How to make their dreams come true.

How to make their dreams come true. The beginning of January--a fresh start. Here's a brand newopportunity for us to help our students choreograph cho��re��o��graph?v. cho��re��o��graphed, cho��re��o��graph��ing, cho��re��o��graphsv.tr.1. To create the choreography of: choreograph a ballet.2. a bright future. Ilove reflecting on my life and my goals at the beginning of a new year.I enjoy sharing that excitement with my Lakota West/Butler Techstudents. I'm not saying I have a perfect record for tacklingresolutions successfully. There is that pesky weight issue that alwaysseems to be eluding e��lude?tr.v. e��lud��ed, e��lud��ing, e��ludes1. To evade or escape from, as by daring, cleverness, or skill: The suspect continues to elude the police.2. me. But I love the way a brand new year gives usanother chance to get it right this time. Ed Barlowe, the futurist, visited our district recently. Hismessage was clear. No matter how responsive and up to date we believeour curriculum to be, in today's world knowledge, technology andcareers are changing so rapidly that much of what we teach today will beobsolete well before we want it to be. What a discouraging dis��cour��age?tr.v. dis��cour��aged, dis��cour��ag��ing, dis��cour��ag��es1. To deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit.2. To hamper by discouraging; deter.3. dilemma--oran opportunity to think differently. If this is the case, what can Ibring to my students that will have lasting value? I believe my dream formula is one of the experiences from myclassroom that has the power to change a life in a dramatically positiveway. I lead my Teacher Academy students through the steps every year.January is the perfect time. I invite you to walk the path with us. Step One: Dream! Ask teenagers, "What's your dream?" Too often theywill look at you as if you're crazy. They haven't beenencouraged to dream. They used to have dreams when they were little, butthey've forgotten them. Ask an adult, "What's yourdream?" Adults frequently don't know Don't know (DK, DKed)"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. either. Step one is to actually have a dream. Step one is required. Youcan't get anywhere without first having the dream. A dream realizeddoesn't come from vapor vapor/va��por/ (va��por) pl. vapo��res, vapors ? [L.]1. steam, gas, or exhalation.2. an atmospheric dispersion of a substance that in its normal state is liquid or solid. . It comes from a seed. Don't trywalking your students through these steps until you have your dreamfirmly in mind. Step Two: Dream Larger. What's the most common mistake we make? We don't dreamlarge enough. We can dream about a three percent increase in income, butto dream about more, well, we think, do we really deserve that? Here's the problem. Only large dreams inspire us. It takesinspiration to get us to buy into the dream. It takes inspiration tomove us forward. Puny dreams don't inspire action. We follow peoplewith large dreams who inspire us. What is one of the main differencesbetween the mayor, the governor and the President of the United States The head of the Executive Branch, one of the three branches of the federal government.The U.S. Constitution sets relatively strict requirements about who may serve as president and for how long. ?One dreamed of becoming mayor. The second one dreamed of becominggovernor. The president dreamed of being the leader of the free world The "Leader of the Free World" is a title used sometimes to describe the President of the United States, though the title is debated by those who consider themselves to be part of the "Free World", but not under the leadership of the United States. . At this point, you and your students must enlarge TO ENLARGE. To extend; as, to enlarge a rule to plead, is to extend the time during which a defendant may plead. To enlarge, means also to set at liberty; as, the prisoner was enlarged on giving bail. your dreams. Makeit an exercise. Step Three: Put Dreams into Writing. This simple step will work wonders to give life to your dream.Print makes it official and motivates you into action. Print stares backat you and forces you to do something. Get it into writing as soon aspossible. I love Henriette Klauser's book, Write It Down and Make ItHappen. Whenever I have a dream I need to work on, I get a smallnotebook and start putting it in writing. My students get their dreamsinto print at my urging. We read them aloud. Step Four: Share Your Dream. This is a critical step. Find someone with whom you can share yourdream. Seek encouragers but avoid doubters. Sometimes the people whowill encourage you the most aren't the people closest to you. Carefully read the box titled "Choose Wisely" and get towork. A teacher should be a great encourager. I work hard to be one ofthe people my students think of when they are ready to share a dream. Step Five: Choose a Dream Partner. Carefully select one or two people (if you're lucky, maybemore) who you are certain will encourage your dreams. These people canbe anywhere. One of my dream partners lives in Nashville, while I live inCincinnati. She is a publicist pub��li��cist?n.One who publicizes, especially a press or publicity agent.publicistNouna person, such as a press agent or journalist, who publicizes somethingpublicist for bluegrass music bluegrass music:see country and western music. and an artist.I'm a teacher, speaker and writer. She's 20 years younger thanI am. But we share our dreams and we motivate one another to accomplishour goals. We do it all through e-mail. When I'm discouraged dis��cour��age?tr.v. dis��cour��aged, dis��cour��ag��ing, dis��cour��ag��es1. To deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit.2. To hamper by discouraging; deter.3. , shereminds me of my successes. When she gets off course with her dreams, Igently ask her about her progress. When my students serve as my dream partners, I always followthrough on my goals. I never want to let them down. As I role model forthem, it pushes me forward. Do you think that is a lesson that willbecome obsolete? Never! Step Six: Visualize Your Dream. Find pictures that represent your dream visually. Keep these whereyou will see them frequently. In my mother's home, this was therefrigerator. Whenever she wanted something, she cut out a picture ofthe item and put it on her refrigerator. This system never failed her. Some people keep a scrapbook A Macintosh disk file that holds frequently used text and graphics objects, such as a company letterhead. Contrast with "clipboard," which is reserved memory that holds data only for the current session. . I have my students make posters thatvisually illustrate their dreams. These posters serve as a visualreminder--a roadmap--of where we are going. Step Seven: List the Steps to Your Dream. Analyze what you want to accomplish. Make a written list of thesteps it will take to accomplish that goal. For every goal there is aprocess. The complete dream may be scary scar��y?adj. scar��i��er, scar��i��est1. Causing fright or alarm.2. Easily scared; very timid.scar , but with one step at a time, youwill see that it is doable. My students pick one to three dreams andlist the steps it will take for them to succeed. Step Eight: Take the First Step. It is important to do this immediately, if possible. The first stepis rarely scary. Taking the step moves you from the dreamer categoryinto the realm of "doer." If a student's dream is toattend college, the first step may be gathering information online. Itmay be scheduling a college visit or filling out an application. When you do these things "These Things" is an EP by She Wants Revenge, released in 2005 by Perfect Kiss, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. Music VideoThe music video stars Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. Track Listing1. "These Things [Radio Edit]" - 3:172. a single step at a time, the fear beginsto dissolve A Web site design technique borrowed from the film and video industry in which the transition between two Web pages is represented visually by one page fading into another. Also known as a "soft cut," the result is achieved in the HTML coding of the images to gradual pre-determined . I serve as a dream partner and an encourager as theynavigate (1) "Surfing the Web." To move from page to page on the Web.(2) To move through the menu structure in a software application. these steps. Step Nine: Keep Visualizing visualizing,v 1., holding an image in one's mind.2., forming an image of a goal or destination in one's mind before undertaking it, so as to facilitate success. . Thoughts and visual images of your dream should be with youthroughout the day. Some people like to write affirmations about theirdreams that help them keep moving forward. For others, the visual imagesfrom step six are enough. I like to choose dates and have the classrevisit re��vis��it?tr.v. re��vis��it��ed, re��vis��it��ing, re��vis��itsTo visit again.n.A second or repeated visit.re our dreams. How are we doing? Are we moving forward? How manysteps have we taken? We all share our progress on those designated days. Those dates areon the wall so that they serve as a daily reminder of our goals. Givinga timetable to our dream pushes us all in the right direction. Step Ten: Daily Work Toward Your Dream. No matter how busy you are, you must find even a little time dailyto do something to move you in the direction of your dream. This is thestep that may be the hardest. This step takes commitment. Skip this stepand you may find yourself 20 years older with a great big regret in theplace where your realized dream should have been. Want to be a writer? Make time to write. I teach full time. This isthe weekend, and I've already committed to watching my grandkidstoday. I'm writing this at 4:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to: "Sunday Morning (radio program)", a Canadian radio program formerly aired on CBC Radio One CBS News Sunday Morning, a television news program on CBS in the United States Sunday Morning (TBS TV series) . You must care about your dream enough to do the work. My studentsknow about my dreams, and they know about the work involved. They hearabout my successes and my failures. If you want your students to havethe courage to begin moving through the steps to a dream, you must bewilling to serve as a role model for this process. Step Eleven: Take the Next Step. As soon as possible, take the next step toward your dream. Alwayskeep moving forward, slowly if necessary, but relentlessly, step afterstep. Inch by inch, it's a cinch cincha saddle girth on an American stock saddle. Tightens with a knot on a ring instead of with straps and buckles. . There's no other way. Step Twelve: Celebrate Success. Recognize your progress as you celebrate each small step along theway. This is so important, but somehow this one is hard for me. As soonas I accomplish something, I'm just on to the next step. Some stepsdon't carry rewards within them. Sometimes it helps to set up areward system ahead of time. Make it part of your list of steps. "After I accomplish the next step on my list, I'm goingto treat myself to --" (you fill in the blank). Working toward adream can be a lonely and sometimes frustrating frus��trate?tr.v. frus��trat��ed, frus��trat��ing, frus��trates1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: process. Without somerewards along the way, a dreamer may be tempted to give up. Good News to Share There you have it. That is the entire dream formula. Work the stepsand accomplish absolutely anything you want in life. Caution: Sometimesit's a short journey, and other times it's a much longerprocess. But the map is there for you to follow. All you have to do isteam up with your students and start working the steps. Here's some fabulous news to share with your students. Youdon't have to work all of your dreams at the same time. You may beactively moving forward on one or two dreams while others are simmeringon the back burner Noun 1. back burner - reduced priority; "dozens of cases were put on the back burner"precedence, precedency, priority - status established in order of importance or urgency; "... . But that doesn't mean the dream hasdisappeared. When I was a little girl I dreamt of one day becoming a writer. Iwrote stories for fun. As a teenager I had a poem collection that Iauthored. But there were a couple of problems that stood in the way ofthat dream. I also wanted to be a teacher. No one in my family had everattended college, and becoming a teacher without much in the way offinancial resources was a pretty big dream. Another hurdle HURDLE, Eng. law. A species of sledge, used to draw traitors to execution. ? My high school composition teacher didn'tthink much of my writing. Every paper I wrote received a B- for a grade.How can you become a writer if every theme you pen is only B- work? Ifound it very defeating, and I never told anyone about my writing dream. But one day I had a breakthrough. A college professor, Miss Throne throne,chair of state or the seat of a high dignitary. The throne was at first a stool or bench and later became an ornate armchair, usually raised on a dais and surmounted by a canopy. ,held up a composition I had written and used it as a positive examplefor the class. She read it aloud. Do you think it's an accidentthat I remember her name all these years later? The dream began topercolate percolate/per��co��late/ (per��kah-lat)1. to strain; to submit to percolation.2. to trickle slowly through a substance.3. a liquid that has been submitted to percolation. again. But I became a teacher, raised a family, started aschool, had a chronically ill daughter--in short, life forced thewriting dream out of the picture. But still the dream never completelywent away. I was in my late forties before I pulled the writing dreamforward again and began working the steps to the dream formula. As a result, when I was 48, I had my first article published withmy byline in a local newspaper. When I was 50, I was published inChicken Soup chicken soupChicken broth Folk medicine Jewish penicillin A fowl broth with a long tradition as a home remedy for URIs, which may be a nasal decongestant, inhibit growth of pneumococci in vitro, and stimulate immune responsiveness in WBCs Mainstream medicine A for the Soul. When I was 53, I published my first book. The great news is that you don't have to work all your dreamsat the same time. Our students are young. They have so much time toaccomplish all of their dreams. Think how much it helps them when wetell them about a dream that took us a long time to realize. Share yourstories. Still Dreaming One of the great benefits of working with teens is that it forcesme to set new goals. My students are aware of my dreams, and theyencourage my progress. I do the same for them. I'm keenly aware that I am always a role model. My successesbecome their successes as they shove me forward. My failures show themthat they too can survive setbacks. Don't underestimate the powerof that lesson too. A winner is no more than a failure who refuses to quit working thedream formula. Dream on! Dauna Easley's Dream Formula Dream Dream larger Put dreams in writing Share your dream Choose a dream partner Visualize your dream List the steps to your dream Take the first step Keep visualizing Daily work toward your dream Take the next step Celebrate! Walk Your Talk Young children hold you accountable, but teenagers are worse.Adolescents may not be interested in what you say, but they puteverything you do under a microscope. If you want your students to setmeaningful and courageous goals, there is really only one way to getthem to consider it. You must set meaningful and courageous goalsyourself. Model it. Walk your talk. Choose Wisely Here's an important truth that I share with my students. Eachof us is responsible for finding our own encouragers. We all know thatour families, friends, neighbors and fellow teachers represent a broadspectrum of virtually every type of personality. Each of us encountersoptimists and pessimists. We all know dreamers and doubters. We comeinto contact with people who make things happen and people who arealways complaining about what has happened to them. But if we want tolive successfully, it is our responsibility to locate and surroundourselves with the kind of people who will encourage us to be the bestthat we can be. No one else is responsible for our happiness or success. We aloneare in charge of the selection process. This careful choice can mean thedifference between fulfilling a dream or sleepwalking sleepwalking/sleep��walk��ing/ (slep��wawk?ing) somnambulism. sleep��walk��ingn.The act of walking or performing another activity associated with wakefulness while asleep or in a sleeplike state. through a lifefilled with regret. Choose carefully. Good luck! Dauna Easley, author of Teachers Touch Eternity, teaches a teacheracademy program for Butler Tech at Lakota West High School Lakota West High School is a high school in the Lakota School District which comprises both West Chester Township and Liberty Township in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.From what once was a unified Lakota High School came both Lakota West and Lakota East. in theCincinnati area. She is also a popular speaker at state and nationalconferences, including the ACTE ACTE Association for Career and Technical Education (formerly American Vocational Association)ACTE Association of Corporate Travel ExecutivesACTE Approvals Committee for Terminal EquipmentACTE Anodal Closure Tetanus Convention. She can be reached ateasley-d@prodigy An online information service that provides access to the Internet, e-mail and a variety of databases. Launched in 1988, Prodigy was the first consumer-oriented online service in the U.S. .net.