• “When it is obvious that the goals are unattainable, don’t adjust the goals; adjust the steps” — Confucius 

I taught a lovely young girl who sat attentively in the front of the room during my first period Algebra I class. Next to her was a young man filled with energy who often had a difficult time sitting still, but not in my class because the students on either side of him made sure that he was always on task. Next to him was another outstanding young lady who would rise to the number one spot among her peers. Between the three of them there were many dreams which may have seemed daunting when they were freshmen but would ultimately come true because each of them set goals and then adjusted the pace and the steps that they would need to accomplish what many might have believed were unattainable dreams. 

One of the girls wanted to be a medical doctor. She had good grades and earned admission to an excellent college where she strove to graduate with a strong enough GPA to impress a medical school but to her dismay she just barely missed what most universities were looking for in their students. She went to work in a hospital as a medical scribe following doctors and writing down their diagnoses and treatments for the record while she recalibrated her plans. She had a knack for all of those medical terms that most of us would not know how to spell. 

Eventually she confided to the physicians of her longing to work in the medical community in a more challenging way. She was worried about what her grades on the MCAT exam might be, so while she was studying for that test she went back to college to earn a masters’ degree in hospital management. She graduated with honors and worked for a time until she felt brave enough to take the MCAT and apply once again to medical schools. She not only got a good score on the test but many of the doctors with whom she had worked enthusiastically wrote recommendation letters for her. This time she got an acceptance from Howard University and finally fulfilled her dream. This fall she will take the medical board exams to determine if she is soon to be called a doctor. 

The young man in the middle wanted to be an engineer so he went to a university of south Texas where he was not tempted to party or do so many of the usual college extra curriculars. He worked hard and earned a degree by taking classes step by step until he had earned enough credits to graduate. Sadly there were few jobs in his field when he graduated so he found work that was unrelated to his major. Eventually an opportunity arose out of the blue in a small town. He jumped at the chance to show his mettle, working long hours and on weekends until the managers of the company saw his work ethic and enthusiasm and began to mentor him for better things. This month he will take the test to become a Professional Engineer. 

The third young lady went to Syracuse on a scholarship and graduated with honors in four years but she was not ready to quit working toward a higher degree. To earn funds she drove an ambulance and took all kinds of little jobs here and there while plugging away at earning a Masters degree and then a PhD. Hers has also been a long journey during which some wondered why she kept working so hard. Now she is doing a fellowship at a hospital in New York City and she proudly bears the title of Doctor. 

I often think back to when those three students sat in the front of my classroom taking notes, asking questions, eagerly pushing themselves to get better and better at math. They became three of my all time favorite students and I somehow always knew that there was no question that they would be quite successful. 

The funny thing is that I actually had other teachers come to watch me instructing my students to discover how I inspired such studious behavior in these three and others in that class. The truth is that I had nothing whatsoever to do with their hard work. They were the ones teaching me. From them I learned the power of determination and patience. I watched them create goals for themselves that many of the adults in their lives thought were fantastical. They were never once derailed from the paths that each of them ultimately took. I admired them then and admire them even more now. They have surpassed me in every measure and I am honored to have known them and been a tiny part in their success. 

We all too often underestimated ourselves and those around us. We forget how tough the human spirit can be. These three showed me the power of sticking with dreams even if the ways of doing so had to change a bit. In the end each of them has scored an enormous victory and created a well lived life just by adjusting the steps one at a time.