We Dare to Believe

“Everybody is a genius. But if we judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life, believing it is stupid.” No less than the great Albert Einstein has told us, we all have gifts.  As a child of God, every person, without exception, has greatness to live and a reason to dream.  

Teachers say that all learners are unique yet in countless different ways, we, students feel constantly compared. With all due respect, why is it that in all contests such as this, what seems to be the way to excel is for one to win? Can we not all shine with our own light, in the pace and rhythm of our own growth?  

 We are but students considered more serious with our gadgets than with our own education. But that is not to say that we have not been waiting for a moment such as this. For we, too, have a dream. While our teachers dream of students more interested to learn, we dream of a more interesting education where boredom is not a widespread disease. Sometimes, we wonder, are more students really becoming hyperactive? Or are more teachers reluctant to be more for their students? More concerned, more open more willing to listen, and adjust and take the risk of believing in us.

Yes, we too have a dream. We dream of an education where it is the sacred duty of every teacher to awaken our curiosity and love for learning.  An education that is not about who is the best or the brightest, but about how we can all find our own true path. An education where both the rich and the poor can pursue excellence with joy, not as an end, but as a means to a greater purpose.

We dream of a teacher who will not only nourish our minds but also our spirit. That one person who finds fulfillment in helping us become who we are meant to be; and from whose self-giving, we too can believe that to serve is indeed to succeed. Yes, we dream of a teacher who will walk with us as we learn not only to fill our minds with knowledge but enlighten our hearts with understanding. With that teacher and that education, we know we can embrace both our defeats and our triumphs. For in our heart, that teacher has inscribed the greatest lesson of life, we are loved for who we are. Yes, oh yes, we dream of that education and we dare to believe in that dream.