Postponing Dreams

Let's begin tonight's Blog on Postponing Dreams with a quote from T.E. Lawrence, more commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia.
"Those who dream by night in the
dusty recesses of their minds
Awake to find that all was vanity;
But the dreamers of day are dangerous men,
That they may act their dreams with open
eyes to make it possible."
                                        
T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

Last year approximately 7,000 teachers were laid off throughout the state of New York. Last year the colleges in the state of New York produced 17,000 graduates certified to teach.

That means 7,000 teachers suddenly had their lives upended, their livelihoods pulled out from under them, and their dreams postponed - perhaps extinguished. That also means that 17,000 freshly minted college graduates will have to search outside the field of education for a job, since the weak national economy has extended its tight grip around every state and caused budget cuts all over.

Back to the quote from T.E. Lawrence.

Perhaps we, educators and those who value the meaning and promise of education, should start dreaming during the day rather than during the night.