I had a Dream

By Bob Cox

I had a dream the other night that I was plunked into the role of a grade school teacher, much like the character Sam Beckett in the old sci-fi hit show Quantum Leap. Just a few minutes left before the bell sounded and I would be completely exposed to the spotlight with no idea what I was going to do!

When the bell sounded, I asked the kids (around 5 years old) to be seated. What on earth could I possibly do to keep 30 energy packed children busy for the next 6 hours? Suddenly, an idea popped into my head as I asked them to grab their favorite crayon and proceed to the front of the room. I instructed them to write their dream on the ugly old wallpaper and then draw a cloud around their dream while placing their name at the bottom.

From that moment on, the kids began to shriek and scamper about, looking for their favorite crayons and then writing excitedly on the outdated olive green wallpaper that stood like a tattered monument to school budget cutbacks. For the few kids that got stuck, I told them to write down what they wanted to be when they grew up.

When the last of the kids finished, I asked them how they felt after writing their dreams on the wall that they would have to look at every day, and they all yelled and screamed with excitement, which of course made me feel pretty great! Once they settled down, I asked them if they ever heard of a man named Martin Luther King? And that’s when I woke up.

In my half-awake state, I decided to continue the dream. I went on to describe who Martin Luther King was, and how he made his famous “I Have a Dream Speech” 50 years ago during the march on Washington, which helped unite a divided nation. I imagined that we could have easily spend the entire day discussing the power of Dr. King’s words and the importance that each of us has a dream for the best possible life.

As I was thinking about that, another idea entered my mind. “What if I asked the kids if they saw the movie Planes?” I asked for a volunteer to play the main character, Dusty Crophopper and pretend to fly around the room while shouting his dream to be a champion racer while he broke free from he was built to be: a boring crop duster. Next, I instructed the other kids still sitting to shout at him what he was supposed to be, a crop duster, all the while reminding Dusty to ignore their nonsupportive words and fly faster around the room. Finally, I questioned everyone if Dusty knew how to be a champion racer or if he had to ask someone he trusted and respected for help, in spite of feeling fearful and intimidated.

I think those little kids would have had a blast while learning two very important lessons: To have a dream for an extraordinary life and then summon the courage to soar higher while conquering your fears one by one and to go for it!