How Homework Relates to Happy Communities (and Pirates)

In 2002, author Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari decided to establish a place for students to go after school to receive writing instruction and finish their homework. Eggers and company found a building to rent located at 826 Valencia Street in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District. The building, however, was zoned for retail, so they had to come up with something to sell in order to occupy the space.

A friend involved with the project mentioned that the inside of the building looked like the hull of a ship and jokingly suggested they sell pirate supplies. Everyone had a good laugh at that, but eventually the idea took hold. Today, in addition to a non-profit tutoring center for students ages 6 to 18, 826 Valencia—named for the building’s location—is also San Francisco’s only independent supplier of equipment for the working buccaneer: eye-patches, peg-legs, hooks, planks and, of course, means to combat scurvy.

If 826 Valencia were actually a pirate ship, each member of the crew would receive private lessons in looting and pillaging, hauling sheets and singing shanties from a rowdy band of experienced pirate tutors. That is to say, the organization’s ballast (can’t help it) is made up of lots of quality one-on-one attention. The problem with most education systems, as Eggers sees it, is the lack of direct attention paid to individual students. Initially, with the help of friends and co-workers, he opened 826 to provide a “level of personal instruction” to students and families in the community that couldn’t have afforded it—or even had access to it—in the past. Now, with the help of literally thousands of buccaneers…I mean volunteers, 826 provides drop-in tutoring, class field trips, writing workshops and in-school programs to students across the country.

Talk about engaging communities! All those volunteers now have an important cause in common, and I think it’s safe to say the generation of students benefiting from this service won’t easily forget their afternoons at 826. As Eggers says, “there’s something about the kids finishing their homework in a given day—they go home, they’re finished. They don’t stall, they don’t do their homework in front of the TV. They’re allowed to go home at 5:30, enjoy their family, enjoy other hobbies, go outside, play. And that makes a happy family. A bunch of happy families in a neighborhood is a happy community. A bunch of happy communities tied together is a happy city and a happy world. So, the key to it all is homework!”

Chapters have opened in eight cities, all under the guidance of the umbrella organization 826 National, and all featuring storefronts as unique and creative as the original. (My favorite is in LA: “The Echo Park Time Travel Mart – Whenever You Are, We’re Already Then.”) Eggers stresses that these tutoring centers aren’t “Centers-For-Kids-That-Need-Extra-Help.” They’re pirate supply shops and time travel convenience stores and Bigfoot Research Institutes and superhero refueling outfits and independent publishing houses and, don’t forget, highly successful tutoring centers full of adults and kids working side-by-side in an environment that’s productive, creative and fun.

At the end of the day, 826 is a great example of how non-profits and citizens together can turn obstacles into opportunities and ultimately deliver results that enhance and strengthen community. And these results—the lessons learned, the friendships made, the people engaged—are as lasting as they are pioneering. Just like no self-respecting pirates would let maritime regulations get in the way of their quest for hidden treasure, the folks at 826 National don’t let zoning red tape or the status quo get in the way of making a positive difference for youth across America.