and how he overcame them, reinforcing his story.  He made the small to large connections, showing that just like he did, it takes almost nothing to start off small, and he was able to make tutoring students into a largely effective and renowned service available to all students.  He explained things that could have been skipped over quite easily, such as the "Pirate Shop" which added some humor, creativity, and originality into the mix.  He mentioned "other tutoring programs" which changed the TED Talk from a "look at me/us" display to a "Hey, we're not unique, they've done it too" presentation.

Personally, I have to ask: "Why do we make it so hard to help others?".  All it would take would be an empty room in a school (which there are plenty of), and some volunteers who have free time two-three times a week.  Yet we only offer programs that are unaffordable, they are not nearly as accessible, or they are not composed of the same elements as a one on one style.  We can all take the time to help a friend and stay up a little later that day to finish homework or sacrfice videogames for the week.  Supporting the concept of helping others never hurts, all it takes is one person to set off a chain reaction.  That's why we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, to help each other out with the subjects that we struggle in.  We all can all use a little elbow grease in this campaign to make education a reigning part of our lives.  This is probably the number one factor in poorer cities/towns that holds students back from getting a decent education.  They do not feel like there is anyone who cares about them, and they just give up half-way through.  "If no one cares about my education, why should I?  Why should I even go to school?".  Just give it a chance and you will be surprised at the changes you see around you.

For more TED Talks, go to: http://www.ted.com/talks