ESL Blogs

This week marked the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. MLK delivered his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC 50 years ago. 

I visited the exact location where MLK delivered his famous speech just a few weeks ago with my family. Taking the kids to the site where MLK delivered his speech was a very memorable experience for me. I took short video clips of my children telling me their own dreams for the future. Thanks to people like MLK who came before us, the dreams of my Canadian kids are pretty simple. My daughter said: "I have a dream to be a singer." My son said: "I have a dream to be a car maker."

Last night, on the 50th anniversary, I showed my kids a few parts of MLK's "I have a dream" speech. They could not believe how many people had gathered around the steps where we sat to do our video. My son was shocked to learn that kids could be denied a ride on a merry-go-round because of the colour of their skin.  

MLK had a big dream. What's your dream? Let's find out! 

Writing Task

1. Open a new blog post. Use the title: Writing Challenge: I Have a Dream

2. Think back to when you were a child (before the age of 10). What was your dream (hope/goal) for the future? Describe it in a few sentences. (Paragraph 1)

3. Think about your greatest goal or dream right now. What is your current dream? (Paragraph 2)

4. Describe how your dream has changed since you were a child. (Paragraph 3)

5. Describe three things you will do to make your current dream come true. (Paragraph 4)

My Example

I Have A Dream

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher or a librarian. I have always loved little kids. One reason I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher is because I love stories. Kindergarten classes are always full of books. Another reason is that I love interacting with young children. My favourite age is between 1-4. Kids are little sponges at this age. 

My dream right now is to make a living from writing books. The publishing business is not easy to break into. One day I would like to live in a house on a hill and write books for a living. It's a big dream, too!

Some people say that the dream you have as a kindergartener is often your true purpose in life. My dreams haven't changed that much over the years. Instead of teaching young children in a classroom, I teach English learners through my writing and materials. I volunteer in kindergarten classes and on school trips, and my house is always full of neighbourhood kids. I also write fiction for kids.

In order to make a living in the publishing world, I will need to dedicate more time to my personal writing. I need to spend more time alone with my journal, which will be easier as my kids get older (or so I hope!). I should get back to writing my personal blog as well. Finally, I need to spend more time reading. To become a successful writer you have to immerse yourself in books.

“By believing passionately in something that still doesn’t exist, we create it. The non-existant is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.” ~Nikos Kazantzakis

Quotes about dreams