As I sat through the initiation seminar for 826LA, there was one idea that I was skeptical of: “The Scrolls of Mystery and Imagination.” “The Scrolls” are a series of short paper and story ideas that kids can work on after they finish their homework. I thought it was a nice idea, but a little unrealistic. What kid finishes his homework, then assigns herself more?

I was cured of my skepticism on my very first day at 826LA. The first student I was paired with was a girl name Melina. She had her assignment out before we finished shaking hands, and we powered through it without a break. The only aspect of her assignment that gave Melina any trouble was punctuating quotation marks, but she’s a great listener and good at applying what she’s learned.

As the assignment had been challenging for Melina, I assumed she’d want to play a game when she was done, but before I knew it, she was digging into the Scrolls of Mystery and Imagination. In no time, she had written up a clear and thorough four-paragraph essay on monkeys, and this wasn’t even for school.

Now I was sure it was game time, and I mentally prepared myself to be beaten in Scattergories or Scrabble, but Melina wasn’t done yet. She double-dipped into the Scrolls of Mystery and Imagination, and said (and I’m not exaggerating): “I hope I get a scroll that lets me practice using quotation marks.”

Melina then wrote a short story that examined how her life would be different if she woke up one morning as a mouse. She used plenty of dialogue, and by the end of it, her commas were falling squarely before her open quotes, and her punctuation fitting neatly within her endquotes. It was beautiful.

There’s a sign on the wall that says that every tutor and student is at 826 because they want to be. That was certainly true here. Not every student rushes to do extra work once they finish their homework (I’ve since suffered my share of defeat at Scattergories and Scrabble), but it’s a fair indication of the students that come to 826LA: they’re here because they want to be here, and they’re eager to learn.

Bill Langworthy is a freelance writer and producer living in Venice.