On the heels of Teacher Appreciation Week, here is another educator making a profound impact.  Kaya Henderson is Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. She is one of TIME’s “12 Education Activists to Watch in 2012″ as well as one of Forbes’ seven most-powerful educators in the world.

Sam’s Dream Blog: What’s your dream for D.C. schools? How do you practically pursue it?

Kaya Henderson: From the first day I began working at District of Columbia Public Schools, I have had one dream for our schools: Turning DCPS into a world-class school system that prepares students well for success in college, career and life.

I want every student in this city to have the opportunity to learn from an outstanding teacher in a classroom that provides the tools and technology to help them reach their potential and pursue their own dreams for the future. And I want every student in this city to have access to fun and engaging programs that get students excited about learning and going to school.

But more than a dream, creating a world-class school system is a moral imperative. The future success of our city and our nation depends on a well-educated workforce, and I want our students to be able to compete with their peers in the D.C. area, the United States and around the world.

Over the past five years, we have been working diligently at our schools and in the central office to recruit and retain the most talented teachers and school leaders; build and rebuild high-quality modern schools that are wired for 21^st century technology and feature some of the best amenities we can offer; and, through our community partnerships, we are creating exciting programs that engage students’ interests in academics, the arts, athletics and technology.

This year, in particular, we’ve made significant strides in pursuing our goals by launching a rigorous, new academic plan that is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and designed to improve student performance. And, in our new five-year strategic plan, titled “A Capital Commitment,” we’ve made specific bold spending and programmatic decisions to reach our goals.

Over the next five years, DCPS has committed to the following five goals:

Increase district-wide proficiency to 70 percent while doubling the number of advanced students;

Improve the proficiency rates for our 40 lowest-performing schools by 40 percentage points

Increase our high school graduation rate from 52 percent to 75 percent

Ensure that 90 percent of DCPS students like the school they attend; and

Increase our enrollment.

These commitments support our goals for the next five years and the promises we have made to the District of Columbia and all our stakeholders to provide the students of this city with a world-class education.

Behind each of these goals are real, specific financial commitments that will help us build on the momentum we have seen over the past five years and move forward aggressively toward dramatic improvements.

SDB: Does your dream ever seem daunting?

Kaya Henderson:

Dreams always seem daunting at first. It’s not until you set goals and develop specific plans to reach those goals that you see the very real possibility of turning a dream into reality.

In DCPS, we take a strategic, systematic approach in setting goals for improvement – whether that’s academics, programming, operations or facilities. We set ambitious goals for our students, teachers, school leaders and central office support staff, and hold regular “school stats” throughout the organization to monitor progress and troubleshoot potential problems.

When you set ambitious goals in an effort to reach your dreams, it is critical to have the support of all your stakeholders – from city hall to communities and partners. We have been fortunate to have the unwavering support of Mayor Vincent C. Gray and look forward to engaging our communities and partners and garnering their support as we move forward with our five-year strategic plan in pursuit of our goals.

Did you think about some meaningful educators in your life last week? If not, here is another reminder

This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. Who better to feature on Sam’s Dream Blog this week than Leslie Jacobs? Jacobs has helped to re-shape the New Orleans school system to the point that U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called New Orleans the most improved school district in the country in 2011. Late last year, Forbes included Jacobs among the world’s seven most-powerful educators.

Sam’s Dream Blog: You’re a New Orleans native.  When did education of New Orleans youth become important to you?

Leslie Jacobs: I am a New Orleans native.  When I returned to New Orleans after college and the birth of my first child, I was looking to engage in something meaningful.  I became a business partner with an elementary school next to a housing development, which was one of the lowest performing schools in the city.

SDB: More than 60 percent of schools were failing before Hurricane Katrina. What was the effect of Katrina on student and teacher morale, and what got them hoping and believing again?

Leslie Jacobs: Public schools in New Orleans are much better than they were before the levees broke in 2005.  We are the most improved school district in the state.  Our dropout rate has plummeted.  More students are passing the state tests. Fewer schools are failing.  Why the change?  Many reasons:  The freedom and autonomy of public charter schools (close to 80 percent of students attend charter schools), the return of veteran teachers and principals along with many new ones, an embracing of a “no excuses” culture – the adults in the building need to find a way to overcome the challenges students bring with them to school. These are some of the key changes.

SDB: What’s your dream for New Orleans schools?

Leslie Jacobs: My dream and expectation is that New Orleans becomes a national “proof point” that demonstrates to the country that we can successfully educate large numbers of poor and minority youth.

Who is a teacher in your life who you can say thank you to this Teacher Appreciation Week?

Whitney Johnson is the author of “Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream,” to be released May 8. She is President of Rose Park Advisors and is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review.

Sam’s Dream Blog: You left a highly successful Wall Street job.  When did you know it was time to shift gears?  Did you have doubts during the transition process, and what was your first step when you started your dream pursuit?

Whitney Johnson: The notion to leave had come to the fore a few times beforehand.  I remember one of my friends having a great business idea, and I really wanted to leave, but I knew the timing wasn’t right.   I think I really knew, though, in early 2005.  I was contemplating leaving to pursue entrepreneurial ventures, and thought, no.  But then I remember very clearly being on vacation with my husband, and I just said, “It’s time.”  It was really important to me to leave at the top of my game.  I didn’t ever want to be accused of dialing it in.  Within a few weeks, I gave notice.   I haven’t really ever had doubts, but in retrospect, I was a bit impetuous.   The first step in starting toward my current dream was simply to decompress.  I probably had six months where I didn’t do much of anything other than to luxuriate in my new-found freedom.   I think before we scale a new dream, we need to rest and regroup.

SDB: How long did you have your Dare to Dream blog before you started the book process, and how did you start moving toward writing a book? 

Whitney Johnson: I began blogging in late 2006.

I was frequently having conversations with women who were telling me they didn’t have a dream or didn’t know how to do a dream, and worse, didn’t believe it was their privilege to dream.  I had to do something.

At the same time I knew that someday I wanted to write a book.  I also knew that no one would publish something I’d written because I didn’t have a platform.   A low barrier-to-entry solution was to start blogging.  I blogged regularly for three years when Laurel Christensen at Time Out for Women asked me to write a book.  I initially thought I could just regroup some blog posts and I’d have a book.   Over the course of about seven months, a book gradually came together.  I knew the first part needed to be about why we needed to dream, but I didn’t quite know where I would go after that.

SDB: On Twitter, you shared the quote, “Sometimes good things fall apart, so better things can fall together.” “ Like with my book!” you added.  Could you elaborate on this experience?

Whitney Johnson: Three weeks before what was then Dare to Dream was supposed to go to print, the publisher I was working with decided not to publish the book, unless I would undergo a significant directional shift.  I was devastated.  After a few weeks, we agreed to amicably part ways.  This was late 2010.   Which meant that in March 2011 when the book was to have been published, I had barely signed on an agent, and was now sending the manuscript out to publishers.  In the interim, I did tighten up the book considerably, down from a word count of 100k to 70k – I had time to ask for additional blurbs – to improve how I write – and to be more prepared generally to put my book into others’ hands.   In the falling apart, better things have fallen together.

SDB: What is it about the subject of dreams that makes you come alive?

Whitney Johnson: Hope.
I struggle to be hopeful; I think many of us do.  When I dream, and especially when I help others dream, hope smiles brightly before us – and I feel soul-satisfyingly happy.

SDB: Who has been a dream coach or dream journey mentor in your life?

Whitney Johnson: In the archetypal Karate Kid-sense, I can think of one person – one of my college professors.  That said, I think we need to revisit the mentoring equation, as I wrote here.  There’s a tendency to want to find that one person, but I think we are better served to see mentors as people with whom we work for a finite period of time – and we learn and/or teach very specific things – like my learning from Laura Forte/DeWayne Shaw how to be a good equity analyst.

SDB: What’s a big lesson you have learned in regard to pursuing dreams?

Whitney Johnson: Each experience that we have, the good and especially the things that happen to us that we don’t deserve, shapes our dreams.  For example, one of my biggest dreams, which is to encourage others, came, I think, [because I didn’t hear enough] encouraging words as a child.  I deserved that, and I long for that sometimes. Yet, without that, would I even have felt [compelled] to begin writing about dreams in the first place?

See also my post on Sheryl Sandberg.

Buy Dare, Dream, Do and check out Whitney’s fantastic site here

Tara Ruiz currently works for a packaging and forwarding company, but that’s not even the half of her story. Tara is going back to school to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management through Ashford University’s online classes.

“Before my recent employment, I could not find a job to save my life!” Tara says. “I can only assume that my degree will open doors for me that I don’t even know exist.”

Tara continues her courageous story…

I’m going back to school to be able to provide a more secure future for my children and me.  I am at the bottom of the money pole in this industry, and I am interested in logistics for some reason.  I think what is most exciting is that I will get to meet and work with people from all over the globe. People and different cultures are very interesting to me.

Honestly, what gave me the courage to do this is my children. They had been out of my life for three years, and in September 2011, they came to live with me full time. That is when I realized I needed to start making better decisions for their future and mine. I am more mature now than when I was right out of high school. All I wanted to do was be a famous model. Well, now that I am 36, that isn’t going to happen! It took me all this time to figure out what it is that I like and what I am willing to dedicate my precious time and money to.  I feel that you can’t keep making the same bad decisions and expect a different result.”

How can YOU emulate Tara’s courage and step out toward a dream?  Tell me about it!

Carol Roth is a business strategist, former investment banker and author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Entrepreneur Equation. Hundreds of organizations have employed Carol’s business expertise.

Listen as Carol shares with Sam’s Dream Blog about gaining credibility and about what kind of business is right for you.

Check out Carol Roth’s Web site for plenty more business insights!

Sabine Brandt has served as president of Nobility Coaching & Consulting, Inc. since 2000. Consulting clients include Express Scripts, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, RBC Wealth Management, 3M, Target, Prudential and more.

Sam’s Dream Blog: What’s your dream?  How did you get to this point?

Sabine Brandt: My dream was to build a successful, faith-based life coaching practice that would help professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs re-position their careers to align with their life purpose and values while supporting their desired lifestyle.  When someone is unhappy in their current career and confused about whether they should stay, leave or start their own business, we coach them in finding their next ideal career step and achieve results.

I reached the finish line by having a clear vision and goals as well as taking consistent action.  In addition I made sure to surround myself with others who wanted to see me succeed.

SDB: How does someone find his or her unique calling?

Sabine Brandt: Finding your calling is primarily a process of introspection that requires absolute honesty with yourself and a willingness to look beyond your current circumstances.  You will find your true calling in the nexus of your passions, values, skills, gifts, talents and experiences.  Once you discover this unique blend that makes up who you are as a person and decide to authentically own it, the door to career transformation opens and you can explore how to turn your calling into a vocation.

SDB: What do you suggest if a person has external limitations?  How does someone free himself from internal limitations?

Sabine Brandt: There will always be obstacles, whether external or internal, and unfortunately too many people give up way too easily.  Obstacles may show up as people, a lack of resources or self-limiting thoughts and behavior.  When you dream big, you will naturally encounter opposition – some people will not want your light to shine any brighter than their own.  The key to successfully overcoming obstacles of any kind is to keep pressing forward, no matter what.  If your path hits a wall, climb over it.  If you find barbed wire on top, dig a tunnel.  There is always a solution as long as there is a willingness to overcome.  Of course as a Christian coach, my primary source of encouragement is God’s word.  I firmly believe that God has a plan for all of us and that His power is bigger than any limitation (Jeremiah 29:11).  In my experience the number one obstacle that keeps people from moving forward with their dreams is fear.  Fear can show up in many forms such as fearing a lack of provision, fearing the opinions of others, fearing rejection, and fearing failure, but it will stop us dead in our tracks every single time.  That said, it is vitally important to find the root cause of our fears and develop successful strategies to overcome them.

SDB: How do you find a starting point?

Sabine Brandt: Since your dream most likely revolves around your calling (whether you consciously realize it or not), I believe the starting point should always be a clear vision.  Ask yourself “why” your dream is important to you and make sure the answer is not driven by false motives.  Once you have a clear vision, make it tangible – create a roadmap with milestones and an action plan with specific tasks to reach each milestone. If you are not even sure what your first goal should be, brainstorm, make a random list and then prioritize again and again until you have at least the top 3 action items identified.  The important thing is to just get moving and not let yourself feel intimidated by the size of your dream.

Ask yourself, “What is one single action I can take today that will take me a step closer to realizing my dream?” Then do it and watch the momentum carry you forward.

SDB: How important is clarity in vision to pursuing dreams?

Sabine Brandt: I believe vision is absolutely vital to achieving your dreams.  Without this big picture view of your dreams, your actions will lack direction. People who don’t understand the importance or who are unwilling to commit to a vision usually end up spending much of their time re-assessing their goals over and over again. Although they may still realize their dreams in the end, they usually take much longer to do so.

SDB: What’s a big lesson you have learned in terms of pursuing dreams and goals?

Sabine Brandt: There have been many lessons I have learned on my journey, but one of the biggest lessons I have learned is to be patient with myself.  Goals almost always take longer than we plan and, even when we think we have everything perfectly planned out, life can throw us a curve ball.  We need to remain flexible and adaptable as we pursue our dreams, adjusting our course as needed and discarding what doesn’t serve our cause.

Learn more about Life Coach Sabine Brandt and Nobility Coaching, and claim your free resource on career happiness

Dave Kaplan is the director of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Montclair, N.J. Kaplan has co-authored multiple books with the legendary New York Yankees catcher and American icon.

Sam’s Dream Blog: How did you become the Director of the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center?

Dave Kaplan: When plans for the Museum began in 1997, I was working at the New York Daily News and offered to help any way I could. I thought it would be a neat community project since it was being built in my town of Montclair. One thing led to another and I was asked to be the director. It has certainly been a most challenging and rewarding experience, one I wouldn’t trade in for anything.

SDB: You’ve written several books with baseball icon Mr. Berra, including “When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!,” “What Time Is It? You Mean Now?,” and “You Can Observe a Lot by Watching: What I’ve Learned about Teamwork from the Yankees and Life.”  What does it mean to you to have a personal relationship with him?

Dave Kaplan: It’s an everyday delight, an honor actually, and something I never take lightly.

SDB: What is it about Mr. Berra that allows him to continue to shine across generations?

Dave Kaplan: He’s so authentic and humble, and represents to people all the honorable values that made this country great.  He’s a man of great character, and it doesn’t hurt that he does say some accidentally humorous things from time to time.

SDB: Similarly, how does Mr. Berra demonstrate the “tenets of character education – respect, responsibility and integrity” mentioned on the museum Web site?

Dave Kaplan: His life is the personification of the American dream. He’s the son of immigrants who was always doubted or underestimated. He sacrificed for his country serving in World War II, then he worked hard to improve his skills and became the winningest player in the history of baseball. Throughout his life, he’s always made good choices and always been true to himself. As a ballplayer, husband and family man, he’s lived an exemplary life.

SDB: What lesson(s) have you learned from working with Mr. Berra?

Dave Kaplan: The importance of being who you are, and the importance of treating people with respect. So much of what our society believes about achievement, fairness and friendship can be learned from Yogi, who’s always had the proper perspective about sports and life.

Visit the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center or pick up one of Kaplan’s Yogi Berra books. Berra’s Yankees open the regular season on April 6.

Today’s guest, Sujata Kumari, is the founder of Flyhigh-world.com, an adventure travel Web site. She is also an independent consultant.

Name:
Sujata Kumari

What’s your dream?
I have had many dreams since my college days. (Before that I never dreamt.)  Some I managed to realize and others I had to shelve. I do chase my dreams, though, and some came true after years of toil, patience and hard work. None of my dreams came true within a year. I always had a dream to study and live abroad and explore new country and culture, which took years for me to realize.

I also dreamt of traveling the world and exploring it by myself and had a lot of convincing to do before I actually went and did it. I did a lot of adventure sports (trekking, camping, white water rafting, paragliding, jet skiing, etc.) as I was fond of them. I also had to face a lot of visa issues but eventually it all got sorted. Visa officers never believed that I was going to travel to their country for tourism by myself.

What’s the latest with your dream?
I pursued my dream to start a venture. It has not yet yielded the results I was hoping for, so I’m going to shelve this one for now and chase another one. I also have a dream to write a book someday and to host a TV show.

I love cooking and sometimes dream of training people with my mouth-watering dishes. So many dreams to chase in this lifetime. It just doesn’t seem long enough.

Learn more:
Visit Flyhigh-world.com and e-mail Sujata at: sujatalondon@gmail.com

Today marks the debut of a new type of post. It’s called Miller’s Musings. Actually you’ve read a couple of my musings already. Periodically I’ll share my thoughts or break away from the interview format in some way. This week, I’m encouraging you to pick up a book I just finished reading. John Maxwell’s “Put Your Dream to the Test” is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It has the kind of practical perspective we are after here on Sam’s Dream Blog.

Let me give you a few examples of Maxwell’s comments before you go out and grab the book:

“A dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it” (Put, xiii.)

“If you have a clear vision, that will eventually attract the right strategy. If you don’t have a clear vision, no strategy will save you” (25.)

“Dreams by definition are not supposed to start with reality… They are birthed with hopes, desires, and possibilities” (45.)

Pick up “Put Your Dream to the Test,” and tell me, what’s a dream you are working toward? Perhaps a book has inspired you to pursue your dreams lately? I want to hear!

Four years ago, LPGA Futures Tour golfer Seul-Ki Park concluded her Illini career with the third-lowest career average in program history. Has it really been that long, Park wonders. Nowadays, instead of a team pushing her, it’s just Seul-Ki, her instructor and her trainer. She’s seen peers give up at this point and decide professional golf is not for them. Seul-Ki, on the other hand, is more committed to her dream than ever, as she shares this week on Sam’s Dream Blog.

Listen to Seul-Ki talk about her dream journey, and read more afterward!

Sam’s Dream Blog: What’s your dream?

Seul-Ki Park: My dream is to go out there and win multiple LPGA Tour events. Pretty much to be the No. 1 player, the best player as a female professional golfer.

SDB: Give readers a sense of how competitive it is.

Seul-Ki Park: There are a lot of good players out there, but you also have to realize that the little changes you’re making, or the little improvements you are making, are so small, particularly at this level. When I was playing junior golf or college golf, I was able to make a lot of improvements in a short amount of time. Now the improvements that I’m making in my game are going to take time. They are not going to happen in an instant. That’s what every player out there is going through.

SDB: You could be working on your game every waking moment. How do you set boundaries?

Seul-Ki Park: I had an experience last year when I was going through all my swing changes. I was injuring my abs when I was swinging. I was always out at the range hitting ball after ball and trying to figure it out. You can’t just hit ball after ball for hours to prepare for a tournament. There are other things you need to do to rest your body in order to perform your best during a tournament, or you need to work on different aspects of your game versus one thing.

What happened was, I injured myself during a tournament. I strained my ab muscle so I had to withdraw from the tournament. Then I had to sit out for about a month and a half. That’s when I learned that I need to catch myself when I am really pushing myself. It’s good that you’re focused and you’re determined and you’re committed, but you need to see the bigger picture. Is this going to help me in the future?

SDB: Golf is pretty consuming, isn’t it?

Seul-Ki Park: It does get tough. You’re at a different place week after week. You’re obviously going to a tournament to win every time. Time flies. Once the season starts in March, it’s pretty busy through September. Golf or any other sport that you’re doing at a professional level has to become your lifestyle and not your job. Golf is something that you can do every single day, rain or no rain. That’s where you kind of have to watch yourself.

SDB: What have you learned?

Seul-Ki Park: As I find out more and more about the game and the players, I’ve had to find my own place. That’s something I struggled with my first year on Futures Tour. I played in the tournaments, but I was so inconsistent with my routine. Some players were doing this, so I’d try to do that. Other players would practice two or three rounds before the tournament, so I’d try to do that. Physically, I’d be too tired playing three practice rounds going into a tournament. What I’ve learned is how important a routine is for me, a routine that fits my needs.

LPGA Futures Tour action begins this week. Check it out, and follow Seul-Ki