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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Hopes and Dreams


I teach 8th grade. My students range in age from 13-15. In the fall, they move on to the high school. They are on the edge of everything. 

Middle school is a challenge...for students, for parents, for teachers. They are diverse physically, emotionally, socially, academically, culturally, socioeconomically and every other way you can be diverse from one another. 

Yet one thing that brings them all together is their hopes and dreams. They all have them. And they want you to ask them about them. 

They might not want to tell you, but deep down, they want you to ask.

I have an anchor chart in my classroom that gives my kids an opportunity to anonymously post their hopes and dreams. 

As the year comes a close, the chart has been busy. ♥ 




Yup...the bottom one says, "Be a Superhero"...love it!







THIS is why I teach. 

I LOVE their hopes and dreams. I love that they share them with me, with their peers, with the world. 

I hope that I inspire them to hope and dream. 

I hope that I prepare them with the skills and the confidence they need to pursue their hopes and dreams 

If you are blessed with kids in your life...ask them. 

Your heart, like mine, will be full. ♥

What are your hopes and dreams?

16 comments:

  1. I love their answers. Sometimes we are so busy telling them what to do we forget to ask them what they want. What a great exercise. I hope to change even one life for the better.

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    1. I love reading their answers. They are amazing and they have their whole life ahead of them, but they really are caught between two worlds. I love when they show their hearts...so precious.

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  2. This is a an inspiring idea. I may just put one up in the kitchen. I'm a grandmother, but I still have dreams. And I'd like to encourage my kids and grand kids to add to the board too. Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. Thank you, Laura. I love that you said that you have dreams. We all do. I think it's a great family activity. Please share when you get going. :-)

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    1. Thank you, Stephanie. :-) It is a joy to read.

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  4. What a beautiful post.. and what insightful hopes and dreams some of those students have!

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    1. Thank you, Kim. I love reading their answers. They are amazing and they have their whole life ahead of them, but they really are caught between two worlds. I love when they show their hearts...so precious.

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  5. This is excellent. I nanny for a 4th grader and sometimes we have deep conversations. Today she asked me "what are 2 things you wish you could change about yourself?" She said she wished she wasn't so shy. I told her that you have to remember that everyone is in the same boat, everyone is gets nervous from time to time.The more you can remember that, the easier life will be. Then I remembered last night when I didn't go to a networking event because I was too "shy". Maybe a "hopes and dreams" board could be beneficial to people of all ages. I might start an "anonymous" board in my kitchen. The first post-it note will read "believe in myself".

    - Molly
    www.bossandtonic.com

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    1. I love this, Molly. We all should have hopes and dreams. It's never too late. Thank you so much for sharing this, and good luck with your own board. :-)

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  6. Love this post and I didn't realize your were a middle school teacher...I so admire teachers as I work in a private school but not as a teacher. I do see everyday how teacher inspire their kids to hope and dream. I currently work in a learning disability school environment and hopes and dreams are big here as most of these kids have been thru a lot to get here. They and their parents have realized that there is a place for them where they can be taught to learn and hope and dream of a bright future. I so enjoyed reading what your students hope and dream for as these kids are the future generation. Thanks so much for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Jen. I love reading their answers. They are amazing and they have their whole life ahead of them, but they really are caught between two worlds. I love when they show their hearts...so precious. And for your students as well. How wonderful to channel their thinking into hopes and dreams. We all have them and everyone should believe in their own capacity to achieve greatness. Thank you, again. :-)

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  7. Dreams are such strong, vibrant, pervasive things -- universal to the human race. They are precious and fragile as well. I love the visuals -- and I love the variety within the dreams. As unique as the students themselves!

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    1. Thank you, Carolyn. As they take their final steps this week and next, I am acutely aware of how powerful their hopes and dreams are. They will be hard to bid goodbye.

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  8. This made me smile! Such a great idea! I really enjoyed reading this post. :)
    MacKenzie
    breatheeasywithme.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you, MacKenzie! It was wonderful to witness. :-)

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