I teach a foreign language to junior high and high school students…I teach English. In my English III class, which looks at American literature, we have been talking about dreams--the dreams of a people wanting to rise up against tyranny and oppression to create a new nation; the dreams of a people seeking to be acknowledged and respected as equals; the dreams of people seeking adventure in new and undiscovered territories. We have discussed how it is important to lift up our comrades and help them achieve their dreams. Today, I had them write about their own dreams, big and small. What do they aspire to accomplish…how do they plan to accomplish it…how can we be an encouragement to you as you work to accomplish it? As they often do, they asked me the same question. “What is one of your dreams Mrs. S?” I could have shared some of the more obvious and “grown-up” dreams—to have a family, build a home, get out of debt—but, in a desire to bolster those who have what they consider to be lesser dreams, I shared a special dream…one that is very real and significant to me. I will now share that dream with you.
I desperately want to be on Wheel of Fortune. I watch it every evening…and I am good at it. I get angry at the contestants when they ask for absurd letters…or spin for more money on a prize puzzle when the answer is obvious…or spend money on obvious vowels. I dream about the sparkly million dollar wedge and whether I would risk it all in the mystery round. I.Love.That.Show.
After sharing this dream with my students…they laughed and called me a “word nerd.” Perhaps I need to spend some time tomorrow discussing the definition of the word encouragement. :/
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