Have you ever wished you could shine a light on a child?  To open up the world of imagination?  And spring open a treasure chest of possibilities?

David Egger, winner of the Ted Prize, is doing just that - and he is inspiring others to do the same, all with a good dose of humor and just plain old fun. 

The TED Prize was created as a way of taking the inspiration, ideas and resources that are generated at TED and using them to make a difference. Although the winners receive a prize of $100,000 each, that’s the least of what they get. The real prize is that they are granted a WISH. A wish to change the world.

Watching David Egger state his wish, I could see why his plan to get volunteers to give kids the one-on-one attention that they need to succeed in school is taking off.

Who could resist a tutoring program that is part of a publishing enterprise, and a Pirate Store? or a Super Hero Supply Store?  And who wouldn’t want to visit a 7/11 that doubles as a Time Travel Mart whose slogan is “Whenever You Are, We’re Already Then?”

The storefronts are a riot!  Here are a couple that I’d like to visit:

    Once Upon a School is challenging adults to support their local public schools. Their goal is to collect 1,000 stories told by those who participate.   As of today, they’ve collected 41 (read them on  Once Upon a School Project Stories,) but I don’t doubt that they will exceed their goal.

I know that there are a lot of dedicated, creative volunteers already making a difference in public schools around the country.  They just need to share their stories.

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is providing an extra incentive to help make this wish a reality.

He called upon every adult to bring their time, skill, and energy to bear on the lives of students.  In collaboration with teachers and schools around the world, people are making his wish a reality. Since TED, a number of inspired, creative, innovative public school partnerships are now in the works.  For example: TEDsters are sponsoring books at local 826 chapters, starting programs in schools, creating websites and a number of people have committed to building their own 826-like tutoring centers. 

These are partnerships that embody the spirit of the TED Prize - we want to support them and help spur more. 

Join this group. Challenge yourself to participate in the lives of public school students.  Be imaginative, dedicated, and enthusiastic.  Then tell us about your work. 

The leader or initiator of the three projects that best encapsulate the TED Prize spirit - vision, commitment, fun, partnership, and change – will each receive a pass to TED2009 in Long Beach, California.  These are the kind of people we want to celebrate at TED.

Find more information and commit to taking part in the challenge here:  www.onceuponaschool.org/?page_id=191

We look forward to hearing your story.

Locally, there are a couple of writing centers that I’d like to visit: Word St. in Pittsfield, MA and The Writing Center in NY’s Capital Region.   And I’m sure that they are inspiring others.

    I can’t wait to read all these stories!  I’m going to share this TED wish with my Girl Scouts.  Who knows?  Maybe we’ll come up with our our project, and then we’ll share our story.

More TED Talks:

Are we overprotecting our kids?

A Wish For Students: Imagination In Action

Do schools kill creativity?

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