“It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.”

This are my boxing friends, Lee-Ellen Kees, Genoa Price, Carrie Combs, myself and Kalvin (I'm the one in the Geek sweater, Kalvin is the boy) Taken before he leaves on his quest to conquer the world

I am a high school English teacher.  I love telling people this because I usually get the same reaction.  A look of combined pity and curiosity followed by the words, "Oh, I could never do that."  Let me clear this up for everyone: BEING A HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER IS THE MOST AMAZING AWESOME JOB ON THE PLANET.  I love almost every single thing about it.  Okay, I'm not so awesome at the paperwork, and I am far from very good at politics, but I have never done anything that comes close to feeling of seeing a student, who you love, do something incredible.  I guess it's kind of like motherhood--you can't really remember the pain of childbirth because the rewards are just that breathtaking--that's what teaching is like every day.  In my five years of teaching, I have learned more, reflected more, and been more humbled than ever before.

I think one of the reasons I love teaching so much is because I cherish BIG DREAMS--I mean, I suppose all dreams are nice, but I am talking about the HUGE ones, the keep you up at night, don't say it a loud, most people will tell you its impossible dreams.  As a teacher of high schools Juniors and Seniors, we talk a lot about dreams.  We write scholarship essays and wait to hear back.  We make back-up plans.  We pray for each other, cheer for each other, console each other and celebrate each other.  It always makes me sad when students don't understand dreaming BIG.  I mean, graduating high school may be an awesome goal, you may be the first person in your family to achieve it, but its not a BIG DREAM.  A big dream is to be an Academy award winning actress, a cutting edge web designer, a Broadway sensation, make-up artist in LA, a scientist who cures cancer, a Printz winning YA Lit author...

Right now, you may be shaking your head--she shouldn't be encouraging that kind of behavior.  These kids will never achieve these dreams.  Don't quit your day job!  I'm sure someone told J.K. Rowling she should stop writing and get a "real" job.  My students are nothing if not pragmatic, they get the fact that its a long shot, but the magic is in taking it.  I have never been harmed from dreaming big.  Sure, I haven't achieved my biggest dreams, but as a result of dreaming them, I have set goals, learned about myself and become a different-better person for risking something.

Almost a year ago, I did a crazy thing.  I walked into Straightright Boxing Gym.  A Facebook friend has posted something about boxing, and we talked back and forth, and the next thing I knew, I put on my Nike running shorts, got in the car, and arrived at a boxing gym.  I felt okay about my physical shape. I had worked out at the local fancy gym for a while--this would just be another workout.  But, when I walked in, I realized I had never been in a real gym in my life.  There were VERY sweaty young men lifting a lot of weight, hitting things--hitting each other.  Oh my lands!  There was one beautiful woman about my age--and SHE was hitting stuff.  Behind the front desk was one of the friendliest, toughest looking young men I had ever seen.  He asked me to sign a waiver.  I did it.  I don't know now if I did because I wanted to or because I was in shock, but I signed.  The young man walked me around and started wrapping my hands up--what in the world was I doing?  After a few punches, we were working out.  As the workout progressed, I really believed I was going to die.  I have never sweat that much in my entire life.  Every single thing on my body hurt.  I LOVED IT!  Since that day, I have been to that gym 4-5 times a week.  That beautiful woman has become a dear friend.  I have made friends that have become my family.

That friendly young man's name is Kalvin "Hot-Sauce" Henderson.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, Kalvin is the current #5 Middleweight fighter in the United States. I mean, he never said, "Look, I'm awesome, I'm the fifth best fighter in the country.  I'm finished."  All I knew was I was becoming friends with this young man who seemed incredibly driven and talented.  Kalvin is always working.  His dream--first the Olympics, then, become a world champion.  That is a BIG dream, a HUGE dream, but Kalvin isn't scared.  He does what he needs to do, quietly, and unassumingly inspiring every single person he meets.  Friday, he leaves to begin his journey to the next Olympics.  I'll be watching, and when he kicks some major butt, I will probably cry a little bit!

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I cherish dreaming big.  I hope you will take a breath, sit down in a quiet space, and dream a little bit.  My big dream--change the world, one student at a time!