Dare To Dream

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, joy, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     The truth is that I was taking the time to think about the idea of having a dream. Specifically a dream of what one desires to become. To have a dream is actually quite simple, but to make this dream come true, this is where the work begins. A dream could be a potential career goal, such as becoming an athlete, or a pilot. What all goals have in common is the desire to be achieved.

If the desire is to become an athlete, you know that you are good at playing a sport such as: Hockey, basketball, football etc. You know that you can play really well yet, there is lack in other areas of your life. This lack could be the academics, where the grades are not sufficient to make the team sports. 

     This is where the discipline of achieving a goal is necessary. We have to be disciplined if we want to achieve a goal. This is where as educators we have to be innovative to guide students towards the direction of their goal. I would argue that it is actually the obligation of the educator to do so. Once a student has shared the desired dream, it is an absolute dis-service if we do not guide them towards the goal. It is our obligation to do so. However, it is also the students duty to act, to be responsive, appreciative and thankful for the directions and information that is presented. This is part of self - discipline.  

The act of making a goal or a dream come true is all about taking the small steps. The small short - term steps to achieve these to work towards the larger goals. 

     Example of teaching methodology:
If the desire is to become an athlete we can think of innovative methods so that students complete their work, to pass the courses. We could use analogies as the final mark allocated to the assignment as the net. The question could be the shots of the strikes. The student must complete all the shots or the strikes, these are the questions to get the ball into the net. Meaning that if all the questions are attempted, the pass will be given. 

We can never force a student, but we can turn their gaze towards the direction of their goals. It will simply mean finding what the students are interested in, or even becoming the academic coach yourself. 
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​Dedication: Whilst my allegiance will always be with the United States of America, it is important to note that we are people of heart. We serve with heart and soul to  those that we encounter. Dedicated to the students, who shared their dreams, I care. Our  thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand - written on 28th April 2017.
Image 1 - Web Link
Image 2 - Photo from the book The Alchemist by Paula Coelho 
Image 3 - Web link