Dream On

Today at USAO I learned something about boxes and dreams. And barriers. And comfort zones. And getting out of them.

Take this blog, for instance. Intellectually, I know it's pretty simple to set this thing up. But my comfort zone is technology-free. There are no cell phones in my zone, certainly no smart phones. I think maybe the Internet is in there somewhere, but it's very simple to use.

So why does something as simple as setting up this blog seem so fraught with challenge. With vague threats of Not Being Good Enough and Doing Something Stupid. It's just a blog, for crying out loud. I even have a book about it, Blogging for Dummies. 

Is it the technology? Learning a new thing? Or maybe the scary part is what comes after – the writing. And then the really scary part – the posting. Putting what I've written out there where people can read it. And comment on it. And like it. OR Not Like It!

 I remind myself that this blog is, as are we all, a work in progress. I've created this place as a project for students. I've challenged them not only to find their voices but to look within the framework of the college they're attending. I believe we all learn something every day. We just don't recognize it always.

For students, college is the ideal time for dreaming and reflecting. If your head isn't full of new things to think about and new ways to think, we as your teachers aren't doing our jobs. All of us need to spend time redefining our comfort zones and breaking out of the boxes we place ourselves in.

As Eddie Izzard reminds us, one head can hold not only more than one language; it can hold whatever we choose to dream about.