Dreams as Big as the Stars

Teacher: Good morning boys and girls. As you know, we have been working on our

classroom presentations about our dreams. Each of you has worked hard thinking about what you want to do with your life. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Mary: My dream is to be a nurse. I want to help sick people feel better and I want to be able to talk to those who are sad and cheer them up. I time of war, I want to help mend the wounded and help them keep up their good spirits."

Teacher: Thank you Mary, that is a wonderful dream to have. It is very important to believe you can be anything you want to be.

* * *

Thomas: I've always had a good head for numbers. I like to add, subtract, multiply and divide. I want to run my own business, just like my dad."

Teacher: That's excellent, Thomas! You'll have to make sure you pay extra special attention during math class.

* * *

Sandra: I love to run and I am as fast as the wind. When I grow up, I want to be an Olympic runner. I want to win a gold medal and stand high on the podium while the band plays the Star Spangled Banner."

Teacher: That is an excellent dream, Sandra. You will have to work very hard to achieve your goals."

* * *

Mark: I've been helping my little brother with his ABC's and I decided I want to be a teacher. Its fun helping people learn how to read.

Teacher: Yes it is, Mark. Not only that, but you get to see your students grow up into wonderful people. Some of my former students are doing wonderful things with their lives and they still come back and visit.

* * *

Wendy: I love the ocean. I love the smell of the salty air and the wind rushing at my face. I want to be a sailor when I grow up.

Teacher: The best part, Wendy, is that you'll get to see the world. You'll travel all over the world and see lost of interesting things. I have some books on famous explorers like Magellan and Christopher Columbus I want you to see.

* * *

Wilbur: I want to learn how to fly. I want to soar above the trees and see how the earth looks like from way up above. That is my dream.

Teacher: That is not a simple dream, Wilbur. But I believe in you. I believe you can do it.

Student #1: But Ms. Williams, that's impossible. Human beings weren't meant to fly.

Student #2: Yeah, that'll never happen, not in a million years.

Student #3: Keep dreaming, Wilbur!

Teacher: What do you have to say to that, Wilbur?

Wilbur: I still think it could happen, Ms. Williams."

Teacher: So do I, Wilbur. Don't ever let your dreams go. Its good to have dreams as big as the stars.

So Wilbur kept dreaming his dream. People laughed at him, and called him crazy, but that only made him work harder. And on December 17^th, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Wilbur and his brother Orville took to the air and flew in airplane that they had designed.

Although the Wright brothers were real people, this story about Wilber and his classmates is made up. But something very much like it could have easily happened. I like to think about people's reactions when the Wright brothers told them they were going to learn how to fly. It reminds me how important it is to have dreams as big as the stars.