Rafe's Vision

Rafe is a visionary because he sees children in poor living conditions, who others might say have a small chance at changing their lives, and teaches them to make great goals for themselves. He can see each child's potential and where they can be in years to come, if shown the right way. "The real measure of teaching is: Where are these kids five years from now?" Rafe said. He is not merely teaching for "the now", but teaching these children for life. His use of Shakespeare and focus on difficult vocabulary; life lessons such as patience, responsibility, sacrifice, hard work, and even using money effectively; and helping kids to really become Americans makes his teaching style a bit unusual.

I found this film inspiring because it showed how one person can make a huge difference and really impact lives. Even under bad circumstances or difficult odds, one person, with enough persistence and dedication, can work through the problems and meet his goals. Seeing Rafe providing a strong example for the children was really inspiring too, since I could see how they were taking his lessons to heart and already making great goals for the future.

Watching this film reminded me of goals I've set for myself in my own life. A lot are lifelong goals or goals that I've set for after graduation and during my career, but I have "smaller" goals I've made for myself in the meantime. During this year, I really just want to focus on being a better person, the sort of individual that can inspire others. I want to be a hard worker, a kind person, and someone that others can count on. Even though I'm busy and it's easy to get discouraged, I want to be someone people can go to for an encouraging word, or look to as a good example.