Dream

My students submitted me their first drafts of their dream poems today.  Most students chose the paths of doctors, teachers, musicians, or pilots.  All of these occupations are quite honorable and each student had their own motivation for choosing them.  But, there wasn’t much differentiation between which occupation they chose.  Out of my seventy students, these were the four dominate choices.  The only other three, were to become president, a police officer, or an engineer, and truly, there was only about six of those total. 

            Why is this?  I think one reason is their exposure level.  Few students leave their local villages and communities.  They aren’t able to experience the true variety of jobs that are out there.  This isn’t their fault, but something that they were born into.  It’s hard to leave when they don’t have any money to do so.  Even a trip to a neighboring region is a very big deal.  They experience these professions very frequently.  Traveling doctors make their rounds around the town.  Learners attend school almost every day.  Musicians can be heard on the radio.  I’m not really sure where pilots came from, but the idea that they could fly anywhere they like and get away is an intriguing one I’m sure.

            Yet, not many learners said they wanted to leave it all.  Yes, most said they wanted to travel, see America, and do “big” things.  But that doesn’t mean they forget where they came from.  In every dream poem, every learner said they wanted to help their family to some degree.  I think this speaks volumes about the people and culture.  Even at a young age, these students value family and supporting their community as one of the most important things in their lives.  I believe that this was almost every students dream, whether they realized it or not.  They all wanted to make “a lot of money” so that they could “take care of” their poor families, sister, brother, meme, tate; they listed every one.  Most understood that their needed to finish their education, which would allow them to fulfill their dreams.  I truly hope that they all can and proceed to get in and finish university.  This sharing family-community based culture is inspiring and humbling.