Please view the following TED lecture by Dave Eggers (author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wish_once_upon_a_school.html
and post your response to the following:
What is your overall response to the lecture, and what do you think drives some people to harness their innovative, creative natures for philanthropic purposes? Is this something we as a society can nurture, or not?
Due Wednesday by 3pm.
Eggers' presentation is a delicate balance between entertaining and awkward, and is a little bit of a ramble, but on the whole, I enjoyed it. I think the tutoring program is a great idea; kids gain immensely from one-on-one teaching, especially when it's completely voluntary on their part. And the pirate and superhero storefronts are most excellent. I feel like high school students could do well to have something like this in their lives.
ReplyDeleteI think that the only way a person can do something truly philanthropic, something truly altruistic, is if such an act resonates at the same frequency as does the whole of their being. It can't be something done out of a desire to inflate the ego; that would just fall apart. Self-serving philanthropy negates itself, and cannot persist. In order to really, actually help someone else, you have to be willing to give up your own desires for their benefit. You can't give yourself a hand when you're giving it to someone else.
Society can nurture this, sure, just as society can encourage any type of behaviour, but this sort of attitude grows at the individual level. It's up to the individual to cultivate this way of living and doing, and really, this can be an incredibly powerful attitude that can shape society via the individual. After all, a society is only the sum of the actions and beliefs of the persons within it; indeed, society is no less than the collective consciousness of the people themselves.
^^^ -Jacob
ReplyDeleteThe lecture by David Eggers was both comical and encouraging. While his articulation could use improvement, Eggers brings up this important issue of philanthropy and the idea of sacrificing something of yours for the good of someone else. The fact that philanthropists are still out there reminds me that there is still hope in the world. I believe there are two things that drives certain individuals to help those in need, those two things being awareness and a recognition of right and wrong, or simply put a sense of morality. In order to do a good one must first be knowlegeable of the world and the hardships endured by other people, and then just as important one must recognize that he ought to do what is right and help whoever he/she can with his/her abilities. Unfortunatly, these two factors are not found in most of society so it would be difficult to harness and nurture. The only plausible way to drive people to philanthrophy is to either shock them out of ignorance and into action, or instill in them certain values that makes them benevolent individuals.
ReplyDeleteEggers is truly a man of dedication; he believes in helping children in their daily lives with tutoring and he believes that this help will pay off someday. To be able to help these students, he created somewhat of a "faux-store" to satisfy the needs of the city council zoning, yet his true intentions were to tutor. Through his funny and entertaining lecture, he explains that there are still good people in the world; people who want to help children and watch them grow into successful adults. There is a deep yearning inside Eggers, and in all of us, that want to help our fellow "brothers and sisters." We are all philantropists at heart; we all have the capacity somewhere to dig deep down and realize that we too needed help at one point in our lives, and it is our duty to pass that on to the next generation. Eventhough we all HAVE this mentality and this capacity, not all use it. We'd rather let others take care of the situation, even if it meant sacrificing the education of a child. We all need to "rise up to the plate" and "take the bull by the horns" to express our true nature of helping one another. Helping one another, whether it be tutoring, playing, or just being there for one another is human nature; we're made to help and assist people who are in need. We do that with our family, our fellow classmates, and our friends. Let's take the next step and branch out to the whole world, and possibly let others see that they too can help and create a world where all we want to do is help those in need. What a wonderful world that would be; a world filled with 826 Valencias on every street corner.
ReplyDelete-Evan Jackson
Block Two
To be completely honest, I had a bit of a hard time following Dave Eggers because of his constant hand motions and breaks in his thoughts. Although his presentation altogether did not have a very coherent flow, I found him charming and affable through his obvious nervousness and his sweet personality. Aside from the distractions, I personally regard what Eggers has done as not only an extremely genuine and kind gesture, but as something essential to children that will help them profoundly. The fact that he would willingly take time out of his own busy day to offer up his building as a place for kids to be tutored one-on-one is unbelievably generous and benevolent. His creation of the pirate store was as adorable and inviting as it was funny.
ReplyDeleteI believe that people are driven to perform truly philanthropic acts when they have personally experienced something deeply moving and meaningful. Although kindness and the want to help others can be innate, or something that one has been raised to hold as important, I believe the desire to positively influence and drastically change others lives comes from something that they earnestly relate to or have experienced. To employ one’s creative nature toward helping others is similarly on this level, driven not by personal gain, but by personal connection. In the video, Dave Eggers has a love for the English language, and being a writer himself, has a uniquely strong passion towards wanting to share the wonders of this art with others; especially with children, who hold our society’s future in their hands and who are significantly lacking in this subject.
I believe that society has the ability to promote nearly anything, but true philanthropic and benevolent acts are on the behalf of the people themselves. Any individual can sincerely care about certain issues and want to help out, but that does not mean that they will take drastic action. Especially in today’s society, given their bread and circuses through all their technological distractions, it is immensely difficult to find someone who is genuinely and devotedly willing to take a stand and make a difference in the world. Only individual desire can truly fuel the act of philanthropy and becoming involved.
Piper Miller (Block 4)
This lecture given by David Eggers is one of true inspiration. I don't think there is anything as pleasing as seeing thousands of volunteers dedicated to something that they love, like writing. I think the tutoring idea that he had was one that should be modeled in every city. There is no reason why this couldn't take place in all cities. My reaction to the video as a whole was honestly shocked. It is very rare that you see someone start something this important from absolutely nothing, with no personal or financial incentives.
ReplyDeleteI think that for most people to be driven to participate in philanthropic activities they really must be passionate about the thing they are volunteering their time for. If they do not have a strong concern for what they are doing they will never put their full effort into it and they wont get as mush satisfaction out of it. Everyone is passionate about something, and no matter what it is there is someway that they can better it. I think that every society should and can nurture. It simply required getting people involved and motivated to make a difference. Society must stop nurturing the idea that 'If I cant, someone else will so its okay' because this is getting us no where. Another important point should be that things like what David Eggers did are on a large scale, and not everyone can contribute in such a huge way. But even much smaller contributions to things such as education is enough to get the ball rolling.
Andrea Siluk Block 2^^^^^
ReplyDeleteOverall I found Dave Eggers to be quite amazing. Despite his fidgety demeanor his nervousness actually makes him more relatable and his message more accessible. I thought that the simple idea of having one-on-one time with students is something overlooked within the system. One learns when having clear cut assistance every step of the way. Not only that but, the fact that the tutoring centers were in quirky shops and lacked a contemptuous air really aided their cause. One goes to learn not to get lectured making education more enjoyable and doable. Eggers’ message of involving the community makes the program all the more impressive. No one knows what the student needs better then the teachers and family members that are submerged in their every day lives. This allows a clear path to be delineated for their success. It makes slipping through the cracks less likely to occur. I love that there are still people out there putting their own spin on solutions and taking the initiative to make it work.
ReplyDeleteI usually would say that people are driven to do good things to feel good about themselves, defeating the purpose of a good deed. After seeing this video however, I have come to realize that sometimes there is such a thing as a good person. Dave truly had nothing to gain from his endeavors, he was actually reallocation his time inefficiently when it came to his needs. He took action after putting himself in the place of experiencing these plights and having the genuine desire to eradicate them. When he was speaking not once did he allude to any situation in which his actions could in any way be self predicated. I think in this case what drives people to harness this power is seeing that there is problem and being personally effected by it, even if they aren’t involved in the issue personally. Although oxymoronic, it means that people take action because they feel indignant towards the status quo. It all comes down to reasons as to why you wanted to take action.
I will go with a cop out and say that society should and should not nurture this. Although this type of thinking can be nurtured through example, one can not be made to care; it undermines the whole reason of philanthropy. We should lead through example but not to get people to follow suit but to inspire them into finding their own indignant events that will spur them into organic action. Society however, can not mandate this type of thinking to take place so technically speaking it can not nurture it. Everything should come from a place from within, just like it did for Dave.
The lecture given by Dave Egger was inspiring and impressive. The fact that he made jokes about his nervousness, the way he talked, and so on made it that much more enjoyable. While the pictures were shown during the presentation, I felt surprised and emotional. Seeing the children with big smiles on their faces and having loads of fun makes it that much worth while to help others. His lecture motivates me and gives me the urge to get out there and help others that would need assistance. Even if I make one person smile, it will be worth it. If kids could be helped out and have somewhat of a life changing experience, they could have the potential and inspiration to make a change in other people's lives. One of the things that stood out to me was the classrooms and how they didn't look like normal, "boring" rooms. They were decorated with all sorts of things.
ReplyDeleteI think that because a lot of people were helped out or had an important event happen in their life that changed how they viewed something could be what creates someone to have a driving force to extend a helping hand to others. I feel it's like a cause and effect situation. They were helped and given something by an indivdual or individuals, which in return sparks something in them to volunteer time to help others.
I believe that a society can nurture this. A society consists of many people with different beliefs. If one person helps another, then that person can assist someone else and so on. The morals and beliefs of individuals shape a communtiy and society. A good deed should be done, not to enhance one's ego, but to improve another's life. Helping someone just so you can help yourself is not the answer. If a person does feel happy and thrilled after the deed is accomplished, that happiness should come from realizing that they have motivated another and gave them hope. It shouldn't make them think that they are the best because they felt it could get them noticed just by helping someone. Individuals in a society can help influence others to participate in projects that can aid another person or group of people.
Cheyenne Hall
Block 4
Good evening, Ms. Hurst,
ReplyDeleteDave Eggers' is an interesting person. I don't believe that he is a very good speaker however because he isn't very good at speaking due to his nerves. Just stating that he is nervous doesn't make it any better.
I think that the lecture is something that many people need to learn. Education is the most important thing to have in order to have a good life. I think that knowing that they won't live a nice a simple life, people become driven to learn and get a good education. People have a fear that they won't live up to anything and it forces them to do better. People need to be creative because everyone is mostly based on education. Creativity is something that distinguishes people as individuals. For example, two students studying law, having the same grades, but one was in creative writing. Creativity serves as an advantage to students to make themselves stand out from the rest of the crowd.
In the lecture, Eggers' wish is to make a tutoring center in order to nurture a student's creativity. Getting attention is the most important thing when it comes to a students. He talks of a happy community where children go home with their homework finished and can spend time with their families. Children are not doing their homework in front of the television, they earned an understanding from volunteers and teachers who helped them and gave them the attention that they needed but never asked for. This is how creativity and good morals can be brought out and nurtured because many students are very shy, they are too scared to ask. They don't do well and they struggle. With this kind of attention and time they are spending, they can now have extra time to spend learning new, respectable things and thus create a talent they never thought they had before. This is a society where education operates at it's best, something that Eggers wishes to create.
Francheska Periche
Block 4
Although I found it slightly difficult to understand and follow Dave Eggers' message through all of the hand gestures, apparent nervousness and breaks in thought I loved his message. His drive and passion for students and the educational system is well versed but his active role in actually doing something about it is even more powerful. Anyone can say that "the children are our future" and we need to take care of them, it completely another thing to take on the resources available to you to make a difference in your community. Like Judith said in class, it isn't everyone's responsibility, it's MINE and Eggers' approaches that full force. I also loved how he tried to make the tutoring environment more enjoyable to the students who come. In a space which forces the students to interact with creative ideas and spark innovative thinking adds to the overall experience. It is philanthropic efforts such as these which communities all across the US and the world can benefit from. We as individuals must take it upon ourselves to make a difference, whether in a creative manner or not, and Eggers' challenges that with full-force. His passions and big ideas inspire me; it's not everyday that a man decides to rethink the way students are taught, even if the man does come off to be a bit quirky.
ReplyDeleteMaria Savarese Block: 4
Egger is an interesting individual. It is surprising that a man with so many ideas, can act so unnaturally to a crowd. I did like his subtle humor, which I saw the crowd didn't even catch all of his asides.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting are all of his ideas on the process of learning. The simplicity of taking one child and teaching that child in a level of enviroment outside of a common classroom gives a greater depth to what it means to teach. To teach, in my (and Emerson's) opinion, in a large open field and show the student that the knowledge is all around, seems to come from astute, philanthropic minds. I say this because the infrastructure of a town is only based on the monetary funds of those investing; without money, there is no foundation. I am really glad to see that Eggers placed his monetary wealth in the dying hands of education, in order to take it out of its compact shell, and out into the world where education can intertwine with everyday life.
The mixing of education into the real world is, how I feel, the way to have the majority appreciate an individual, such as Egger, altruistic contribution to society. I believe the last thing anyone wants to see when they give out to the community is lack of appreciation towards the gift. Since education is praised, anyone who will give to education will be praised accordingly; to exemplify, if not sub-conciously, their own self-worth. It's all out of love.
Isaac Amor
ReplyDeleteBlock 4
(many of us keep doing this, mea culpa!)
Once Upon A School
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I personally have to say that I think Dave Eggers is a genius. The presentation gives hope to the perspective teachers everywhere. He talks about many very good points, that got me to thinking. He says that when the "Pirate Supply Shop" first opened they had no customers, but after they got the hook up, the business or the occupancy blew out of the roof. Eggers states that the students would run to get there wen they got out of school, and that it was wierd because they were actually running to another school. This idea got studentshyped about school, which in my book is not so bad. Eggers also makes way for the world to see how to change and make a difference in education today. I realized as he was speaking that maybe all hope is not gone (as we spoke about in class). The hope to build a better future comes from helping the kids today, and the approach that Eggers takes is encouraging and hopeful to society. In my opinion I believe that this is a great idea and would love to help with this journey.
Tatjana Lightbourn
Block 2
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat started out as a very wacky idea, has become something great, and has inspired many. David Eggers' lecture about 826 Valencia was consistently amusing, but served a greater purpose in showing the benefits of one on one tutoring. As I watched and listened, I was amused and inspired by the generous deeds set forth by all the organizations.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the thing that jump starts these innovative and creative philanthropic acts has got to be compassion. When you actually care about other people's success, the need to help them becomes stronger and stronger. Having prior knowledge of the potential that is instilled in every student makes the, want to help.
As a society, we only nurture these characteristics once we lose our selfish tendencies, and begin to look at the education system as a whole. If we only look out for our success and future, the next generations will fall into a continuous educational decline. As Eggers states, we need to "find a way to directly engage with a public school ..." If we refuse to become involved, I believe that society will only be birthing future adults accustomed to the phrase "Can I take your order?"
Ebonie Wells II
Watching the video Dave Eggers' spoke upon brought my attention to various points. While the lecture in itself is rather interesting, there were points in which Eggers lost me due to poor presentation qualities.
ReplyDeleteThe aspects in the lecture itself were quite eye-opening, when he mentioned the diversity between the area in which he opened and the usual tutoring next door and how no one would come into the building due to probable cause of the outer structure. Oddly enough I find it funny that even when it comes to physical locations, people tend to judge and hesitate before truly knowing the inner structure. Sometimes by doing this, as human beings, we miss out on perfect opportunities.
Thus, stating that I personally think that all people need personal testimonies, or have others close to them recommend anything new in order for risks to be taken. Optimism isn't driven vicariously through people when it comes to new people, but like everything else it's a chain reaction. One item or object stimulates others thus creating trends.
The manner in which these people, along with Eggers, went about this project in order to stimulate education and homework is rather particular, I never would have thought that it only takes a couple hours of an adult shinning the "light" upon the student, for that student to be influenced into creating better habits for himself/herself. But I see the logical reasoning, in school a student doesn't receive individual attention, but yet in tutoring one is able to comprehend and capt what they weren't able to in given hours, therefor emphasizing the idea that this whole idea Eggers' and his team proposed is rather quite genius.
Stressing the idea that our society has built itself upon a superficial ideas, along with the chain reaction, I do believe that this in society can nature on. if one person starts it, it only takes little before it gains followers.
~Katherine Carrazana
Block 2
I thought the TED seminar was quite interesting as well as inspiring, even though at some parts of his speech he had a hard time getting his point across. I liked the fact that Dave Egger’s actually built this tutoring center in order to help students for free with their reading and writing skills. This type of program should be mimicked across the country, and with other subjects other than English. It amazes me that he did this not expecting to get anything in return, except to bring up the skill level of students that he did not even know. I believe that that kind of selfless act is completely rare. The fact that he gained over 1400 volunteers who were only interested in the skill level of students is even more surprising. In my opinion, there are hardly any true philanthropists, people who spend their time, money, and energy on things that do not directly help or benefit themselves. I do believe that society can nurture this type of behavior because I think that if it is something that is taught over time, people can develop this kind of altruistic behavior. However, without that constant influence people will only help others if they are gaining something in return.
ReplyDeleteDanielle Malcolm
Block 4
I can honestly say that when I looked at how long this video was going to be I just really had my mind set on rushing to finish it and go on about my other needs and activities. But in actuality the video didn’t seem as long as I first perceived it would be due to the fact that this video caught my attention. I think that the whole idea was pure genius, a pirate supply store, like who would have thought, it was such a creative idea just in itself. The idea as a whole is a great opportunity; an opportunity that I wish could be presented to me, watching this made me really wish I grew up in California or New York so I experience all these great opportunities. But that’s beside the point, this one-on-one tutoring with teachers is something that we all could benefit from. Watching this video gives me hope that not only would it be helping future students but if could very well help students now. There are people that not only care about our education but are doing something about it, not all hope is lost. I believe that to harness the effort to increase the well-being of mankind must be that persons will or want to do so. Their want could be based off of their own needs/benefits or the want to satisfy other needs/benefits. Society can nurture this act in some ways but again it depends on the person’s attitude about the subject. Society can not force to do something they don’t want to do but it sure as heck can influence it.
ReplyDelete~Ginette Norvelus
Block#2
I find the lecture to be a pseudo lighthearted approach for a serious call to action. Dave Eggers is so captivating and warm that I couldn’t help but watch the whole thing, completely devoted to his quirky good nature. The concept of the tutor groups and whacky stores he discusses are really astonishing, and it shows that there may be hope for everyone. One person at a time, he said we can make a difference, and it was just really cool- in the unabused sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteI think people using their creativity to fuel philanthropy are another aspect of the human condition. It is a psychological dichotomy that happens to benefit us. Philanthropy is a part of the ego in my opinion. Nothing is done entirely out of selflessness. It is virtually impossible. People find a convenient way to let their creativity flow, and it manifests itself into helping others. So the human condition drives us to these means.
People could nurture the use of creative ability in philanthropy, because it would ultimately allow for a more genuinely kind society. Volunteering your time should be a part of everyday society because it allows you to give back and benefit everyone else, but again, the human condition will not allow for something so perfect to be nurtured. Society wants a physical price on everything they do, or else they won’t do it. Volunteering is free time and will, which cannot be valued by the quality of a child’s essay.
-Tatiana Becker
Block 2
Although his nervous behavior did distract me from his words at times, Dave Eggers' comical comments made his presentation entertaining. I think it is amazing that he was able to gather more than 1,400 volunteers, then again it's no surprise since it is a great cause. Teacher to student interaction has been reduced, especially when they cram more than thirty students in a classroom. Even if they have placed a limit on the amount of students, that one-to-one interaction doesn't seem to occur as often. Usually the students who get the attention are the ones who excel, or those who give the teacher a rough time. Yet as Eggers mentioned the success to his project was due to his approach, he didn't make the kids feel as if they were attending “Center-For- Kids-That-Need-Help.”
ReplyDeletePhilanthropy is something one adopts at a young age, you either help to make yourself look better, or you simply want to help others. When you see someone struggling and you go out of your way to assist them, then you are truly making an effort. But there are those who engage in volunteer work so they can make themselves look better. Trying to help others because you just feel like it, is better than being forced into it. Society should nurture it, but not for its image purpose, but as a means to improve society. All the complaining that takes place could simply be put to rest if one decides to change things for the better, rather than watch and wait for others to do it.
Cinthya Castro
Block 2
Watching Dave Eggers' lecture, "Once Upon A School", is a true inspiration because of the level of intrinsic motivation that caused a group of philanthropists to come together help struggling students with English and writing skills for no profit. Eggers' lecture is a prime example to the fact that all that is needed to get something started is a light of inspiration. The inspiration that spurred 826 Valencia was the simple fact that children need one on one attention, especially those that do not speak English at home or have special needs as Eggers stated in the lecture. A group like 826 Valencia is a gift to a community that is, unfortunately, a rare occurrence because there are so few people out there that willingly want to be the catalyst to a nonprofit, philanthropic group because running such a group takes time money and effort, something that people do not wish to spend unless they get something back. Although 826 Valencia receives no individual monetary compensation, they find that they are getting something back, and that is the joy of knowing that they have helped someone else in need and promoted a stable community and household as Eggers jokingly commented, "the key to it all is homework." It is possible for society to nurture such an organization as long as it is taken seriously, the only issue is having that person or small group of people to jump start their own philanthropic organization.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this wasn't one of my favorite lectures Dave Eggers truly embodies the meaning of philanthropy. I can relate to Eggers nervousness with the constant repetition of "Uh,Um,Uh" because I also am not fond of public speaking. With 826 program Eggers truly wanted to educate students without receiving and materialistic gains. He only sought the satisfaction in the improvement in the students literacy and learning capabilities. I think what drove Eggers to do this is the good nature that some of us as human beings are born with. Some choose to ignore it but Eggers manifested his good natured thoughts and ideas. Myself as an individual would love to help the community but I feel I have nothing to offer to the world. Eggers takes the time out to notice each students needs and makes sure each student is provided with the resources to achieve.
ReplyDeleteAs a society we nurture these ideas but only with underlying circumstances. If we tutor students one on one we have to cut back on public safety. We never do something just because its right we do it to seem right be we end up doing wrong things to achieve this false sense of philanthropy. When we truly do things and sacrifice our own benefits and not those of others we truly embrace the idea of philanthropy.We have good people in the world, we just only see the selfish ones.
Karlens Direny
Block 4
First off I must say that I really really enjoyed this lecture. It just sounds like something I would love to get involved in and someday I hope I do. What I believe drives people to philanthropic purposes is generally knowledge, acceptance of the fact that there is always room for improvement and motivation. When faced with the question of why didn’t we get involved in something, the top three excuses are either: “I didn’t know” and/or “I thought they were doing ok” and/or “I didn’t have the time.” With these excuses we are able to slide, without guilt, out of the sticky situation because of course “it is not our fault.” But philanthropy is not just mental support of an idea, but actually getting up and participating. Getting involved both mentally and physically. Creative nature is the extra seasoning one adds to an idea that has always been around and with creativity comes the need to express it. Creative people cannot keep an idea to themselves, so creativity and philanthropy really go hand and hand because most creative people will put out an idea to benefit not just themselves but society as a whole. As much as I would love to say that society does nurture creativity, it is not so. Only a small portion of society does nurture creativity because, for example, this center for children is a BRILLIANT idea nevertheless if a major gasoline company were to come and say that they have found an abundance of oil in that area which would most of society choose? The kid center or the oil, which is going to make them BILLIONS of dollars? What I am generally stating is that society is driven by money rather than philanthropy because what we gain from a kid center is mental riches, while oil brings us physical riches which we can see which is more attractive to at least 60% of society.
ReplyDeleteGeorgette Taluy
Block 4
This lecture was actually very fulfilling because it opened my eyes to see that there are people who actually care about our future generations. I found it very inspiring because it something that you don’t hear about a lot. I found him to be a person that is extremely nervous in front of large crowds because of the fact that he was always moving his hands and playing with them, he was always repeats words, also the stuttering. His presentation was phenomenal though because of the fact that he wasn’t monotone. When he spoke you were eager to listen and for the simple fact that he was humorous.
ReplyDeleteI feel that certain people harness their innovative, creative nature for philanthropic reasons because they just genuinely want to help people. They want to see others success and become whatever their hearts desires. I believe that people that understand the position that others are in are willing to help just because of the simple fact that they have been there and they know exactly how it is. Certain people naturally are helpful. For example, many teachers are willing to stay after for those students that want the extra help because of the simple fact that they love what they do. English teachers love writing and the love the art behind the written language. They are willing to stay after school to help any student that wants the help because teachers know that students hold the future in their hands. Even Dave he was so eager because he wanted to share his passion as a writer with the youth of society. As he said the video he just wants to help, to be able to give that extra time that he has to the community by helping others.
I strongly feel that this is something that we as society can nurture because if we try to help the youth in society we can encourage them to go further in life. Especially in today’s society we need students to want to go somewhere with their lives and if we support them and help them they will find their inner strength to go further in life.
^^^Sue-Ann Shaw
ReplyDeleteBlock # 4
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was a little distracted and could not focus on what Dave Eggers had to say, but once I finally got used to his speaking style, I absolutely LOVED the lecture. I was ready to jump into the pirate supply store! (I say we decorate the classroom with a theme...) I love the concept of having a center that focuses on tutoring children, yet they do it in a way that is appealing and convenient for the kids and not just themselves. I, for one, would hate to have to go to S.T.A.R. tutoring, for example, in the school library. Just the thought of it does not encourage me to want to be tutored nor does it inspire me or allow for me to challenge myself.
ReplyDeleteI believe those who harness their innovative and creative philanthropic ways are driven from the passion to assist in any way they can to make a positive difference in the world. This passion allows for them to put themselves, wholeheartedly, in the task they want to accomplish. The innovations stem from this passion. These people do not do anything to benefit themselves; they do it for the betterment of others so they go the extra mile in order to really make a project work, as they did at Valencia 826. The themes and designing were all done by those who care, that is why the shop looks and operates beautifully.
Society definitely can nurture this; it is already seen in these tutoring locations that have now formed all over the world. These projects were compiled by locals within the city, from the volunteers to the ones who are building or refurbishing a building for their use. Society is the one that created this program, along with all the other volunteer projects that were created.
Cassie
Hello Judith,
ReplyDeleteI liked this lecture a lot. I thought that David Egger was very real and entertaining. His way of being shy made his lecture seem from the heart and not rehearsed. His lecture was very successful at keeping me listening throughout the whole thing despite the length of it. I was very inspired and grateful for this idea of "volunteer tutoring" that he has created which has become such a big organization through out the world helping children everywhere.
Although it seems like everyone in the world today is selfish and only do good deeds when they get something out of it, this video proves me wrong. David shows how thousands of people have come together simply to help children who are disabled or do not speak English as their first language in order to help with their reading and writing skills. These people do this from their hearts because they realize how important education is to young children all over the world. This place can be seen as a miracle where students can finally have "one on one" time and be taught specifically in the areas they have trouble. Everyone learns better knowing that they are listened to and thus, these volunteers make this possible.
I do believe that this is something we can nurture. Many times people think things cannot be solved but most of the time it is because we are not educated about these certain issues. If every city or town has an organization like the ones presented in this video, I think it would help out many children and we would have more successful people in the future. After all, we need to keep the generations educated and passionate about education or the world as whole will fail.
Izabella Szura
Block 2
This is going to sound very pedestrain but I would like to start my response by saying, “Mr. Eggers please take a chill pill!” After a while I had to just open another tab because his hand motions/twitching/head turning was taking away from the message he was working so hardly to portray. By simply listening to his speech I experienced a ‘wow’ sort of moment. This man works so hard to help better educate students outside of the classroom in a friendly and comfortable learning environment (hidden behind a pirate store!). It’s practically his goal in life to give students a chance to have that “one on one” learning for at least an hour a week; he thinks this small relationship will better the lives of the students, doing a study that showed students’ grades went up one whole letter. Dave Eggers is an extremely generous man who’s on a mission to save the world one student at a time.
ReplyDeleteJust as we talked about in class that other day, I believe it takes some big happening in order for people to take action. In this case, a lot of people support better education and think that schools should be given more funds and so on. However, it is a rare occurrence for any of these people to actually take action and encourage a change. Once Eggers realized that the students were getting that necessary one on one tutoring, he made a plan with a couple of his writing buddies and acted upon the situation. By opening up one tutoring center, Eggers created what you could call a ‘positive domino effect’. Within a short time he had students learning more, he had a whole organization of volunteers, he had customers to his store, and he encourage similar tutoring centers to open not only across the US, across the world. I would say it is quite easy for society to nurture and influence a certain type of behavior. But the influence means absolutely nothing unless acted upon; it is a task completely up to the individual. And even then, I believe that a change can not take place with a single person, it needs to be a collective group with the same expectations and goals set.
Amy Marshall
Block 2
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ReplyDeleteI do think that while Eggers presentation walked the line between a ramble and an articulate speech, his love for English was made staggeringly evident in the lecture. His immense care for English, and his ultimate goal of nurturing that in students really resonated in me. The lecture overall was enjoyable and inspiring to go out and do something and constantly grow the love of English, but also left me with a more serious call to action. The lecture, though not the most put together was very heartfelt and endearing.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think in this day and age, it takes a lot for a person to be truly philanthropic. The drive for many people is just pure desire to do something wholly for others. The key is altruism. I think that selfishness has to be banned in order for those who do have that drive to harness their innovative natures for philanthropic purposes. The only thing that a person should achieve from philanthropic purposes is the gratification that someone understands a passage more clearly, or another person finds a love for language and literature they never knew they had. I think purely altruistic people drive innovative natures for philanthropy.
As a society, I think it is very possible to nurture philanthropy. Though it may be hard, there still remains hope for society. If every person pushed beside their problems and their concerns for just a day in order to help someone who may not have had similar opportunities creates already a progressive step in the right direction. Like Eggers said, what started with one person and an old spot on 826 Valencia, became something bigger than he ever imagined. By just having one individual with an idea and a passion for something, causes a chain reaction. Why have one person when you can have 1,400? Society can band together and nurture the futures of generations to come.
Holly Denton
Block 2
I found the lecture to be very interesting. Dave Eggers is both entertaining and inspiring. His nervous, random way of talking makes his lecture less boring, while giving him a unique personality that people can relate to. Eggers' method of tutoring is enlightening. Like many of the students, I too find it difficult to concentrate in a setting where distractions such as televison exist. It good good to have an easily accessible place outside of school where students can receive help. This method of tutoring is also valuable to students who have difficulty learning in large classes, giving them time for a one-on-one learning experience.
ReplyDeleteSome choose to harness their creativity and innovation for others because they enjoy helping people. Certain individuals with exceptional talent in different areas wish to share their abilities with the rest of the world. Some people have a passion for providing children with opportunities they would not have otherwise experienced. Philanthropy is not something that that can be nurtured by society as a whole. Although a select few actively choose to aid others, this is not true for the vast majority of people. The lack of a will to help others within society forces the effects of philanthropy to only be experienced by small groups of people.
Eric MArshall, Block 2
The lecture, I thought, was whole hearted and full of passion, which I found to be quite astounding and motivating. His wanting to change educational values one child at a time, would seem to be a diffucult task, but his dedication and love for helping others acheive greatness made it seem to be quite easy and remarkable, which was shocking even to Egger. While his lecture was broken in thought and jittery at times, I felt as if this added to the emotionalality of the lecture in how it shows his outpouring of emotions and his love in wanting to help a situation where our reading and writing skills would surly fall to shambles.
ReplyDeleteAltruism is concept that is not fully understood and easy to decribe. We do not understand why we want to help help someone, we just do to make the situation seem better. We do not know if its out of love, the not wanting to see someone in despair, or is it because we want to better our popularity and help others just to ultimatly better ourselves. I personaly believe it is out of love and compasion. Since Egger is obviously passionate towards literature and writing, his love compels him to want to keep the education alive and to not want to see it fall to lower and lower standards.
I felt that this lecture was inspiring. It gives me hope that even if the public school system is not reformed, that there are people out there willing to donate their time to help a future generation. I found it interesting how such a simple idea grew into something so large. To start out with only twelve volunteers and work you way up to over fourteen hundred is baffling. I really liked how the learning environment was not set up as one, but instead disguised as a pirate shop or a time traveler 7-Eleven. Dave Egger wishes for something very simple, but necessary for children to improve in their schoolwork and ultimately improve their lives. He focuses on an issue that needs addressing and is helping in designing a solution. I feel that Egger is the type of person that the world needs more of to have positive change.
ReplyDeleteI think that people harness their creativity for charitable services because they truly believe in their cause and will go to any measure to make it work. When a current system of a beneficial cause does not prove effective, it is up to the individuals who believe in the cause to create a new method. The drive to accomplish a desired goal brings about new, creative ways of accomplishing it. Without new, effective methods, philanthropic causes would be fruitless.
I believe that the idea of having creative new ways of learning should not only be nurtured, but encouraged as well. Lets face it, our current system of teaching, as a whole is not working. We need change, and people that come up with new innovative ideas and act on them are the ones that are going to make a change. I truly believe that without nurturing new ideas such as the one that Egger presents, the world will be on a downward slope to destruction. Innovation and philanthropies are necessary for us to advance in life. Thus, they should be nurtured to the fullest extent.
I think the lecture should be implemented in many school systems. The one on one attention Dave Eggers advocates is a helpful idea that can help students that struggle in school. Some philanthropic ideas are driven by people's desire to fix a problem. Eggers motives were driven by the problem students have, which is a lack of student-teacher attention. I think the program he started is a good idea because it gives students that may lack that type attention, the opportunity to improve their education.
ReplyDeleteI think society can nurture this idea. If we all found something wrong within our society, then we more solutions would be available and society would be better. But, because we lack this type of enthusiasm, their would always be problems in society that can be fixed by us.
Though I do not wish to be the thousandth person to say this, though I was interested by the content Dave Eggers was articulating to the audience, I had a seriously difficult time focusing on his what it was he was saying because he was so very fidgety. I understood his nerves though, being a suffering soul to stage freight myself, however the stumbling and hand movements take away from the speaker himself. The speech itself had a powerful essence behind it. The encouragement of nurturing creativity and promoting its education to those apt to seek it is something our society should take action to achieve. English especially is a subject which has so very much to offer and explore. Egger's story of tutoring those who have that knack for not just English, but creativity all together. As for Philanthropy and our society, I can not help but stand strongly beside the argument that there is either a lack of motivation to take selfless action, or a lack of selflessness itself. The concern for human welfare and growth is not an easy concept to come by, seeing as most people act in order to gain compensation for their 'charity'. We had a discussion in class during last Lit. Circle as to whether there was such thing as a "good deed". In the case of Eggers, I believe so, I believe his actions were not for personal gain, but truly for the advancement of the beauty of education about English. In our society as a whole, eliminating human self-interest is near impossible. It would take one person to influence a small group, and they to influence more people, and more and more. Until you have a large group truly motivated to achieve a goal in favor of the entire human good.
ReplyDeleteBryana Bell
B4
I absolutely love these TED videos! I admire how Dave Eggers was able to create something so magnificent from a single tutoring/publishing center. The concept of creating a pirate supply store to validate the legitimacy of the retail zoned location was ingenious! This is a really creative way of approaching the establishment of the center, and I think all education should be addressed in a similar fashion (It would definitely reduce the frequency of students dreading school every day and reduce the stigma often associated with tutoring facilities). I especially like the “How to achieve peace in a violent world” assignment. I feel that more attention should be given toward students’ thoughts in this manner since it seemed to have such a positive effect on the participants.
ReplyDeleteAs human beings, we strive to achieve a level of self-worth and accomplishment, which drives some people to take part in philanthropic activities. Since many people want to feel like they contribute to society, I believe such benevolence is something civilization can nurture. This is only possible if they begin on local levels, like 826 Valencia. One of the reasons why this center is successful is because it is easily accessible by the neighborhood in which it is located. The local level may then expand elsewhere, like the superhero and time travel tutoring centers. Just as Eggers described, “Homework is the key” to changing to world!
Favorite quote from the video: “You can shine that light on them one individual at a time.”
Jeannie Matthews :^D
I'll just jump right in. Like the all the others I thoroughly enjoyed this video. His relentless movement was mildly distracting at the start but then it grew on me and only added to his character. He had the ability to convey such a powerful and meaningful message through such an interesting manner. One of these things he spoke on was philanthropy. While many see that this is a way to only heighten one’s own ego and they help others for their own selfish desires, I strongly believe the contrary. Many people are warm and loving and just truly want to help, because if not there would be no, mission trips, Peace Corp, ect. Creatively ties closing into this, you can't be creative without truly being emotional, you have to do it for the right reason or then all is lost. Our society is highly pessimistic, always doubting others and jumping to the wrong conclusions, so unfortunately our society as a whole; I do not believe that they will nurture the creativity that is needed to produce well-rounded individuals, though one person can create a butterfly effect. So as long as one person holds hope and then we have a bright future.
ReplyDeleteI viewed this presentation as quite interesting. I liked how Eggers just told a story, and I liked the story itself, how they did what it took to just tutor kids for no profit, just for the sake of learning.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a lot for a person to be philanthropic, simply because of the times we are in, and it is done because they have good intentions in thir heart, and they truly want to help. If they did not, they would not think of the idea anyways.
In our society, this is somethng that we can and should nurture. We should do it because then students who cannot afford tutoring, or just need extra help can go and get it, without the stigma of "a learning center" for those that are "dumb" or "uncapable." This helps instill creativity and a love for learning in lower grade levels for the greater good of the generations to come, something we desperately need, if we expect to have any hope as we discussed.
I enjoyed Eggers' speech very much, even though it was at times hard to follow because of his behaviors (flailing hand motions for example) and broken thoughts at times. As a speaker his speech was mildly difficult to understand but as a person he was very likeable due to his average personality, nice but nervous – as we all are at times. That gave be the ability to relate to him more as a person, rather than hearing someone make a speech perking my interest towards the subject. Eggers acts (pirate store and one-on-one tutoring) were very unique and will help the children affected by this current state of education. Even to consider taking time from your life to offer children a place to be tutored one on one is a unique gesture. The idea of the pirate store was also very creative and even something I’d consider funny. I personally think that people are willing to perform truly self-less acts based on personal experiences that changed their lives, in reverse causing them to “share” the kindness performing a kind act for someone else to make-up for the experience that they were part of. Even though people are willing to perform acts of kindness, there are only a small amount of people who are driven to drastically change the life of a child. Eggers willingness to share his love of English and love for the future of children sets him apart from the rest; he realizes that the future is in the children. The ability to be selfless and change the life of a child willingly without any coercion gives hope for the future of education and society in general through Eggers ideas and ability to take a stand and focus on the children. This individual response to the state of society/education could be the impetus that people need to have the desire to perform selfless acts.
ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Hurst,
ReplyDeleteThough Dave Eggers' lecture was inarticulate and possibly underprepared, it gave a great insight into the mind of a true philanthropist. He is obviously motivated and passionate about education and aid to those who don't speak english as a primary language. I think that he is an admirable person because his actions are obviously selfless, and he has devoted tones of time and money into an organization that may not have succeeded. I also enjoyed the fact that he was placing his tutoring organization in the back of quirky stores that make the experience less daunting.
I believe that Dave Eggers harnesses his innovative and philanthropic nature purely for his will to do good. Dave Eggers wants to do good and be a good person, and its apparent from his passion and devotion to the progress of literary education. There is no benefit to Eggers for doing what he is, but he continues to do it solely to help other. Personally I believe that these are the qualities of a true philanthropist.
Unfortunately these are not qualities that can be harvested and mass produced. These qualities can however be encouraged. In order to promote philanthropic you need to promote education so in a way Dave Eggers is promoting the well being of all by educating the youth of society. The children really do shape the future and by educating them, well enough so that they realize that what I just said was a cliché, one is helping to progress society.
---Dakota Edelstein :)
I loved this TED lecture! I think I felt a connection to this lecture because I could relate to it. In my classes since middle school, I’ve encountered students that could really use this tutoring program, and that need to be told by older people that they are capable of so much more then what they think. I loved this idea because it IS POSSIBLE! I feel like so many times high school students and adults feel that it is hard to find a place to volunteer they feel it’s hard to get involved. These lazy people have no excuse anymore, even high school students. The website that this lecture introduces onceuponaschoool.org is so easy to access and find where local volunteer programs are.
ReplyDeleteThis lecture literally brought tears to my eyes, when he said that 1500 volunteers were willing to devote time to students that needed help. WOAH! Could you imagine if 100 people volunteered to help at our school and what a difference that would make! I just got so emotional because seeing that people actually care about students is so rare to find and when that care is seen in action, it’s a beautiful site.
I think that when people are passionate about helping other people it’s because they themselves were once helped. Sort of a pay it forward idea. If students are encouraged about learning and about being creative, then one day they will encourage other students and get them excited about the same thing. I think that there is hope that we can nurture this idea as a society. Honestly I think the more publicity that helping students will get, the more people that will want to help. For example, eating healthy became this new fad, it is now “cool” to shop at Whole Foods, in the same way, the more people know about opportunities to help students the more they will want to help.
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ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Hurst,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion as a public speaker I would have to say that his speech was appalling to hear, the nervousness that came off of him somewhat effected the quality of the speech. This aside I thought that the point of the speech was hit, somewhat, this being that he is philanthropist but again to another degree he seems that his goal isn't just to teach but make himself more important in reality.
I think what drives him much like what drives many people in the field of philanthropy is the goal to help people, of course these days the only way to help some one is to develop a new and innovative idea. This is what I assume drives everyone in this career to help someone.
As a society I suppose we have to nurture the idea of philanthropy but then again we need to realize that philanthropy should be a voluntary deed committed by more well off people than ourselves.
----Eddie McKelligett
Block 2
In terms of his actual speech, Eggers could use some work. He's not the best speaker in the world, he came across as nervous and uneasy with the crowd, and, being a debator, his relatively poor speaking skills took away from his speech's overall impact for me. That being said, the message he is trying to convey is a powerful one indeed. I think that Eggers took his own natural philanthropic nature and ran with it, creating his not for profit tutoring centers. Fortunatly, some people naturally possess these philanthropic impulses, and it is because of these people that many segments of society have benefited. Not all people possess these impulses though, and i think that it is kind of futile to try to nurture them in these people. This is an unfortunate fact, but a fact nonetheless. Some people just don't find satisfaction in helping others, and other people do, but only because it makes them feel like "good people". That's why it's kind of a joke to "nurture philanthropic impulses" in society, when some people simply do not possess the desire to help others.
ReplyDeleteRev. Mack Kennedy
Despite the numerous shifts in focus, and somewhat awkward presentation, Dave Eggers' lecture provided a comical and inspiring outlook into the future of education. Overall, I found it immensely encouraging to hear someone addressing the shortcomings of our education system. Motivated our of shear philanthropy, Dave Eggers' passion for what he does profoundly affected my thoughts of innovation in the our communities schools.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, one is driven to do such good by harnessing an ecletic makeup of internal motivation and determination. An individual with such philanthropic intent cannot be motivated out a mere materialistic concerns, but instead a passionate desire to inspire, a trait that lies deepe within the heart of an individual.
I hold somewhat ambivelent feelings when asking myself whether such innovative behavior can be nurtured by society. Sure, you can set up an environment where such behaviors are likely to develop, and constantly "say" your going to make a change; but to me it still remains more or less up to the individual - something that for the most part cannot be nurtured by society. A person can be under the best of circumstances and still decide to do nothing for the sake of others, while another individual with little or nothing to show for can go on to make a big difference in the lives of others. To me, the idea of helping others remains a trait reserved to the individual, ultimately independent of all (or most) external influences.
Alex Upp
Block 4
The lecture given by David Eggers was really touching. I can really relate to him being so nervous because so many people have that same problem, including me. Whenever I get to like 5 minutes before I go on to any stage in front of a big amount of people, I feel as though my stomach is going to fall out of my body and my heart is going to jump out of my chest. Although he was clearly nervous and out of his comfort zone, he did a really great job. He really connected with the audience and made them laugh, which is not something that can easily be done. There were times that I was thrown off and distracted by his hand gestures and his constant pausing but I understand that many other people have to do something to keep them calm, and that’s his thing.
ReplyDeleteHe talked about how he wanted to make a tutoring center to help the students with their creative sides and I thought that was very noble and unselfish of him. So many people go through life thinking about how they can better their own lives but he is trying to better other people’s lives. He will indeed run into some hardships when it comes to dealing with students because they did take a while to warm up to people and to give someone their attention, but he seems to be a really driven person and a person that can really grab a student’s attention so I’m sure that everything will work out just fine.
Vashti Powell
Block 4
I enjoyed the video. The one point he kept reiterating was the fact that it only takes one person to change the world. The tutoring program started off for one group and once one person saw it another was inspired to help the situation. It goes back to what we were discussing in class, there is hope because it only takes that one person to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteDave Eggers gave one riveting speech from start to finish. I do not want to shit here and critique his gestures and the way he spoke, because I felt it made him seem more humble and down to earth, but it was one unique statement he made that made me think. Eggers stated that it takes one community to change the world. This made me realize the fact that if one person from every community, takes the time out of their schedule to help out kids in need or the elderly, this can spark others to do the same.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the fact that Eggers got writers to help the kids with their English, because if anyone would know it, it would be them. The fact that he created a "star" program, and kept it in a unique location with unique themes, would keep the kids coming back every time they could. This philanthropist view, is the right push to improving society and recreating the sense of hope for society
I enjoyed the lecture, it was humorous and Dave Eggers comical nature added to this enjoyment, even though he was nervous. I didn't understand the lecture at first but after listening to it again it was very encouraging. It is amazing to find that people still care for education and looks to help future generations.
ReplyDeleteIts is a natural thing for people to do philanthropic deeds. They harness the creativity by seeing a problem that society may have and the work hard to address them, then they put all this hard work to philanthropic purposes.
Society cannot nurture the quality of caring enough to make some change. It is just the nature of some people. Dave Eggers talks about the tutoring center, that was just a wonderful idea that gives kids a chance to do their homework in a distraction free environment and allows them the opportunity to ask question to get a better understand of something. It is similar to the STAR program at our school. Its a great quality that people have but it cannot be nurtured, it comes from a person having a visceral reaction to something that causes them to take action.