Circuit Court

The TED Conference is an annual gathering of what is billed as the brightest minds in the world.  Speakers, which have included Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and numerous Nobel Prize winners, are given 18 minutes to explain their views of the world and to address problems and trends that they feel we all should be paying attention to.  "Ideas worth spreading" is the conference motto.

In recent years TED (Technology Entertainment Design) has branched out from its home in California by licensing cities around the U.S. to hold their own local TED conferences.

A few weeks ago organizers held the first St. Louis TED event at the Science Center's Planetarium.

St. Louis Circuit Court might seem like an unlikely partner in this event, unless you happen to know Judge Jimmie Edwards.   

Judge Edwards was asked to be one of seven speakers to kick off the debut of  TED-St. Louis.  The reason organizers found him fascinating was the same reason that many people have been talking about Judge Edwards lately—The Innovative Concept Academy.

Started in 2009, the Academy is America's first school devoted entirely to troubled kids who have failed to make it in traditional schools.  It has generated national attention for its approach to educating delinquent children while still holding them accountable for their behavior.

Judge Edwards' 18-minute talk at the TED Conference, entitled Encouraging the Incorrigible, can be viewed by following this link:  http://tedxstlouis.com/speakers/jimmie-edwards/