My American Dream

Happy 4^th of July!

Independence Day is a day to celebrate us, a day to celebrate the victories that we have achieved in our country, for EVERYONE, over many generations. Many of these successes have come with a very heavy toll. One of the most important triumphs that has made our country great, made it strong, and made us proud is our ability to educate our youth.

An educated student is one who is likely to go into the world, have opportunities for success, and strive for that all-important, much coveted “American Dream.” There are many ways for students to achieve success and there are many ideas of what that “American Dream” is. For some people, it is being able to attend college and secure a respectable career someday. For others, it might be owning a home or being able to drive a car. For some, having a family is their dream, while others dream to help those around them and give back to those less fortunate. Sadly, for some, their dream is to be warm and night and have a meal to eat. Still others may say that their “American Dream” is being able to be respected and recognized, legally and without discrimination or hate, for who they are, what they believe, or for daring to have their voices heard – freedoms that seem to be guaranteed to everyone under our Constitution.

Achieving success and realizing your dreams is different for everyone and dependent on many factors. Key influences for the success of our youth mean being fed, clothed, loved, appreciated, supported, safe, challenged, and accepted. Without these things, the chance of a young person developing self-respect and confidence to achieve success decreases drastically.

And how can we help our youth do these things? We can help them get an education - a strong, high-quality, fair, caring, accepting, and challenging 21^st-century education. However, it takes support from all sides – schools, students, parents, families, and communities. An education is also more than what happens within the walls of a classroom, the learning of content and skills. Education is the opening of the mind, the learning to agree and to disagree, the willingness to put the shoe on the other foot, the learning to question and wonder, the ability to struggle and the ability to thrive. Education is allowing students the basic rights to develop their individuality, realize their potential, and be treated with equality. An education is the opportunity for students to grow and develop, to want, to hope, and to know HOW to set forth for their dreams. An education TODAY is the ticket to the success of TOMORROW. 

If I can do these things for my students, to help them to think, to hope, to dream and to achieve, then I have succeeded. I am an educator and that is My American Dream.

What is yours?