It was summertime and Janie, a Junior High student, took a job as an aide in a summer school program. The supervisor of the program Mr. Garcia had a meeting of all the aides in a school cafeteria. “I want to know the goal of every single one of you,” he told them. “What do you plan to do with your life?”
Janie raised her hand, “I plan to drop out of school.”
Mr. Garcia looked surprised. She had just been selected to work in an educational setting and she planned to drop out of school. It didn’t make sense. “Why do you want to do that Janie?”
“Just because. School is boring. I like to sew. If I drop out of school, I can sew for a living.”
After the meeting Mr. Garcia sat and conversed with Janie. “I like to sew better than anything else,” she told him.
“Do not quit school. I’ll talk to the counselor at your school so you can get in all the sewing you want.” And he did and Janie stayed in school.
Janie kept working in the summer but by high school she again told Mr. Garcia she was quitting so she could get a fulltime job and earn more money. Mr. Garcia had a summer job at a shoe store. He went to the manager and told him he wanted to quit but wanted the manager to hire an ambitious young woman. Janie started selling shoes in the summers.
Janie graduated from high school and then from college. Mr. Garcia felt so proud. She told me the story and I couldn’t get it out of my mind like a song with a catchy tune. In time Mr. Garcia died and many folks attended his service. I sat there and wondered how many folks at the funeral service were recipients of his advice. One man. An influence that lives on and on.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Dreams
Have you ever had a dream of becoming someone special or doing something unique? I have. At the age of twelve I told a friend of the family it would be nice to write an article in the newspaper and see my name as the author; byline is the proper word, but I didn’t know that at the time. And it came to pass.
I didn’t know anything about writing other than what the teachers assigned, and back then we didn’t do much writing, certainly not like the students do now. But when the teachers did give us a writing assignment they seemed pleased with my efforts.
In college and in graduate school writing assignments were my favorite work. Those assignments took time, and I had to think everything out. Even now in life I look at some of them and say to myself, “Now that is not too bad when you consider I was a teenager.”
Well, I still have dreams, and I work on them daily. They vary and there are several of them. Some are short term and some dreams demand more of me. Nonetheless I continue working toward them. I suppose some folks might refer to my dreams as goals, and certainly they are that, but I like to say they are dreams.
Happy dreams.
I didn’t know anything about writing other than what the teachers assigned, and back then we didn’t do much writing, certainly not like the students do now. But when the teachers did give us a writing assignment they seemed pleased with my efforts.
In college and in graduate school writing assignments were my favorite work. Those assignments took time, and I had to think everything out. Even now in life I look at some of them and say to myself, “Now that is not too bad when you consider I was a teenager.”
Well, I still have dreams, and I work on them daily. They vary and there are several of them. Some are short term and some dreams demand more of me. Nonetheless I continue working toward them. I suppose some folks might refer to my dreams as goals, and certainly they are that, but I like to say they are dreams.
Happy dreams.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Faith in What You Know
Many years ago my father moved his family from a small town to the city where I was teaching. He had to register my brother at his assigned junior high school and asked me to join him.
The counselor talked about the school and how different the new large school was from the small school my brother had attended. "Don't expect him to do as well here in this sophisticated school as he did in that small town school," she cautioned my father.
I was nervous, thinking, Lady, you are talking to the wrong man. I worried that our father, a strong-willed man with a great deal of determination and goals for his children, might argue with the counselor. Instead, he remained silent.
We said our thanks and goodbyes and walked out of her office. As we approached the car, my father stopped, and turning to my young brother said confidently, "You know that woman in there? She is ignorant. She doesn't know you. You will do fine here as you always have."
I relaxed. That's my Dad, I said to myself. And my brother succeeded just like Daddy said he would.
The counselor talked about the school and how different the new large school was from the small school my brother had attended. "Don't expect him to do as well here in this sophisticated school as he did in that small town school," she cautioned my father.
I was nervous, thinking, Lady, you are talking to the wrong man. I worried that our father, a strong-willed man with a great deal of determination and goals for his children, might argue with the counselor. Instead, he remained silent.
We said our thanks and goodbyes and walked out of her office. As we approached the car, my father stopped, and turning to my young brother said confidently, "You know that woman in there? She is ignorant. She doesn't know you. You will do fine here as you always have."
I relaxed. That's my Dad, I said to myself. And my brother succeeded just like Daddy said he would.
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