Today, August 10, I lectured about dreams. It started off as a lecture about what dreams are, goals, and the difference between I want vs. I will. Then I took the liberty to talk about large, big-hairy-audacious-goals (BHAGs) that I have. I began by relating it to the lesson on Canada's history, most notably Aboriginal influence. I talked about how we must be more kind, more caring, and treat each other as equals. I maintained the lessons of family that I talked about, while lecturing about Aboriginal lessons/beliefs. I even used Mandarin to emphasize my point about how we're all human and family, 兄弟姐妹 (brothers and sisters). After that, I talked about disabilities, and how people that are disabled and may seem different, are still human, and therefore equal and deserve the same respect that we all do! This came from a very personal place, and I'm glad I got to talk about such a topic. Then I proceeded to have the kids repeat four principles that I live by:
1. I will be happy when I grow up!
2. I will not stop learning!
3. I will be a better friend!
4. I will change lives!
These are the four basic principles that I try to live by. All that I do stem from one or another. I wanted the students to repeat them to hear themselves make a promise to their future self, whether the future would be in 50 years, or 50 seconds. Today, I tried to inspire them to be better people, overall, and it may have been hard to do in 45minutes, but I did what I can. I told them, when they think about their futures and their dreams, to try and include these four principles. I showed them the trailer to the 2003 movie, Radio, to drive the idea home. Radio is about a mentally disabled person, and I related the trailer to the previous slide on disabilities, and talked about how we have the power to change lives, and be better friends.
What broke my heart was the conversation the teacher and I had after the class. I approached her and told her the following: "I know and understand that this lesson may have been a bit difficult to grasp, but I believe that it's important to learn about it at a young age. I want to inspire the children to be better people, and teach them about how we can be a better friend", I also told her what I wrote above, about the four principles. At this point, I thought she was going to talk about how it was too hard, but she did the opposite. She flashed me a warm smile, and reassured me that it was a lesson that the students needed to learn. She then told me about one of the students who has a mental disability, and it was one of my favourite students, the one that wrote me a short letter. It almost brought me to tears, how the teacher described how the other students would degrade her - she is such a loving person, and her smile always makes me feel better if I'm feeling tired or discouraged. The teacher told me that she believes that I reached out to the students in a really positive manner, being a positive role model and influence, and thanked me for talking about something so important. This reassured me of why I'm here, to give a voice to those who don't have one, and to be their friend when they do not think they have any. I wish I could teach these kids over, and over, and over again, dance to the same songs, and sing too.
The class ended with me leading the children to say something to one another, "You are awesome!"
我愛我的學生
Signed with a heavy heart,
JC(3.14)
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