Marshall High’s Championship

I want to congratulate David Florey and the rest of the members of the Academic Decathlon team from Marshall High for their superior showing in Dallas. These students proved that learning needn’t be boring--they exemplify what smart, good teaching can accomplish.

Their big win poses questions that your article only vaguely addresses, however. I want to know more about this remarkable teacher, David Tokofsky. Just how does one teach children how to learn? How to enjoy the process of learning? To my mind, this man’s philosophy and methods represent a vital key for all of us.

The article touches on the age-old “school is boring” syndrome. As I interpret Tokofsky’s comments, school may be boring, but true learning is not. The key was: The students learned to teach themselves. How did Tokofsky accomplish that elusive ability? What can we learn from him?

The answers, in part, were lightly touched upon. “They learned without bells ringing, without external discipline, and without negative reinforcement,” according to Tokofsky. So the learning must have been interesting--uninterrupted--upgraded perhaps. What else?

We learned that Tokofsky graduated from college magna cum laude, which translates into his own love of, or dedication to, learning--which projected itself to the students. Perhaps Tokofsky saw an opportunity for his own growth with the decathlon. Maybe he saw a chance to challenge himself, as well as his students. Ultimately, he’s challenged us. He’s proven what education can really accomplish when bureaucracy is set aside. He’s proven what education should be about: learning.

I don’t mean to diminish the students. They worked tremendously hard and their win at the decathlon shows such dedication can pay off, both personally and financially. Would that all children be exposed to the stuff of Tokofsky’s dreams? Unfortunately, I don’t think the citizens and state of California have enough money in the “budget” to pay Tokofsky what he’s really worth.

ADRIENNE DYKES

Westminster