For years in every course and classroom in which I’ve taught, I describe “reality” to my students as the realm of the possible. One of the most memorable times was in a charter high school social science class. Let me explain it to you.
I drew a circle on the white board and placed an “X” at its center. I explained to the class that they should imagine themselves seated at the “X” and what surrounded them was the realm of what was possible for them. I explained the circle represented the limits to which they could hope. What lay inside the circle was all that was possible for them. I then had them conceptualize what they could “see” in their “hope circles.” I suggested that reasonable ideas might include what they were going to do this weekend or the job they were going to after school. Longer term ideas might have included what college they could attend or the possible scores on their upcoming pre-SAT tests they were going to take in order to get into that college. I didn’t bring it up in class, but I knew that many lacked a stable family life, and they may have been wondering if Mom and Dad were going to be able to place food on the table or even be at that table for dinner.
I explained to them that some in the class would have larger “hope circles” than others and that some would have more to place within their “realm of the possible.” Then, I asked them to share with the class what they had envisioned within their individual circles.
One young lady in the back of the room raised her hand and immediately offered that she was going to have a Maserati. Not wishing to dampen her enthusiasm I said, “OK, so a Maserati—at least the one you’re thinking about—costs between $250,000 and $350,000. So what are we going to do to get $250K to $350K?” Without hesitation, she responded that she was going to win the lottery.
Again, not wishing to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, I tried to respond as politely as I could. “Well, I know something about gambling and cars and statistics. And I just want you to know that you’re more likely to be hit by a Maserati than to win one in the lottery.” The class chuckled a bit as did the student. I don’t know if our discussion, years ago now, ever dissuaded her from buying a lottery ticket or dreaming of another make of car that more easily fit in her realm of the possible. As so many of her peers, she just needed someone to pour into their lives a little truth and a little reality while tapping into the power of that reality.