Part 1 – Chapters 1-3
1. Randy chose the topic of his lecture to be called – Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. Share one of your childhood dreams. Have you shared this with your students? If not, would you now?
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One of my high school aged dreams was to be a photojournalist or work in media (photography or film) in some way. While it didn't quite take the path I had imagined, I am very happy with where it ended up. I am still able to work with media, both professionally and in my personal life (I shoot infrared photos as a hobby when I travel), and I am able to pass those skills and appreciations on to many others. I do share that with my students, and I encourage them to envision many pathways, and be open to every opportunity, because you never know where it will lead. I think achieving a childhood dream is a lot easier if your dreams are more open-ended and not super specific, which is something many teenagers don't consider at that age.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool hobby! You should share a few of those photos!
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DeleteHere are a few examples from my trip to the Pacific Northwest a couple years ago. I love the way infrared makes everything look otherworldly. I shoot it every time I travel. https://manningmediamania.blogspot.com/2019/05/infrared-photos-my-classes-can-ignore.html
DeleteThese are awesome! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteOne of my childhood dreams was to live in another country. In my junior and senior summers of college I lived for the summer in Trois-Pistoles Quebec while studying French Language and the following summer I lived in Mexico City, Mexico to study the Mexican culture and he Spanish language. I have shared this with my students and they are always surprised I can speak other languages.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great life experience Molly!!
DeleteOh my gosh, Molly!! We're twins! I LOVE other cultures and languages and always dreamed of living in other countries. Fortunately, I was also able to fulfill this dream:)
DeleteI'm not sure if I should be embarrassed to admit this or not....I not sure what my childhood dreams were. I was surprised when I came to Randy's list in the book, I never had a list like that. When I thought about this and tried to discover why and the only thing I came up with is that my dreams were constantly changing and evolving as I grew. I know I did want to be a teacher and marry someone I truly loved and have a family. I achieved all those goals and am very proud of that. I am thankful that as I grew and changed so did most of my dreams. I am very happy that I never became an groupie and that I didn't ran away with the band Poison.
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to this. I didn't really have a list either. I mean I wanted to own a horse and be a scuba diver, but those things faded over time so I didn't really want to achieve them anymore. I had a hard time coming up with something similar to the author...
Deleteooopps...forgot to add my name to response----Alicia Traverse
DeleteI am not sure how many people actually have childhood dreams. I can't identify anything that stuck with me through the years. I am also happy to be where I am...it appears I arrived here by fate.
DeleteIt took quite a bit of reflecting to nail down what I would call childhood dreams. I realize now that I did not have that laser-like focus some others possess.
DeleteYes, Randy's list was quite incredible. Not only was his list incredible, but he also had a way of getting his dreams fulfilled. Very inspirational.
DeleteI, like Molly, always dreamed of traveling and learning other cultures and languages. I feel like growing up in very homogeneous society made me want to explore any- and everything different. I became extremely fascinated with other cultures, customs, accents, you name it. As a high school senior I took my first trip abroad (led by my Spanish teacher) and haven't stopped since. I'm excited to now be sharing this dream with my own students as I take them to Costa Rica in April!
ReplyDeleteTraveling is such a natural high! It is amazing to see the different cultures and how they run their countries. As much as I want to travel to European and asian countries, I feel there is still so much to see in the US that is amazing!
DeleteI am just going to note that this is Craig. As a child, I was going to be a lawyer, a professional golfer, or a professional hockey player. I first stepped on the ice when I was four years old and played for 12 years at the highest level. But too many concussions at a young age led me to pursuing golf. This too was a sport I learn early on as my grandfather taught me how to play. I actually worked on a golf course in the 1000 Islands while growing up and ususally palyed 18 -36 holes a day with the pro. He had actually offered my parents a place for me to live in Florida so that I could play year round...that didn't happen. In my twenties, I had actually dropped out of college and began working full time as a manager for Tuxedo Junction. At this point, I volunteered to coach a midget level hockey team. This experience led me to going back to school to become a teacher because I loved the interaction with the kids on the ice. While I never played professionally, I did coach for a few years at the Varsity level before I gave that up due to the interruption of time it caused with my family. I do share this with my students because I think it's important for them to know that your career path can change. And sometimes if you follow your passion, you will end up doing something you love.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting the various reasons we have been led to the field of teaching; not so much as one of our childhood dreams but as a vocation. My path was through coaching, not hockey, but softball.
DeleteGrowing up, I always wanted to be a PE teacher, which I was able to achieve. When I was a child, my friends never believed me that this was what I wanted to do. I have always been a determined person who has never given up. About 10 years ago I was hit by a drunk driver and thought all my dreams were going to come to an end. I had short term memory loss and still suffer from vertigo issues to this day. I share this with my students when we talk about drugs and alcohol. I show them my pictures from the accident and explain how in an instant life can change. I also had a dream of traveling and from the moment I was in that accident, I truly started to live life as open and fun as possible.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for what you've been through, but it sounds like you have a very positive attitude towards it. You are able to make a difference in the lives of your students, and hopefully your accident and story will always stick with them and they won't ever end up on the wrong side. I am happy to hear you continue to live your life to it's fullest.
DeleteA childhood dream of mine was to visit the Olympics. I used to figure skate competitively for many years throughout my childhood and while I knew I most likely wouldn't make it to the Olympics for excelling in my sport, I always dreamed of going to see them because of the big hype. I have told my students the sports I was into when I was younger but not necessarily my dream. I will plan to do so sometime soon because I think it is great to have goals and dream!
ReplyDeleteI never had what I would call a childhood dream. When I was in elementary school I did aspire to be an Olympic wrestler. I was able to wrestle in the Junior Olympics as a 4th and 5th grader but after 5 the grade we moved to a school in New York that did not have a wrestling program. At that point I knew I would not be able to accomplish that goal. We moved again after my junior year of high school to a new school that had a wrestling program. So even though I wasn't able to be an Olympic wrestler, I did get to wrestle my senior of high school. I have shared this story with students, especially those who have moved during their high school years to inspire them to enjoy being in a new school.
ReplyDeleteI have always dreamed of being a teacher. Both of my parents were teachers and I embraced the idea of following in their footsteps. I would set up mock classrooms, using stuffed animals as my students. My mom would bring home gradebooks and planbooks for me to prepare my lessons and stay organized. As I continued through my schooling, I would often look at the qualities of my teachers and decided who I wanted to be like when I became a teacher. I have shared this childhood dream with my students and talk about goal setting and dreaming big...
ReplyDeleteMy childhood dream was to be a veterinarian. All the way up until high school when I started thinking I may want to be an educator. At that point I was undecided, but I started college as a biology (pre-vet) major. I quickly decided that my heart wasn't in it and I switched to an education major which I was thrilled about, and I continued to love and do well in college. I have shared that childhood dream and the story of my change of heart with students. It is important for them to see you should follow your dreams and your heart, even if those dreams change. Kids should see that being happy in life is what matters, and if you are happy in a career, you can be successful.
ReplyDeleteHey Alyssa I totally agree. A constant in life is change. Things are always changing, and it is so important for kids and people to understand that it is ok, and they should do what makes them happy.
DeleteI honestly had to do a lot of reflection to determine what my childhood dreams might have been. The one thing I can consistently remember wanting to do is travel. I wanted to see more than the United States, see ancient history. I started that journey in my late 20's with a trip to England and Scotland. I spent our last break in Italy. I willing share my thoughts on travel with my students and the experiences I have gained from them. I have always found a value in letting my students see what I have a passion for. I always try and encourage my students see past where they are now and reach for something.
ReplyDeleteLike many other comments on here,I really can't remember having any substantial childhood dreams. I remember wanting to meet Michael Jackson and Prince. :)
ReplyDeleteLike many young girls, I wanted to be a veterinarian. But only because I loved animals, not because biology interested me. I probably had a goal of being a teacher from about middle school on. It seemed to bring together many of the skills that I felt I had...enjoying children, learning/teaching new things, organizing fun activities,etc.
In the past few months I have started sharing more stories from my life with my class. I didn't see the value in that until recently. I'm glad I see it now. When I begin the day with a story of something that happened at home the night before, my students listen with wide eyes and smiles. It's such a great way to connect with them. I used to keep the two aspects of my life (personal and professional) very separate. Sharing experiences, goals, and dreams with them is truly important.
RIP MJ and Prince :)
DeleteOne of my childhood dreams was to become a performer, specifically on Broadway. I have most definitely shared this dream with some of my students. I have been able to fulfill part of this dream as I am a performer and have performed with both orchestras and rock bands :) Family comes first, so once my son is older I do plan to pursue performing in professional pit orchestras for musicals.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool way to bring your dreams into reality and share it with students.
DeleteOne of my childhood dreams was to travel and meet people from around the world. I have not really traveled much outside of the United States but through my job, as an ENL teacher, I have been able to meet people from around the world. Yes, I have shared my desire to travel with my students. I use this as way to encourage my students to take graduating seriously and be more interested in graduating. Many of my students come from cultures where higher education is for those with a lot of money, many do not expect to graduate in their home countries and they tend to carry that expectation with them when they enter US schools. My childhood dream to travel is a tool I use to show them the benefits and privileges they can get if they graduate from high school.
ReplyDeleteOne of my childhood dreams was to grow up and be a veterinarian. Fast forward to when science got a little harder in high school and I HATED it. Though I did (and still do) have the love for animals, I do not have the wherewithal to operate on them. This topic made me laugh because I actually told one of my students last week that that's what I wanted to be when I grew up. I love asking kids what their dreams are. I think that hearing their plans and aspirations is really inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI entered my display name as Kristen Noltee.. it did not work ^
DeleteAs a child, one of my dreams was to explore the Galapagos Islands and the rain forests of Indonesia. I have yet to go but I will one day. I shared that with students, hopefully they will be able to achieve their dreams.
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