Become Your Dream

Teacher, what dream and desire is in your heart? Do you have a dream to fulfill? It is time to set your mind with the intention. How do you make your dream come true? To manifest a desire, you need to have a sense of purpose. In doing so, you attract your wants unto yourself with your thinking, using carefully chosen words and taking the initiative in envisioning, expressing, and writing down your specific desire.

Do you dream of a good school year? What is your plan? By focusing on that plan and creating your path with determination and without deviation or wavering, you turn your wishes into reality. Remain steadfast through the times you feel your desires will never come to pass. As you wait, you might think your wishes could die completely. Be persistent, though. When one dream dies, dream another! Do not give up on your dreams!

How deep is your relationship with God? Keep in mind, we are God's dream and He created us for His purpose to have a relationship with Him through prayer. The intention of prayer drives our purpose. This purpose takes on a deeper meaning when we know we belong to the Holy Father with the intentionality to fulfill the dream He instilled in our hearts. As a result, it drives our passion to work hard to achieve our goals.

Scripture:

And the Lord answered me: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end — it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 (ESV)

He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.

Numbers 12:6 (NASB)

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Psalm 138:8 (ESV)

Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.

Genesis 37:9 (ESV)

Experiences:

How did we fulfill our dreams? We both knew from a young age we wanted to be teachers. When college approached, a friend's mother who was a nurse encouraged Claire to go into nursing. Claire started college thinking she would be a nurse, but the passion was not there. Since kindergarten, her dream was to become a teacher; therefore, she switched her major to Elementary Education. This is when she flourished and enjoyed the course work. Claire is happy in a productive career without regret.

Karen dreamed of being a teacher since second grade as she played school with her brother growing up. Of course, she was always the teacher. Every class she took was for this career, and went on to become not only an elementary teacher but a teacher librarian as well. Karen experiences much success and enjoyment in this profession.

Dreaming and desires are biblical concepts. These come from the Lord. There is nothing wrong with having big goals and asking the Lord to create these desires collectively with Him.

Do you have an assignment? Are you prepared to fulfill it? We believe He has given us a specific assignment to fulfill, and He also has given us the ability to accomplish that assignment using our talents and our determination to complete it. Sometimes we can lose sight of how to achieve our dreams and we must ask God for direction.

Along the way, the Lord moves the right people into our paths to mentor us. We are thankful we are placed on the right road to complete our destiny and are created to help each other to further His kingdom. We live with abundance and prosperity, along with joy, happiness, and good health. We are God's children and every parent wants to see their children succeed.

Confirmations:

• I am fulfilling my dreams.

• I am steadfast with my dream (state your dream).

• I am determined without wavering.

• I am decisive with my intentions in pursuing my goal.

• I am manifesting my dream.

Envision and Express the Following:

• I envision myself living my dream with no doubt.

• I view myself successful in whatever I do.

• I see myself taking steps closer to my dream.

• I perceive myself on the righteous path without fear.

• I see myself planning and staying focused on my desire.

• The enemy will not deceive me.

• My shepherd is leading me to the right path.

• I declare my dreams are coming to pass.

• What is in heaven will manifest itself on earth.

• My shield of faith and the sword, the Word of God, protects me from the enemy.

• I believe and I receive. Amen.

My desires are ...

___________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Stewardship

We are God's stewards and are responsible for managing what He has given to us, as everything belongs to Him. Our Creator entrusts these things to us and we are accountable for how well we manage them. What are some things God is entrusting to you? For us, this includes our wisdom, relationships, knowledge, time, and our finances. As we oversee a few things with good intention, many things will come our way to bless and enrich our lives.

Teachers are entrusted with the gift of teaching from above. Not everyone is capable of teaching and fulfilling the tasks to meet the needs of the pupils. We are mindful not to abuse the authority and power given to us or cross the line of treating people badly. Through the Holy Spirit, we have the strength and the inspiration to manage our lives obediently for His glory.

Scripture:

His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

Matthew 25:21(NIV)

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

Romans 14:12 (ESV)

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)

Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (NASB)

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)

Experiences:

Are you a steward of God? Teachers prepare students for the future and the good of the kingdom. We comply and carry on the work without rocking the boat and bringing attention to ourselves; yet we agree there are times speaking out is necessary. We make it work by meeting deadlines and elevating students to work at their greatest potential. It is also about growing as spiritual individuals and refining our character traits through our daily experiences.

We knew teachers who left the building to seek another position or left the system with anger. They would delete or throw out important documentations that made it difficult on other teachers to recreate the plans set for the students. The unaccountable behavior and mismanagement of stewardship is unacceptable. Bad attitudes do not accomplish anything and the cycle accompanies the person into their next position. Teachers are professionals and must conduct themselves with high standards of stewardship, attitudes, and upstanding behavior.

Confirmations:

• I am committed to the work of the Lord as His faithful servant.

• I am a steward of God who has given me the ability to impart wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

• I am responsible for how I treat others and what I do with what God has entrusted in me.

• I am following the principle of our Lord and managing what He has created.

• I am accountable to our Heavenly Father as the rightful owner of all to receive my reward.

Envision and Express the Following:

• I see myself receiving my inheritance as a good steward.

• I view myself upholding all required of me.

• I see myself working and serving my students for the good of the kingdom.

• I perceive myself growing as a spiritual being through all my experiences.

• I see myself filled with happiness as a faithful steward of God.

• I commit my work to the Lord and my plans are established.

• I receive my gift of teaching with thanksgiving.

• I accept the authority and wisdom that is given to me.

• I praise the Lord that I am used as a vessel to enhance His kingdom.

• We are God's hands to bring forth what He has established.

My desires are ...

___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Prayer, Faith and Worship

Prayer and meditation is how we communicate with the Holy Spirit. Believing is faith and worship is praise and gratitude for what we have. We have faith, but sometimes it is blocked by anger, fear, non-forgiveness, and hopelessness. Believing and trusting makes it possible for us to partake of the blessings and grace He has bestowed upon us, without limits. We believe with love and receive our requests without wavering. This does not come easy, and it takes practice to manifest the grace. God cannot do it for us, but works through us as it is up to us to think, speak, and acquire the desires of our hearts.

How important is prayer during your school day? Prayer is important but prayer is not begging and repeating our requests to God. When we ask for a specific need, God hears us and goes to work to make our requests come true. In the meantime, we must have faith, stay in peace, and believe and act upon our desires to make them happen. Think and dream big!

Scripture:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 (WEB)

All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

Matthew 21:22 (WEB)

For nothing spoken by God is impossible.

Luke 1:37 (WEB)

That your faith wouldn't stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:5 (WEB)

He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:26 (WEB)

Experiences:

As we look back, we realize how rough the school year can be. The demands of the administrators, parents, and students forced us to rely on our faith to pull us through as we were feeling down, overwhelmed, frustrated, and depleted. Many lunch breaks were spent discussing our day and taking the time to meditate, pray, and write confirmations in our journals. This act helped us to elevate our thoughts into positive energy. This sustained us throughout the day and pulled us out of excessive complaining and venting.

It is difficult to reverse our negative thoughts from the venting mode during the crux of emotional turmoil. Therefore, we made an agreement that whenever one of us started venting, we would remind each other not to dwell in the act of complaining. Instead, we channeled our thoughts into positive conversation, as complaining takes us deeper into darkness.

Usually by the afternoon, we felt revitalized due to our meditation, gratitude and a moment of silence. We started the rest of the day with renewed energy and hope. We were better equipped to make wise choices as unexpected circumstances and emergencies occurred in our classroom. At the end of the day, we took time to reflect on how prayer and fellowship helped us to overcome challenges confirming our success through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Confirmations:

• I am thankful for knowledge, wisdom, and a sound mind.

• I am trusting of the Lord that He is pulling me through.

• I have faith in receiving the desires of my heart.

• I am victorious.

• I am a righteous person living by faith.

• I am renewed with the Holy Spirit.

• I am thankful for friends who lend an understanding ear.

Envision and Express the Following:

• I see myself receiving the desires of my heart.

• I perceive myself staying in peace while the Lord is working on my behalf.

• I see my requests and desires (state your specific desires) manifesting themselves.

• I view good things coming my way.

• I notice I accomplish my vision and goals.

• I believe and I accept the abundance without wavering.

• I have the inheritance of my Lord.

• My angels are guiding me and my Heavenly Father protects me.

• My mouth professes my faith.

• I serve a big God so I think big and dream big!

• All things are possible through the Holy Spirit.

My desires are ...

___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Values

From childhood, values are instilled in us and are part of our everyday teaching. What values are important to you? Do you impart these values in your students? We impart these values in our students whether we realize it or not, and it plays a large role in the development of our students' futures.

In our lives, we uphold the values and principles most important to us. These guiding principles set the tone of expected behavior and attitudes in both students and teachers. In the end, values are just as important as curriculum, as values include fairness and generating new ideas to serve the community. The values we implement drive our society and develop good character.

Scripture:

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Luke 6:31(ESV)

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding to be chosen above silver.

Proverbs 16:16 (NASB)

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.

Hebrews 13:18 (ESV)

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

Proverbs 10:9 (ESV)

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.

James 3:13-14 (NASB)

Experiences:

Educational standards place many requirements on teachers for their students to succeed academically. However, implementing social values are just as important. In our experiences, district standards drove our meetings, workshops, and professional developments. We infused these values into our daily teaching as well as our own personal values.

Some students come with a different set of values and it becomes difficult when parents have one set of values and the school has another set. For example, once we had a father who told his child if someone hits you, you hit them back. This did not set well with our school policy when the child retaliated physically with another student on the playground.

Thereafter, to clarify our discipline code we had a meeting with the parents. This made the father angry for he did not agree with our policies. However, we thoughtfully brought the father along in understanding the process of our discipline policy explaining what is fair and equitable to all students. We reminded the parent that violence is not a solution. We do not want to establish aggressive behavior as a pattern to solve problems, but through appropriate communication we can avoid conflicts. Coming to an understanding through collaboration, the father finally accepted the discipline plan.

In conclusion, educating parents is just as necessary as educating students to impart values. Values are important to teach and are taught through different venues such as personal, home, school, and district. Such valuable experiences shape our students, community, and ultimately our society.

Confirmations:

• I am steadfast in teaching important values of life.

• I am fair and equitable.

• I am following God's gentleness and wisdom.

• I am open to the truth and not to arrogance.

• I am in my heart, not blinded by bitter jealously or selfish ambitions.

• I am wiser than gold and my understanding is above silver.

Envision and Express the Following:

• I envision my student's happy and following appropriate behavior values.

• I view myself enhancing my own personal values.

• I see myself with a good attitude as an example for my students.

• I see my school following appropriate values.

• My values make a difference in my students' lives.

• My students are internalizing the values taught.

• My success comes from following God's goodness and guidance

• I conduct myself with integrity.

• Parents understand the values of our school.

• I have a clear conscience and act honorably.

• I have wisdom, knowledge and understanding from above.

My desires are ...

___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Gratitude

Practicing daily gratitude is one of the keys to manifesting your desires. It is giving thanks for the things we have received and the appreciation of His grace and blessings. Offering thanks in our prayers daily gets God's attention and brings forth our desires much faster. Do you practice gratitude daily? How important is expressing gratitude? Practicing gratitude and praise opens the door of communication with the Holy Spirit. It is helpful to keep a daily journal of gratitude to get into the habit of being grateful. Therefore, gratitude is the groundwork of all things to come.

Cultivating a spirit of gratitude can bring happiness and joy in our lives. It brings about good experiences and strong relationships, improving health and emotional being. We are better able to deal with adversity as gratitude protects us from envy, jealousy, and developing a hardened heart. Our thoughtful disposition develops our spirit; therefore, our thoughts and spoken words matter.