est. 2007

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Dave Eggers' Tackles A Common Problem In Education

Prime Minister Mia Mottley shows off a Kensington Oval ready for T20 World Cup

Dave Eggers’ first book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Since then he’s written two more novels and launched an independent publishing house, which publishes books, a quarterly literary journal (McSweeney’s), a DVD-based review of short films (Wholpin), a monthly magazine (The Believer) and the Voice of Witness project.

Meanwhile, Eggers has established himself as a philanthropist and teacher-at-large. In 1998 he launched 826 Valencia, a San Francisco-based writing and tutoring lab for young people, which has since opened six more chapters across the United States. He has extended his advocacy of students by supporting their educators, instituting a monthly grant for exceptional Bay Area teachers. His TED Prize wish is for more people to follow him into getting involved in your local school — and talk about it — through the website Once Upon a School.

Extracted from Ted.com

6 responses to “Dave Eggers' Tackles A Common Problem In Education”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    BU and members of the family have written about many aspects of our faltering education. What more can we write? Many of our journalists and stakeholders in education continue to focus on the symptoms. In the meantime we continue to support a system which does not create minds ready to compete in a changing world. We talk and talk and talk and we have been talking for the last two decades, so far no serious attempt to revamp our education system.

    One critical factor in the process which we need to focus on is a key stakeholder in the process, teachers.  Some thing is happening with our teachers. Many of our best teachers are happily retiring early or at the appointed time. BU’s biggest concern and rising on a daily basis is the rapidly decreasing number of MEN being attracted to the teaching profession. The alarming state of few men entering the profession coincides with a concern of boys and men in crisis in our society along side the girls and women reported to be achieving.

    What the video highlights is the need for all of us to get active within the system and be advocates and agents for change. What we sense in Barbados is a resignation and defeatist attitude to trying to fight back.

  2. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @David

    There is nothing more to write. Time for the Minister of Education to take action.

    Of course, as citizens we can also take action. Somebody (a professional) should get together with some teachers and open a specialised school. The advantages would be that, not only would there be a much higher pass rate, more children would leave school certified.

    A country must produce the citizens with the skills to maintain economic activity and service the society. Any country not doing this is the poorer for it.

  3. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @David,

    I am wondering why I cannot follow a thread without making a comment?

  4. David Avatar
    David

    @ROK

    Comment notification is activated only if you make a comment. Unfortunately it is a WordPress thing.

  5. BAFBFP Avatar
    BAFBFP

    Our good will Ambasador. Pied Piper, Green Monkey, Micro Mock, Robin Hood and BFP would be proud. But pun de other hand what would Hopi and Negroman think?

    (Off Topic?)

  6. David Avatar
    David

    Don’t mean to come over as chauvinistic but the preponderance of females in our teaching profession, many who are at middle age: has anyone done any research on how menopause could be impacting our quality of teaching?

    There is an emotional impact caused by menopause, right?

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