Minooka Teacher Has Essay Published in “This I Believe” NPR Anthology

English teacher, Sabrina Dubik was surprised to hear an essay she wrote six years ago is slated to be published.

Ironically, the idea of being open to possibility is, in fact, the subject of her essay.

Dubik was contacted by Dan Gediman of National Public Radio, which is including her essay in the anthology This I Believe: Life Lessons, the third book in the This I Believe Project series. The books feature stories from people from all walks of life. Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt and Bill Gates are all previous contributors to the This I Believe series.

Dubik wrote an essay entitled Do Talk to Strangers as a college writing assignment, and then had not thought about it until the recent contact with Gediman.

“I had to read his email multiple times because I was in disbelief," she said. "Being almost six years later, I had forgotten about the story and hadn't thought about Don Rodgers (the essay's subject) in years. It was a wonderful reminder and a confirmation of the truth behind the story: strangers can change your life in very unexpected ways even six years later.”

In her essay, Dubik explains she had always been taught not to talk to strangers. She wrote about how as a waitress at her part-time job during college, she never got involved in conversing with patrons on more than a superficial level. Then one day, she started a conversation with an elderly gentleman who ate at the restaurant every week.

He confided in her that his wife had died, but he continued to do the things that his wife loved including going to the movies and going out to eat each Saturday. Touched by his story, Dubik in turn, opened to the gentleman sharing with him her goals, and her dreams. When Mr. Rodgers—or Don as he insisted she call him—ended up in a nursing home, Dubik visited him and continued the friendship, until Don’s passing. The encounter and the friendship moved and touched Dubik.

Dubik will, in turn, continue to use her experiences as a teaching tool.

“I plan to bring this experience to my classroom in both an educational and life experience aspect," she said. "I will encourage my students to submit their own writing to be published, while showing that life brings both unexpected and amazing possibilities."

This I Believe: Life Lessons will be available in bookstores and online on Oct. 4, and Dubik plans to incorporate it into her curriculum.

"I plan to share the stories within the book in hopes to inspire my students to experience and reflect on their own life lessons," Dubik said. "I teach seniors and believe that education is based on a combination of content knowledge and life experiences. I think my publication provides me the chance to teach both aspects of learning.”