9th May 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
A book was launched last week in Washington entitled ‘I Live Real Close To Where You Used To Live: Kid’s letters to Michelle Obama (and to Sasha, Malia and Bo)’. On the face of it this doesn’t appear too significant, or to have anything to do with private tuition, but as a report on the Washington Post’s website tells, the book launch isn’t as ordinary it may at first appear.
The book has been produced as a joint effort by elementary school students who attend tuition centres called ‘826’, and the tutors who help them there. The kids who attend 826 centres are given tutoring for free, which is the brainchild of Dave Eggers, a generation X writer. Eggers originally bought a small outlet in San Francisco to begin the tuition, but was told that the store had to actually sell something, so he combined the tuition centre with a pirate shop, selling peglegs and eye patches. He’s since opened 7 more tuition centres, which stick with the theme of selling something, as well as offering free private tutoring.
826 centres try to provide students with a way to learn about writing, and produce many books, written by the kids themselves, which they can take home. The staff at each centre are unpaid volunteers, often in their 20s, and tutor the students in many things, but there is a focus on writing.
The book launched last week contains many short letters written by the students to Michelle Obama; here are just a few of the best:
“Please send money. I love princesses.”
“Try to keep drugs off the streets. Robots may be able to help you.”
“My parents are divorced. I am having trouble moving on. Do you have any tips? I am confused and sad.”
“A smelly foot should be a foot that has a nose on it. Do you have a nose on your foot?”