Today, I want to talk about dreams.
Children do not come with an instruction manual, but they do acquire a dream. At some point they come to realize that there is a world out there and they can be a part of it.
It’s then that they decide what they want to be when they grow up. This is a very important milestone in the maturation process — when they know what they want to be, or at least think they know.
Unfortunately, they are often very reluctant to tell anyone what they want to be. They are afraid of being laughed at and being teased. You want to be an actor, you want to be an astronaut, you want to be president. Children can be very cruel.
So most hold their dreams deep inside them. I am reminded of lyrics from the song, “What a Feeling” from the movie “Flashdance:”
Just when there’s nothing
But a slow, glowing dream
That your fears seem to hide Deep inside your mind
All along I have cried
Silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel
Made of stone.
I was a substitute teacher and on those occasions where I taught English, I would start the class by asking my students to write an essay. I would write these words on the board as the subject of the essay. The point was not to collect these essays and grade them, but to make them think — think about how they feel inside.
The point was to let them know that there are other people who have these same thoughts — you are not alone.
Of course, it is our job to make their dreams come true. Strangely, we are motivated to do this since for most of us, our dreams did not come true.
From the Broadway play “Les Miserables,” the last line of the song “I Have a Dream” is “my life has killed the dream I dream.” Let’s not kill their dreams.
Our job is to teach them more than just facts. Our job is to help them realize their dream. This is hard to do if they are reluctant to reveal their dream. So we must first get close to them. We must convince them that we love them, not with iPods, cell phones and XBoxes at Christmas but with trust — not only do you have a parent, you have a friend.
But this is more the job of parents than it is of teachers. But some teachers can do this, and this is the difference between good teachers and bad teachers — between teachers who inspire and teachers who merely deliver facts.
