On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic speech “I Have a Dream” from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Over 250,000 civil rights supporters listened in rapt attention as he spoke of the dreams he had for his children and our country. This speech was one of the critical moments in the fight for civil rights and it has remained one of the most famous and most quoted speeches ever delivered.
I’m sure you’ve heard the first nine words from his speech: “I have a dream that my four little children …” These words resonate with men and women from every generation because we do indeed have dreams for our children. Amid everyday peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the drilling of spelling words, or in driving to a basketball game and listening to a senior thesis defense, we go beyond the here and the now to the deeper dreams for our kids.
What dreams do you have for your children? I have a dream that my children will thrive and graduate from our school as well-prepared 18-year-olds, solid in their faith and immensely capable in their skills. I have a dream that, in their time as Classical, Christian students, they will grow in wisdom and stature in the sight of God and man. I have a dream that, through their studies and relationships as sixth graders and as seniors, they will come to love what is good, true, and beautiful. I have a dream that they will know what it means to love God deeply and serve others humbly. I have a dream they will graduate as solid, highly educated citizens, ready to take on this world as it is while remaining grounded in who God has created them to be. I have a dream that these years, while not perfect, will be so very good for my kids, better than what they could experience anywhere else.
Most of all, I have a dream that this school will be the same blessing to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our Board, I (as the Principal), our teachers and staff, and you – the families of our school – are all making decisions now aimed to ensure this great school is around for generations to come. It is humbling to think that the decisions we make on an ordinary Monday in 2023 may be a part of what determines the strength of this school for our grandchildren on an ordinary Monday in 2043. Daily, we lay our dreams and our decisions before the Lord, asking for His guidance for our school. And we are daily grateful for the ways we are already walking in that dream, blessed today to be a part of an awesome school.
So, what do you dream of for your kids? My sincere hope is that you are dreaming of a Libertas CFLC that will be around for generations to come, blessing your family and mine.
Holly Kalton
Head of School, Libertas Academy
