Following up on Imagining a Better Future

I was inspired to read Donna Beegle's background story this week and to learn how a counselor challenged her to dream beyond her wildest imaginings and a teacher mentored her in breaking free of her generational poverty!! This is an excerpt from an article in The Oregonian, a Portland newspaper, by author Bryan Smith (http://www.combarriers.com/WomansJourney) published on January 29, 1995:

The women at the program treated her differently. They didn't laugh at her "ain'ts'' or tell her she dressed wrong or call her the name she hated most: white trash.  One day, the program teachers asked the class to dream.  "If you could do anything you wanted, be anything, what would it be? Don't think about obstacles. Just dream.''  Donna let her mind drift, back to her enjoyment of writing and reading.  "I'd like to be on TV, like Mary Hart. I'd like to be a news anchor.''  To her amazement, no one laughed.  "Oh, you want to be a journalist,'' the instructor said.  "That's a terrific dream.''

That night, she recorded two modest goals in the "hopes and wishes'' column of her class journal. Before, her dream had been to find a man to take care of her. Now, she wanted to make her own way.  "One day I'd like to finish my GED,'' she wrote. "And take a college journalism class.''

A little further along on her educational journey, Donna Beegle was also mentored by a professor, Bob Fulford, who noticed that she was hard-working and exhibited a deep understanding in her papers but that she had horrible grammar. He gently offered to help her and she grabbed at the opportunity. Her speech began to improve dramatically. She'd make notes of words she didn't understand and look them up or seek out her professors to explain them further. With the encouragement of counselors and teachers, Donna was given the opportunity to imagine a better future for herself and to obtain it. It wasn't without incredibly hard work and many sacrifices as a single mom with two young children, but she was able to persevere with the support and encouragement of counselors and teachers. Originally a 9th grade drop-out, Donna went on to not only earn her associate's degree (at age 30), but also bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees!

As future teachers, we need to always have our antennas up and eyes wide open for children who are struggling with poverty or any other obstacle to their educational advancement. We can be the ones to fuel their dreams and awaken their imaginings of better future -- or in Maxine Greene's words -- to help them to be aware of "the possibility of things being otherwise"