“Hope!”

That is an amazing word! That one word can change a person’s total attitude. Hope is what gives people the ability to dream, to chart new directions, to invent, to be their best, to invest, and to think positively.

Michael Phelps, winner of 8 Olympic Gold Medals, is an example of the word, “hope.” During the Olympics, the media has commented on his concentration and his ability to focus while swimming. That is truly an amazing feat because when Michael was a child, he could not concentrate and focus. He was in constant trouble in school. He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was nine years old, and he took medication for awhile. Michael had two things that changed his life. One was that he had a mother who believed in him—she had hope for him. The other is that he began swimming, and those two factors changed his life. He now had something at which he could excel. He had hope!

Every student you will get this new school year needs hope. They each need someone to believe in them, to find their “gifts,” the things at which they excel.

You can do that. But in order to do it, you too must have hope. Keep the hope and dream going that you can and will make a difference—that you can and will reach each student. And you will!

Have a great day and a wonderful school year.

Maryln