Imagine all the possibilities. Imagine what could come from your dreams… a chance to create new opportunities. Go ahead, visualize pure goodness! What an awesome vision, right? The I in L.E.G.I.T. stands for IMAGINE… something we never want to lose hold of in life. So what are you doing to get there… to get to the better you? I hope you are dreaming. I hope you have set goals. This is your masterpiece… IMAGINE and BELIEVE!
Imagine a Better YOU!
When I was a little girl I used to walk down my road to a little one lane bridge. I would boost myself on top of the cobblestone wall and look down at the stream below… and dream. I saw my future in the ripples of water that flowed. I would toss in small stones and watch them make their impact on the world below. Sometimes they hit into other rocks and other times they sank straight to the bottom, but the one thing they always did was make ripples. Those ripples mesmerized me. They spoke to me. They made my imagination wander. I could sit there for hours and at times I did just that. It was my getaway. My place… a place that I could block out all obstacles in my path and simply imagine. I would imagine a better me.
At the time a better me would look more compliant… more like my peers that were able to focus on all information that was being poured into their minds. I was different…. for me it was more like the information was being poured over mine at a rapid pace. So rapid that only little droplets were being absorbed. In place of a sponge of a brain like my peers, mine was more like a sieve or it would simply runoff leaving me in the deficit… dried up and always a step behind. Why was this? Well for starters, I am a passionate person that thrives on my interests and what I was learning on a regular basis didn’t come close to them. My imagination was always wandering… imagining the better me!
I never lost myself in my learning the way I did in those quiet moments sitting by the water. I wanted to, but I didn’t. I was the kid who learned the game of school and tried to play it the best that I could. I didn’t go to school ready to give my best every day and I didn’t even try to pretend that I did… so sad for this passionate educator to think back on. Instead I did what I had to do to get by because what I wanted to do was never an option in the traditional mindset of teaching that I had experienced. I wanted to wish it all gone so that I could live in my passions… that’s what made me tick!
The crazy thing is that was not the impression I got of learning when I was 4 years old. At 4, I was begging my mom to send me to preschool so that I could do all the great things that school had to offer. I was begging for books to “read”. I was inventing a world of learning in my backyard and giving myself homework that I found relevant to my 4 year old self.
Preschool was spectacular! I was submerged in wonder! Every day was new and exciting. I was an explorer, doctor, inventor, and teacher. I was an artist and gymnast. I conquered the highest mountain and roamed the grassy plains. I saw magenta if that was the color I chose to see. I had the world at my fingertips and it was all surrounded by LOVE! It was truly magical! Each day was set for play… what little kid didn’t like to play Well, there was one girl and her name was Alison. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t like to play as it was that she was shy. She needed a spirited, fun-loving friend like me… I just knew it. So I sat down next to her and introduced myself. We became best friends all in a matter of seconds. Alison was tiny and truth be told her family nickname was Peanut. Only her closest friends called her that though and I was one of them! Yes me… the girl who was ready to conquer the world. The one that was set to be a teacher or a nurse or maybe even the first woman on the moon! I was the spunk in spunky… the fire in firecracker and the joy in joyful! I was the best friend. WOW, preschool was AMAZING!
This summer I did a lot of reflecting. I took time to think back on what sparked my love for learning. I also took note of what created sparks for my students over the course of my career. I sat by the water and tossed a few rocks in… actually tried to skip a few while I was at it, but my knack for that needs a little more attention these days. I took in beautiful walks in the calm of the morning. I sat fireside and stared into the flames. All this was done while imagining. I imagined…
a better me,
a better school year,
a better way of creating sparks in learning,
a way of making every day like preschool… submerged in wonder.
Imagine the possibilities!
T.R.U.E. G.R.I.T. 