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Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn't the only person with a dream.
Every person at some point in time in his life has a dream. The dream could be to become an astronaut, an architect, or an acrobat. The dream also could be an idea on how to improve the world. Where do dreams go? Why do dreams die? 
As a parent, you want your child receive the best education available. Perhaps that's why you chose (or are thinking about) online learning. However, the fact is K-12 and college lessons aren't all that's needed to direct your student to the future. He has to dream. Your responsibility, along with online teachers, is to encourage dreaming in your student.
Killing dreams happens in an instant; helping dreams emerge takes a lifetime. Help you student find out his passion—his dreams—with these helpful tips.
Never say never. Nothing dissuades a young mind more than harsh reality. Bring out ideas; don't dismiss them. Put logic and practicality to the side. Don't prequalify or cut new thoughts. Discuss how new ideas could work.
Encourage invention. Innovation lives in all of us, no matter the scale. Bring out your student's creativity by coming up with new inventions or improving current situations. Build or re-structure creations together.
Change your perspective. Looking at the world in a different way can change your life. Step back, off to the side, or completely out of the box. Taking a new angle demonstrates to your student change is possible.
Let your student dream on his own. Parents can live vicariously through their children. Push this feeling away and be willing to accept whoever your student wants to be. Don't make your dreams his dreams.
Challenge the status quo. Life would never improve if we left it the way it is. Be a model of new ideas for your student. Show him you don't have to accept the way things are.
Try new things. Mix it up. Go somewhere new. See something different. Merge two totally different ideas, fields, products, artwork, foods, and so on. Don't be afraid of what you'll discover together.
Surround your student with dreamers. Help your student embrace dreams by exposing him to other dreamers, both children and adults. Offering a creative environment will help your student realize it's OK to dream.
The next time your student comes to you with a dream, encourage it! Your student deserves to have a chance to say, "I have a dream" and to make it reality. The fact is dreams are what keep us alive.
What's your dream? We'd like to know.
