Just Try It

“The next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot for the next 30 days?,” asks Matt Cutts, a computer programmer for Google. Cutts issued this challenge to his audience at a TED conference, suggesting that they try something they’ve never done and experience life to the fullest. Cutts applies this to his own life, by embarking on numerous challenges to make and break habits, and also just for the joy of trying new things. For example, he has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, written a novel, and ridden his bike to work, all in 30-day increments.  Now, he can define himself as not just a computer “nerd”, but as a novelist, and as an adventurous person who experiments with and enjoys life. I think this is an interesting idea that can add a little extra to everyone’s lives. After all, you never know if you will like something until you try it. Unknowingly, I have applied a form of this idea to my life. At the end of the cross-country season I was burned out on running, and could not psych myself up for running again during track season. So, I did something crazy. With no experience to rely on, I decided to join my high school swim team in the spring (joining the sport this late is unheard of). Now I am considering giving up pre-season cross-country training for a summer swim team. Who knew? I have found a love and talent in something that was completely foreign to me a year ago. This idea can also be applied to education, particularly in high school. I think that the goal of the journey through high school is to find yourself and to define your interests. If varying types of classes are mandated for students to take, students could find a new talent or joy to pursue, that they never would have thought of before. This happened for me when I took the scary leap into English 9 Honors. I did not think of myself as an “English person”, and in fact, it was my least favorite subject, so it was quite a leap of faith to venture into an honors English class. However, English has now become my favorite class that I look forward to every day in school. All should embrace the practice of trying new things as it can lead to a more diverse life, and can uncover hidden talents or passions.

Cutts demonstrates the best poise on stage of all the other speakers in TED talks that I have watched. He is relaxed and very comfortable with his audience, and speaks with a lot of passion, making his speech very easy to listen to. He also incorporates personal examples and pictures to show that trying something new can really make life more enjoyable. In my TED talk, I will attempt to mirror the relaxedness and passion he shows while presenting his topic; excellent poise and presentation style really makes a difference to the audience in speeches.

Changing the World: One Student at a Time

          What do you do with 1400 volunteers who specialize in English (the subject), a pirate supply store, and a magazine office? Why, put it all together at 826 Valencia, and add in an English-centered tutoring center for kids of course! Dave Eggers is the mastermind behind this idea. When he lived in Brooklyn in 2000, he heard from his teaching friends that they were having trouble keeping their students at grade level in reading and writing. His friends wished for more manpower so that their students could get the help they needed through one-on-one learning time. Eggers wanted to help, but he did not see a way to bring the skills of his neighborhood (which was filled with writers, editors, and the like) to benefit the lives of the struggling students. But the story does not end there. He soon moved back to San Francisco, California where a magazine he worked with, the “McSweeney’s Quarterly”, and a few other magazines rented an office space which they shared with a tutoring center. Suddenly, a light bulb went off. Ding! Why not open the building up to kids who need extra help with English homework? The professional writing community working there could volunteer their free time and give one-on-one attention to the students! And so, 826 Valencia was born. Here, a pirate supply store pays for the rent, because the property is officially zoned for retail, and the magazine employees (along with other volunteers) offer homework help to excited kids after school. This idea has inspired other similar centers to pop up all over the country and even internationally! Egger hopes that many other transformative partnerships will develop and dramatically change the lives of thousands of school children. Through his TED Talk, he encourages and challenges others to invest their time in the up and coming generation. By sharing their knowledge and giving one-on-one time, adults can help children to make tremendous progress in their education. This can lead to the formation of a new generation that is fully prepared to solve the problems the world presents. I know this idea is occurring in my own life--through my parents. Whenever I need help on homework, need some constructive criticism on a paper, or need to bounce an idea off of someone, I turn to my parents. When teachers cannot provide the time and attention their students need, the child’s parents should be encouraged to step in and help their student with school. According to Eggers, just 35 to 40 hours a year of one-on-one attention can help a student achieve at one grade level higher. One-on-one time is essential to students’ lives, and if provided by someone, namely their parents, it can help them to succeed even more in school.

       Eggers has a game-changing and profound idea that if practiced can revolutionize the success of children in education. His humorous presentation style helps to package his speech up and tie it with a bow. He constantly makes the audience laugh and captures their attention with his idea and somewhat odd story of how it came to be. He also shows numerous pictures from 826 Valencia and other centers like it to give the audience visuals of his idea in action. However, he is very nervous, particularly about how much time he has left, and stumbles over his speech with many “uh”s, “um”s, and “ah”s. Eggers’s innovative idea and fun presentation style deservingly earns him a standing ovation at the end of his TED Talk.