By Camille Mortimore, Ph.D.
The Northern Lights were all aglow in my neighborhood recently. And the wonder of it all seemed struck me as astonishingly appropriate, whether celebrating tour new year or lights or giving or -? As the lights silently danced across the blackness, it was hard not to imagine all that might be going on at the North Pole right now, both fanciful and real!
The polar lights might seem magical, or even a bit elfish, but, giving science its due, the lights of the aurora borealis are electrically-charged particles from the sun getting caught up in the Earth’s magnetic field. Remarkably, they display as waving bands of colored light above the north and south poles. (Spectacular Northern Lights) Perhaps it was their magical beauty that has attracted so many explorers to brave the cold, remote wilderness of the polar regions, or fame or fortune, or perhaps, the future of the planet. In any case, the poles have attracted extraordinary explorers to risk everything in pursuit of a dream or goal.
The North Pole: Making Dreams Real
Barbara Hillary is a powerful example. Retiring after 55 years as a nurse, she set a goal to be the first Black woman to reach the North Pole, even though she had had breast cancer and lung cancer, losing 25% of her lung capacity. Barbara planned, raised money, trained … and succeeded at 75 years old and then conquered the South Pole at 79! (Barbara Hillary, 88, Trailblazer on Top (and Bottom) of the World) What was it that motivated her? What allowed her to dream big? What enabled her to make her dreams a reality?
And what if our students could catch that magic? At this time of giving, it seems to me that the most important gift we can give our students is the power of dreams. As teachers, we are guides to their becoming, to their ability to see themselves as dreamers and doers, to imagine themselves into their futures, to develop the path and the goals to become their best selves. That is, to imagine themselves as makers of the future of their families, communities, country, and world. Without dreams and goals and sweat and relationships, the future will just happen to them. Every ounce of energy you are putting into relating to your students and sharing the power of dreams with them is a powerful gift that lights up their lives and, potentially, our world.