“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
– Julian of Norwich
Recently, I had the opportunity to be a panelist speaker at the Ambrose Research Conference (ARC) for 2026. The theme for the conference was: Reimagining Hope In Turbulent Times.
Held annually at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta, ARC is a gathering that aims to spotlight student, faculty, staff, and alumni research and scholarly activity, through a series of conference presentations and poster exhibits.
As one of nine panelists for the School of Education session entitled, How Future Teachers Are Cultivating Hope, I was invited to share a short story (under five minutes) about how I found hope in turbulent times when reflecting on my practicum or a teaching experience.
One of the co-host’s for this session (also an Ed. prof) told me afterwards, “You should publish it!”
So, in that spirit, here is my speech below:
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I’d like to begin with a question: What is hope?
Now, I could read to you the various definitions that the dictionaries of the world have to offer. But instead of completely boring you of near Jeopardy-like trivial statements, today I’d like to provide you with a definition of my own:
Hope is the engine that propels the human existence and movement forward.
Here’s an analogy: Hope is like the 7th Hawaiian wave-set that ushers in an enchanting performance for the tourists watching from the shore…or in the ocean!
It is the exclamation point of a life well-lived–and of a life that is being well-lived.
I like what the author of the book, The Alchemist, has to say:
It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.
To me, that is a hopeful statement.
Here is my story about how I found hope in turbulent times during my final practicum:
I was in a Grade 2/3 multi-aged classroom in a public school setting.
Terry [not his real name] was a student of mine.
He had come from a rough family background–and currently still is.
He’s in Grade 2.
He couldn’t read or write and he needed to have a scribe. When I would scribe for him, he would ask me to “write less” for him.
I got to sit with him at this year’s school Christmas concert.
We sat along the side wall with our backs pressed up against the wall.
This moment happened to have coincided with a family conflict of his, taking place just down the hallway, in the office.
So, we got to spend some time together and just hang out. It was pretty cool!
Over the course of my 10-week practicum this year, I began to notice something:
At the end of each day he would ask me, Mr. Van, what are your plans for tonight? Or, on Fridays he’d ask, What are you doing this weekend?
The first time I heard him say this, I was speechless. I was completely dumbfounded.
I thought to myself, What 6 or 7 year old asks this sort of thing?
I found it amazing how despite the brokenness of his family and home environment, he was still interested in asking how other people were doing, including his teacher…even his Pre-Service Teacher.
This clearly demonstrates the power of his resilient mind and spirit.
And the fact that he is still a kid.
This is his normal.
It’s unfortunate, yes–of course it is, but it’s all he knows.
And he is able to rise above it.
He has lifted my spirits each time he asked me this question.
In fact, I started making it a game by asking him first what his plans were for that evening, or the coming weekend.
In conclusion, what is hope?
I’d like to end by answering this question, as I started with.
Hope is not something that is Somewhere Out There, as an early 2000’s song from Our Lady Peace would suggest.
It is also not some Pie-in-the-sky idea.
Rather, hope is the revelatory mark–the exclamation point–of a life well-lived–and of a life that is being well-lived … just like Terry’s.
So, let’s all be like Terry and take an interest in other people’s lives, even if our own circumstances may be less than ideal.
Let us all be the engine of Hope, in our world, that propels the human experience forward.
Thank you.
