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Dream the impossible
19th April 2024
I very much hope that every reader's summer term has begun with vigour and a quiet enjoyment in being back in the world of education. Working in an environment of learning makes every day an important one and often a challenging one.
For many years, a postcard has accompanied me in my place of work - initially in my music classrooms and eventually in my various offices. It reads:
J'aime celui qui rêve l'impossible
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is this text's author. Goethe lived between 1749 and 1832. He trained as a lawyer, but his legacy is as a poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist. He was evidently a man who fascinated; to quote Britannica's musings on the man, 'the attractive power of his writing, which has not diminished with time, perhaps lies in the extraordinary strength of personality that it radiates'.
He is a man who spoke with certainty and I think, with wisdom too. Dreaming of the impossible is most certainly the work of all of us in education. It is the hope and energy that we offer, every day, that makes the impossible a definite possible and indeed, a magical reality. The confidence of our walk, our words, our smile, our belief are fundamental in our work with young people. To quote Goethe once more:
'The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.'
Teaching, inspiring, supporting children to thrive is noble work. I am certain that Goethe would have agreed.
I very much hope that every reader's summer term has begun with vigour and a quiet enjoyment in being back in the world of education. Working in an environment of learning makes every day an important one and often a challenging one.
For many years, a postcard has accompanied me in my place of work - initially in my music classrooms and eventually in my various offices. It reads:
J'aime celui qui rêve l'impossible
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is this text's author. Goethe lived between 1749 and 1832. He trained as a lawyer, but his legacy is as a poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist. He was evidently a man who fascinated; to quote Britannica's musings on the man, 'the attractive power of his writing, which has not diminished with time, perhaps lies in the extraordinary strength of personality that it radiates'.
He is a man who spoke with certainty and I think, with wisdom too. Dreaming of the impossible is most certainly the work of all of us in education. It is the hope and energy that we offer, every day, that makes the impossible a definite possible and indeed, a magical reality. The confidence of our walk, our words, our smile, our belief are fundamental in our work with young people. To quote Goethe once more:
'The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.'
Teaching, inspiring, supporting children to thrive is noble work. I am certain that Goethe would have agreed.
