"I still go to work with my dad on Saturdays and during vacation. Sometimes I get paid and sometimes I don't, but I am okay with that because I understand how hard he works to make money. When people see a gardener, they see a Mexican doing a job. When I see a gardener, I see a man who puts family before pride. I see my dad, my hero, my mentor, my friend, and the man who taught me to work for what I want. I will always remember this lesson because it reminds me of where I come from and who I am proud to be." - Erik, "Money Doesn't Grow on Trees"
That's what a teenage student who goes to John Marshall, a public high school in LA, just wrote. It's part of an anthology of short stories with similar themes, You Never Forget How to Ride a Bike, the seventh of its kind in the last five years produced as a free service to Los Angeles students like Erik. An organization where I work, 826LA, handles all of the scheduling, clearances, costs, and curriculum to make teachers' jobs easier and give their students a chance to publish. Every time we've done a large in-school project like this, Young Authors' Book Projects have yielded impressive results.
For a couple weeks this summer when high school students are apt to care about things other than school, we're turning the tables and challenging the adults around here to do a little writing. Of course, it's easier for them: they're just going to be spelling words like velociraptor. Throw in a whole bunch of dirty tricks that contestants have to pay to deploy, and you have a unique idea for a summer fundraiser: 826LA's Spelling Bee for Cheaters.
A website we created, http://www.826la.org/spellingbee, allows adults to sign up as spelling bee contestants. A team of up to five individuals raises money by asking their friends and family to contribute toward 826LA's free after-school tutoring, in-school class support, field trips, and writing workshops. For every couple hundred dollars pledged, the team of fundraising spellers qualifies for another "cheat" during the eventual showdown onstage. They're the kind of dirty tricks people would resort to before they had smartphones to correct their typing: looking in the dictionary, conferring with a friend, and so on.
More than a dozen rival teams have registered already, and the competition is heating up! 826LA raised about $3000 in the first few weeks, and now we're shooting for $50,000 by August 14. Is it going to be cutthroat? Yes; this is a competition for cheaters, after all. But hopefully we'll learn some important lessons. We already have a great teacher in Erik.
Danny Hom is Programs & Social Media Coordinator at 826LA. Find out about what 826LA is doing to help students who have something to say in an original voice by visiting 826LA's website: www.826LA.org.