The Seven C’s: Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

by Cathryn McGill

Disclaimer: Things I Do to Laugh to Keep From Crying

A friend of mine recently posted something on social media about how a certain big-box store now keeps underwear under lock and key. You heard me—drawers on lockdown. I responded with something humorous and pithy (just ask me) and I filed it under “Things I Do to Laugh to Keep From Crying.”

So I am completely aware that the topic of education is serious—life and death by my calculation but, if you indulge my need to maintain my sanity using a bit of nuance and humor, I think you’ll get my point.

Speaking of Salty Tears: 2025 NM KIDS COUNT

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest KIDS COUNT Data Book, New Mexico is dead last—#50 in child well-being. That’s a sad statistic and it’s generational grief. That’s a grandmother in tears because her brilliant grandson can’t read at grade level and tells me that this “ain’t how schools used to be when I was a kid.” That’s a mama worried about her kid’s gaming addiction and the bad behavior that she didn’t teach and doesn’t condone.

If you know me, you know that I love technology and believe in digital literacy but this?! No. Our children are growing up with screens—bright, flashing, dopamine-sucking portals of distraction. This translates into 8-year-olds who are fluent in Fortnite and TikTok but struggle to form a full sentence or express a feeling.

It’s a crisis of character and culture—failing at tests and obscuring the dreams of bright futures.

The Eurythmics and Shifting Pedagogy

I knew my love for Annie Lennox would come in handy someday. Remember that song? “Sweet dreams are made of these—she sang ‘this’—Who am I to disagree? Travel the world and the ‘Seven C’s’—I think they said ‘seas’ but work with me for a minute.” Here’s the thing: education isn’t about stuffing facts into little heads until they burst. It’s about teaching kids how to think, how to wonder, and how to learn to learn.

If we really want to climb out of that #50 hole, we have to stop focusing only on testing and start building whole, curious humans.

Arne Duncan put it perfectly when he said that today’s world demands the Four C’s for success in school and in life: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

Here at the New Mexico Black Leadership Council, we’ve expanded that list by 3—what we call the Seven C’s—because we know that dreams don’t rest on knowledge alone. They also rely on identity, voice, and belief.

Introducing the Seven C’s

Here’s the real foundation of a future-ready, justice-rooted generation:

Critical Thinking: Asking “why” before accepting “what.” Analyzing. Challenging. Discernment as survival.

Communication: Saying what you mean. Listening with your whole heart. Being understood.

Collaboration: Working well with others, not just because it’s nice—but because nothing great is built alone.

Creativity: Problem-solving, storytelling, daydreaming—this is innovation’s fuel.

Clarity: Knowing your message, your purpose, your next step. Chaos doesn’t scare people who have clarity.

Competence: The ability to actually do the thing. Real skills, practiced often.

Confidence: Not loud. Not boastful. Just a steady fire inside: I belong here. I’m ready.

Real Education

To be educated in 2025 means quoting Maya Angelou and decoding Kendrick Lamar. It’s seeing wisdom in Toni Morrison, TikTok, and King Lear. Not either/or but both/and.

We need kids who can hold court with PhDs and play Bid Whist at the cookout—who walk into boardrooms and block parties with equal grace.

“Sweet dreams are made of this. Everybody’s looking for something.”

What they seek—belonging, purpose, and love—starts with a foundation. The Seven C’s are the compass.

Dream Big, New Mexico

When I think about what it will take for us to be number 1 in Child Wellbeing, I can’t see it from the status quo—but I see it through this lens. Duncan nailed it: kids need these concepts for success in school and life.

I’m dreaming of New Mexico schools built on these foundational success principles. Sweet dreams are made of the 7 C’s. Corny? Yeah, maybe, but I know you feel me.