IF DREAMS WERE HORSES BEGGARS WOULD DRIVE

                                             HOOPS DREAMS

         This documentary, “Hoop Dreams” is about the life of two young men, William Gates and Arthur Agee. It talks about their passions and dreams on basketball, from their freshman year of high school to their first year of college. They both begin participating in playground games and end up being recruited by colleges. These two ambitious young boys face obstacles which are not limited to family problems like paternal drug addiction and parents' poverty. Other obstacles are physical injuries during competitions. They are tough and struggle to make their way through success, trying to make their dreams come true. However, neither one nor the other advanced academically, and both of them suffer from their failure. The documentary reveals something interesting about dreams, hope and creed. In life, we sometimes have an illusion of success but not all the dreams can be fulfilled. Neither can any dreamer be a good architect of dreams. Carrying dreams, hopes and Ideals into reality demands a price which is sometimes beyond our expectancy.

          When I watched the documentary I thought twice about myself and my dream to become one of the best teachers in the world. When I was a little boy, my dream was to become a constable in Burkina Faso. I did everything but I could not fulfill this dream. Even though I had the intellectual potentials for this job, I did not have the physical requirement. In fact, I never got the height required for this profession. Therefore, I changed my dream into becoming a teacher. Anyways, constables are taught by teachers and this a satisfaction for me at least. Unfortunately, the two boys in Hoop Dreams refused to change their dream. They were not flexible and worst, it is late that they realized that they only had an illusion. Besides, I think parents and teachers should sometimes tell children the plain truth. When doing so, it will be like the doctor's needle into a sick person's flesh. It hurts and it is very painful but this is necessary to save his life. Yet, despite all the obstacles, nobody advised these kids that they should have another alternative than becoming the best basketball player. Nobody, even Coach Pingatore, told While William to consider doing something else. They let these kids in their sweet dreams, being afraid of shocking them when trying to wake them up or get them “step down from their golden sky”. For St. Joseph High School, this is understandable because While William's attendance is not free. However, William's family could have helped him, telling him to come to reason and make a success of is life in doing something else.
  There is a lesson from this documentary that can be helpful to students teachers. In fact, those who want to become teachers should realize that not all the people who dream of becoming teachers can fulfill their dreams. They should see if the moral, physical, intellectual and even social condition required for the fulfillment of their dreams are met. Otherwise, they should consider doing something else where they can have a tangible success.