In 1959, when Jean Harper was in the third grade, her teacher asked them to write a report on what they wanted to be when they grew up. She poured her heart into her report and expressed her dream of becoming an airline pilot. Her paper came back with an "F" on it. The teacher told her it was a "fairy tale". Jean was completely disappointed. As the years went by, Jean was beaten down by the discouragement. "Girls can't become airline pilots; never have, never will. You're crazy." Finally Jean gave up.
In her senior year of high school, her English teacher was Mrs. Dorothy Slaton, a strict teacher with high standards. One day Mrs. Slaton asked this question, "What will you do in the future?" Jean felt a rush of the old enthusiasm (热情), and with excitement she wrote down the very old dream right away.
The next thing that Mrs. Slaton said changed the course of Jean's life. "I have a little secret for you. You do have unlimited (无限的) abilities and talents. When you leave school, if you don't go for your dream, no one will do it for you. You can have what you want if you try!"
The hurt and fear of years of discouragement disappeared suddenly. Jean felt thrilled and told her teacher about her dream of becoming a pilot. Mrs. Slaton slapped (敲) the desk top, "Then do it!" she said.
So Jean did. It didn't happen overnight. In her l0 years of hard work, even facing all kinds of difficulties, she never gave up her dream. Eventually, Jean Harper became a Boeing 737 captain (机长) of the United Airline Company.
