A Million MAGICAL Dreams

I fell in love with the movie "The Greatest Showman: Reimagined" the first time I saw it and though I have heard this song many times, for some reason when I listened to a youtube video of Pink singing, "A Million Dreams", with her daughter Willow, the floodgates opened. This song. At this moment. Awoke something in my soul. ​

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'Cause every night, I lie in bed
The brightest colors fill my head
A million dreams are keeping me awake
I think of what the world could be
A vision of the one I see
A million dreams is all it's gonna take
Oh, a million dreams for the world we're gonna make
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-Pink, A Million Dreams, The Greatest Showman: Reimagined

When I left the culinary classroom this Summer after 22 years, I had never loved teaching more. I was saying goodbye to a room that had made a metamorphosis into a magical place where students were immersed, empowered and ready to leave a legacy.  My classroom wasn’t the only thing that went through a transformation though, I had as well. I wasn’t the teacher that four years prior was ready to call it quits and run to the comfort of a local coffee shop to perfect the art of making a latte. I was leaving because of the million magical dreams that filled my head and kept me awake at night. I knew that if my heart could be restored with joy, passion and a love for teaching and learning, it could happen for others too. 

CHASING JOY

I was leaving the classroom to be a Tech Integration Specialist, but really what I wanted to be called was a Joy Specialist. My heart longs to restore the joy of teaching and learning that so often gets clouded with the pressures that come with education.  Joy is contagious, but it also is courageous. We have to choose it. Every day. We have to decide to be intentional about choosing to find wonder, and magic in the world around us and go beyond what is comfortable to find what is best. How often do we chase graduation rates and test scores when what we really need to chase is joy. If our classrooms are places filled with the joy of learning, do you think it's possible that graduation rates and test scores would start taking care of themselves? The stress and pressure to perform would be replaced with the desire to soar and leave a legacy on this world. 

WHAT IF?

What if joy became foundational to all we do? What if joy was the heartbeat of our schools? The reality is, though most would love to infuse heaps of joy into their classroom it seems like a futile dream. The stakes are too high, the pressure to great. What if I fail? What if people think I’m crazy? What if my test scores don’t improve? What if? What if? What if?

In the book 18 Minutes, author Peter Bregman shares the story of the overnight sensation, Susan Boyle.  She walked onto the UK television show, Britain’s Got Talent stage to only be mocked and ridiculed. It wasn’t till the music started and she began to sing that the millions of people watching were stunned by the angelic voice coming from a seemingly ordinary person.  

“There is grace in being molded by your own gifts. To allow yourself to be molded by your own gifts takes courage. You have to be willing to stand there, exposed and authentic , while the audience rolls their eyes at you and sneers, expecting failure. And then, of course, you have to fail, laugh or cry, and keep going until, one day they stop laughing and start clapping.”
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-18 Minutes, Peter Bregman

DREAM IN BRIGHT COLOR

We may feel ordinary or awkward, but if we dare to dream in bright color think of the possibility! The truth is, the magic is in you. We don’t need to remain caterpillars, we can become butterflies! But, it takes courage to dream and to believe that there is more; that we don’t have to do things the way we’ve always done them. We can do better.

When I think back on my journey, I think of how, like my classroom, I’ve gone through a sort of metamorphosis as an educator by daring to dream. There were people that scoffed, snickered, and ridiculed; there still are. But once I knew that what was happening in my classroom was making a difference, I began to ignore the naysayers. There was no turning back. I stopped focusing on, “What if I fail?” and began to focus on, “What if they fly?”

FIND THE JOY SEEKERS AND SUNSHINE SPREADERS

I also began to find the joy seekers & sunshine spreaders; the people who inspire, challenge, and encourage me to keep going when I feel defeated.  We all need people in our lives that tell us through their words and actions, “I believe in you!” Find your tribe. Sometimes you will find that those you think are going to be your biggest cheerleaders, are the ones that let you down. Don’t let them take you down. Often times it’s their own insecurities that prevent them from finding joy in your transformation.

START DREAMING...YOU HOLD THE MAGIC!

What could our schools and classrooms become if we dared to reimagine them as magical places of joy? Listen to this beautiful version of  'A Million Dreams' sung by Pink and her daughter Willow and start envisioning what would happen if we dared to dream in bright color. You hold the magic!