What I Learned Lately (WILL 13/14 #19)
5/23/2014
By Dr. Josh Garcia, @Garciaj9Josh
“Dreaming or Awake – Is There A Difference?”
Early in my life, my mom encouraged me to dream. I am not sure if she was teaching me to escape the present or plan for the future or both. Recently, I have been dreaming a lot about life personally and professionally. My dreams have not been limited to the moments of sleep. I have often found myself “day dreaming”. As I have reflected on why I dream, what I am dreaming of and should I share my dreams, I have been left numb by the question, “what if”? As my body lay motionless last night, I found myself questioning was I awake or asleep? Then, I felt a strange sense of peace – did it really matter?
I have learned that dreams can prepare us for the awaken life. It is one thing to dream, it is another to understand the nature of the dream. Without examining the nature of our dreams, they are merely moments in between two breathes. As leaders we have dreams and we try to operationalize those dreams through vision and mission statements, action/improvement plans and our daily work. In education, we often use terms like equity, access and achievement gaps as ways to add context to our dreams. I am not sure we pause often enough to question the nature of the dreams and our actions.
I have a dream that one day our schools will rise up and lead our great nation. Lead you ask, yes lead! For if it is not us, then who shall? Although we the educators know that we are not all created equal, we know it is our job to create equitable opportunities for all our children. This is the true intent of our great nation, access to the dream, the American Dream. I have a dream that my two little boys, my daughter and every child that I serve will one day attend schools where they will not be judged by the AYP cell they are assigned to but by the content of their character and their ability to create their own new knowledge.
I dream that one day educators will open the doors of gifted and talented, honors and other college preparatory curriculum; one day in each of our towns, all students will be able to engage in the richness of Advance Placement and International Baccalaureate; one day in every school house, students will have one adult that believes that they deserve to and can achieve at the highest levels. I dream that we will not place barriers in front of our students and pretend that we are trying to protect them from failing before they have tried.
I dream that one day every hidden curriculum will be revealed, every lesson will be scaffolded, teachers will work collaboratively to provide portals to language, instructional strategies will the topic of conversation around the staff room table and the glory of new knowledge shall be revealed and all students will create it for themselves.
I dream that others will recognize that this is our chance. I dream that others will share the same conviction. I dream that we will all go back to our schools this year and every year until our dreams are our reality. With this conviction we will be able open the locked doors of promise for all students and be able to transform the clattering dissension of our profession into a picturesque web of support for our students. Then we will be able to collaborate together, to learn together, to struggle together, to walk the steps of the capital together, to stand up for access together, knowing that we will all be free one day.
As we wrap up one school year and begin to plan for another, I hope we relentlessly dream and ask ourselves, “what if”. More importantly, what if we the adults relentlessly asked our students to dream, plan and act? What if our students felt safe enough to share their dreams? What if we defined our work by ability to teach students how to learn and facilitated their dreams? What if we shared our dreams with our staff and students? What if…
Finally from, Stella Stuart “Dream - Everyday”
Behind me infinite power
Before me is endless possibility.
Around me is boundless opportunity.
Why should I fear?
Cross-posted from: http://edge.ascd.org/_What-I-Learned-Lately-WILL-1314-19/blog/6565621/127586.html
By Dr. Josh Garcia, @Garciaj9Josh
“Dreaming or Awake – Is There A Difference?”
Early in my life, my mom encouraged me to dream. I am not sure if she was teaching me to escape the present or plan for the future or both. Recently, I have been dreaming a lot about life personally and professionally. My dreams have not been limited to the moments of sleep. I have often found myself “day dreaming”. As I have reflected on why I dream, what I am dreaming of and should I share my dreams, I have been left numb by the question, “what if”? As my body lay motionless last night, I found myself questioning was I awake or asleep? Then, I felt a strange sense of peace – did it really matter?
I have learned that dreams can prepare us for the awaken life. It is one thing to dream, it is another to understand the nature of the dream. Without examining the nature of our dreams, they are merely moments in between two breathes. As leaders we have dreams and we try to operationalize those dreams through vision and mission statements, action/improvement plans and our daily work. In education, we often use terms like equity, access and achievement gaps as ways to add context to our dreams. I am not sure we pause often enough to question the nature of the dreams and our actions.
I have a dream that one day our schools will rise up and lead our great nation. Lead you ask, yes lead! For if it is not us, then who shall? Although we the educators know that we are not all created equal, we know it is our job to create equitable opportunities for all our children. This is the true intent of our great nation, access to the dream, the American Dream. I have a dream that my two little boys, my daughter and every child that I serve will one day attend schools where they will not be judged by the AYP cell they are assigned to but by the content of their character and their ability to create their own new knowledge.
I dream that one day educators will open the doors of gifted and talented, honors and other college preparatory curriculum; one day in each of our towns, all students will be able to engage in the richness of Advance Placement and International Baccalaureate; one day in every school house, students will have one adult that believes that they deserve to and can achieve at the highest levels. I dream that we will not place barriers in front of our students and pretend that we are trying to protect them from failing before they have tried.
I dream that one day every hidden curriculum will be revealed, every lesson will be scaffolded, teachers will work collaboratively to provide portals to language, instructional strategies will the topic of conversation around the staff room table and the glory of new knowledge shall be revealed and all students will create it for themselves.
I dream that others will recognize that this is our chance. I dream that others will share the same conviction. I dream that we will all go back to our schools this year and every year until our dreams are our reality. With this conviction we will be able open the locked doors of promise for all students and be able to transform the clattering dissension of our profession into a picturesque web of support for our students. Then we will be able to collaborate together, to learn together, to struggle together, to walk the steps of the capital together, to stand up for access together, knowing that we will all be free one day.
As we wrap up one school year and begin to plan for another, I hope we relentlessly dream and ask ourselves, “what if”. More importantly, what if we the adults relentlessly asked our students to dream, plan and act? What if our students felt safe enough to share their dreams? What if we defined our work by ability to teach students how to learn and facilitated their dreams? What if we shared our dreams with our staff and students? What if…
Finally from, Stella Stuart “Dream - Everyday”
Behind me infinite power
Before me is endless possibility.
Around me is boundless opportunity.
Why should I fear?
Cross-posted from: http://edge.ascd.org/_What-I-Learned-Lately-WILL-1314-19/blog/6565621/127586.html
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