A Reflection on NPR Podcast: Sal Khan, Founder of Khan Academy

     Lets start with Sal Khans humble beginnings, working a relatively safe and secure job to jumping into the occupational uncertainty of making Youtube tutoring videos. Much like Sal's originally preconceptions, I always thought making videos or just making a living on Youtube is a gamble. On a website, that at the time, was a platform for hundred of thousands of users posting videos. Each fighting one another for the spot of Youtube's most viewed or liked video. It seemed like an impossible goal but Sal was doing something very few we're doing and that was teach. I remember during my time in public school that if I didn't understand the procedures to a math problem I looked online for videos and I found khan academy. The videos were easy to understand and were straight to the point. In fact, if it wasn't for Sals videos I might have struggled to pass my praxis to become a teacher. I learned so much from this person and it never costed me a single dime. I didn't have to buy a subscriptions or premium for his website, I just watched and learned. 

    Sal understood the novel idea that education should be free for the public and accessible to everyone, however how education institutions handled it was just throwing 25 to 30 kids in a room with a educator and expect results. Sal understood what many people do not seem to understand is that every student is in that room is at a different academic level. We put these students into one room based on age and nothing else. When the School Year is up we send them off to the next grade regardless is they are ready or not because of the No Child Left Behind Bill in which I'm sure the initial intentions were to make sure students don't feel demoralized because they have to repeat 6th grade for the second year. I argue, what's equally demoralizing is struggling with a subject where everyone around you has already mastered and you are getting further and further behind. Its why people loved Sals tutoring video because it helped them understand these once difficult concepts and it was at their own pace and privacy. 

    What makes Khan Academy so successful is just the ideas behind it. To help struggling students learn skills and concepts they may not have mastered yet and not asking for anything in return. Sal could have made the site locked behind a premium subscription, flooded it with advertisement or just kept the knowledge to himself continuing his own job to better himself and his family. Instead he saw the bigger picture, that so many people are struggling to receive an education and as educators we know that knowledge is powerful tool and can enable someone to reach their potential both academically and financially. He struggled with his own conscious about financially being stable and doing the right thing. I think that from his humble upbringing and the seeing his college steps towards free education, he believed he was doing the right thing and that the spiritual and mental wealth of his actions would be tsunami of confidence that he will still be successful and provide for his family. Sal has changed the life's of millions of people across the globe providing opportunity and education to those who could not afford it. He has inspired many that they can learn and that they can succeed, he has certainly done that for me. 

Thank you Mr. Sal Khan